Riviera Reporter
| Oct 04, 2016
Inland from Nice, in the foothills surrounding Grasse, are some of the best and most entrancing views in this magical part of the world. Long considered the perfume capital of the world, Grasse is just 15km from Cannes, with its yachts and all the…
Riviera Reporter
| Jul 25, 2016
Just an hour from Sainte Maxime and the Côte d’Azur, in the heart of old Provence, sits the enchanting village of Sillans-la-Cascade in Central Var. Its name alone entrances ... famed for wonderful waterfalls just a few minutes’ walk from the…
Tim Clark
| Jun 17, 2016
So here we are, nearly half way through the year, and what’s that I hear, a collective gasp of “What, already?” Okay, so what has the housing market been like to date. It’s not all bad news, folks, the notaires’ society of France recently “called”…
Tim Clark
| May 19, 2016
Brexit! There, I said it. I am sure the Editor is going to have kittens at yet another Brexit story (see
Brexit Report), but here it goes. Clearly, this story is dominating the English-speaking press at the moment and the claims and counterclaims by…
Riviera Reporter
| Apr 27, 2016
Step 1: Sort out your finances You’re looking to buy so you’ll need to get an idea of the amount you can borrow when the time comes. Otherwise, as Tim Clark has pointed out several times in his property column, your dream home could quickly slip…
Riviera Reporter
| Apr 19, 2016
If you have a couple of million euro lying around, you may want to note a few sale dates in May. A first in France, a private auction for a luxury property that will be auctioned off on May 5th, 2016. The Villa La Ponche – a 4-storey, 120m² with 3…
Riviera Reporter
| Apr 01, 2016
The golden stone of Provence seems to reflect and glow even during winter – its warmth is incandescent. It offers welcome and the promise of joys to follow throughout the year: springtime – when mimosa-clad hills near the coast waft gentle perfume –…
Tim Clark
| Feb 18, 2016
“I’ll know it when I see it!” Seven words that strike fear into the heart of the most hardened estate agent. In fact, I’m thinking of beginning a mind-reading course for estate agents, as it is often assumed we can find your dream home by osmosis.…
Tim Clark
| Dec 28, 2015
Well, another year draws to a close and what a period of ups and downs it has been. I feel privileged to live and work in this region of France and often have to pinch myself when I commute into Cannes, Nice or St Tropez, all the while staring at…
PJ Heslin
| Dec 03, 2015
Over the last few years, my wife and I have been weighing the pros and cons of buying versus renting in France and going over the financial metrics, taking into consideration also that we are mid-lifers. So I was rather intrigued by a New York Times…
Tim Clark
| Nov 12, 2015
There is an old English saying, “Where there’s muck, there’s brass.” Nothing is truer when talking about … septic tanks. Okay, I hear a collective groan of “here he goes again” (or is it just the thought of wastewater as you sip your morning…
Tim Clark
| Oct 22, 2015
If you haven’t noticed, the euro has been taking a bit of a kicking from a number of currencies, not least the sterling and US dollar. This has led to an incredible increase in demand from potential buyers from the UK and the States, not to mention…
Riviera Reporter
| Oct 14, 2015
Here’s a special property that’s been beautifully restored using recycled materials and lashings of tender loving care. The owners aimed to create a home that as well as being easy on the eye has a very special vibe to it that promotes a deep sense…
Tim Clark
| Aug 19, 2015
Previously, we looked at
defining your search for your dream property in France and how to make an offer. We now walk you through those final steps of becoming a home owner. Once your offer has been accepted, the agency, in coordination with the…
Riviera Reporter
| Jul 25, 2015
She is a true artist, and hides behind the exotic name of Ziva. After eight creative and rewarding years living in a stunning Mougins villa, this international woman of mystery is ready to move on, and her home is for sale. Her fantasy-like…
Tim Clark
| Jun 29, 2015
Here at Leggett Immobilier, we’ve helped thousands of overseas clients to purchase property in France over the past two decades and know that the different buying process, language and laws can be confusing. Our free buyer’s guide gives an overall…
Riviera Reporter
| May 26, 2015
It's clearly part of Cannes, but only up to a point. The Pointe Croisette area is in fact a “principality” in its own right, the land of the quartier owned by the residents themselves rather than by the Cannes authorities. For practical reasons, the…
Riviera Reporter
| Apr 25, 2015
In light of the current weakness of the euro against some other currencies, particularly the strong British pound, expats in France might be tempted to buy property here. However, if you prefer to concentrate on finding your feet in France first,…
Tim Clark
| Mar 12, 2015
We all know our houses can look less than inviting during the winter months and even on the French Riviera it can get cold and damp, so what to do if you are trying to sell your home? Do you even consider taking it off the market until spring? Well,…
Tim Clark
| Feb 20, 2015
In property parlance there is away-from-it-all, and then there is La Canabière. The location of this outstanding eight-bedroom bastide in the commune of Mons – designated a World Heritage Site – is simply outstanding. Owner Molly Holt discovered it…
Tim Clark
| Dec 29, 2014
Well what a year that was. As 2014 draws to a close I would like to reflect on how things have gone in the real estate business on the Côte d’Azur during these relatively tough times. The year started quite positively with some excellent business…
Riviera Reporter
| Dec 19, 2014
The mayor of La Garde Freinet was looking grim as his gaze swept the council chamber. He had summoned 31 family heads to an emergency meeting. It was the second of April, 1775, and the hour was grave. There were gasps from the assembly as he…
Tim Clark
| Nov 13, 2014
As PACA Area Manager of Leggett Immobilier, I can tell you that our half-year figures are in and it’s clear that UK buyers are back in force. The first six months of 2014 show an overall increase in sales of 35% and our pipeline of “offers accepted”…
Riviera Reporter
| Nov 03, 2014
Here’s a chance to splash out on a property that’s been the happy summer home of Britain’s finest swimmer. David Wilkie was a toddler when he took to the water for the first time in Sri Lanka, where his Scottish parents had been posted. At boarding…
Riviera Reporter
| Oct 22, 2014
Since September 15th, 2014, those costly “agency fees” that renters in France have to pay when they go through a real estate agency are now set according to the size of the apartment and where it’s located. This is thanks to the rental access and…
Riviera Reporter
| Oct 06, 2014
Ronald van der Meij carefully put down the bottle of wine he had just selected and, straining his ears, tried to make out the sound that was filtering through the cellar wall. “I was sure I could make out the sound of running water,” says the…
Tim Clark
| Sep 19, 2014
The role of an Estate Agent is often maligned with the assumption that we spend all day flouncing around in our Ferraris while looking for ways to fleece old people and ruin the lives of unsuspecting house buyers. So let me try and set the record…
Tim Clark
| Aug 11, 2014
Almost daily I’m asked the question: “Why hasn’t my house sold?” Often the answer is fairly simple. We've previously covered preparation and presentation, two fundamental points to ensure you get the best price and attract the best buyers. There are…
Antonia Owen
| Aug 02, 2014
This is a tale of two homes that were built centuries apart. At first glance, there seems no similarity whatsoever between an historic 17th-century mansion apartment in the heart of Aix-en-Provence and a concrete and glass post-modernist marvel just…
Tim Clark
| Jul 07, 2014
We’ve all seen those TV programmes where an irritating American woman or a chirpy Cockney tells us how to style a house in order to sell it. The problem is that while a lot of us watch these shows, most of us ignore everything we’re told. There’s an…
Riviera Reporter
| Jun 01, 2014
The sweet sound of the church bells of La Mortola drift up to the sun-kissed terrace where Carlo Maria Maggia is sipping his espresso. The view is breathtaking, taking in the coast from Capo Nero on the far side of Bordighera to Cap Martin past…
InterNations
| Apr 04, 2014
In light of the current weakness of the Euro against some other currencies, particularly the strong British pound,
expats in France might be tempted to buy property there. However, if you prefer to concentrate on
finding your feet in France first…
Tim Clark
| Feb 26, 2014
Since I began selling property full-time in France in 2005, I have seen a strong market turn into a very tough market. However, one thing that has remained a constant over the years is the main reason for a house sale to fall through. Given the…
Riviera Reporter
| Feb 15, 2014
Dun-Roman! There are houses with history, and then there is the villa on the Butte St-Antoine at Fréjus. Among the previous list of propriétaires you’ll find the Roman naval commander for the region. The stone-built villa was constructed 150 years…
Nick Kent
| Jan 06, 2014
From that azure day at the end of the 1800s when the Alexandra Palace in Menton first rolled out the red carpet for its carefully-chosen guests, it looked as if all would be well with this exclusive hotel. A few short years later they had just one…
Nick Kent
| Nov 28, 2013
Her engaging smile lights up the elegant salon in which we are sitting. Martine Legrand has started talking about the love of her life, the villa in the rue des Roses. It all started thirty years ago when Martine came to Grasse to work with the…
Nick Kent
| Jan 13, 2013
If you really want to know what’s going on in your home, then Stefan Mayer is the guy for you. While qualifying as a yacht surveyor, the 38-year-old South African became fascinated by the possible uses of thermal imaging – heat-sensitive photography…
Cressida van Zyl-Pithey
| Jan 10, 2012
It doesn’t need to stay a dream. Cressida van Zyl-Pithey explains If you’re living in a house or apartment on the Côte d’Azur then you’re sitting on a goldmine. Well, let’s not exaggerate but you’ve certainly got an asset that could help you turn…
Phil Heinlein
| Jan 10, 2012
The story of Me Jean-François Affray and Jeanne Calment (in her 120th year) is uniquely French ... and you couldn’t make it up. One day in 1965 Affray, a notaire in the southern city of Arles, approached Calment, then aged ninety and frail looking,…
Riviera Reporter
| Jan 10, 2012
Then It Must Be Grass, Right? Nope! Keeping an impeccable lawn is never easy and on the Riviera it's made even more difficult by lack of water in the summer and the fact that many part-time residents aren't here year-round to tend their turf. Enter…