THE EXPERTS To help Fran and Reg with their purchase, some words of advice...
Stéphanie Donoghue is an estate agent in Annecy, working for Leggett Immobilier (
www.frenchestateagents.com, 08700 11 51 51)
THE BRIEF WHO
Fran and Reg Parmenter (both 59) fi rst met as children of soldiers stationed in Germany in the 1960s. They were fi rst loves, and when they met again years later the romance was rekindled. They retired a few years ago, but decided they would rather keep busy after all, and now both work in hospitals.
WHAT THEY WANT They would like a house close to mountains, and with a bit of character – perhaps wood or stone-built, and not brand new. They would also appreciate some original features, such as a wood-burning stove. They want two or three bedrooms and a garden. A pool would be super, but is not essential. If the property was large enough, or had some gîtes or land to start a rural tourism business, that would be ideal. Their budget is £250,000, or up to £300,000 for a property from which they could start a business.
WHERE
The couple love Lake Annecy and the southern, French side of Lake Léman (the French name for Lake Geneva). They like the idea of skiing in winter and walking in summer, and the culture and general buzz of French life. They have suggested Thollon-les-Mémises or Les Gets if Annecy is too pricey.
REASON FOR BUYING
Both Fran and Reg have a restless energy. They love doing outdoor sports and living in new places, and in the past year they have been kayaking and skiing, and quite fancy a go at paragliding. They believe that all of these activities will be more exciting in Annecy than in Salisbury!
STEFANO LUCATELLO PROPERTY LAWYER
STÉPHANIE DONOGHUE ESTATE AGENT IN ANNECY
This is a classy, fabulous area. It has beautiful towns and little villages tucked away in lush green countryside. It has a healthy, almost Californian ambience, with people jogging around the lake, and all sorts of sports and watersports available, and it gets great snow for skiing, with just about all the best resorts within an hour’s drive. All the seasons are lovely here: property and infrastructure is designed so that snow is a pleasure, not a problem. Property prices increased last year, and we’re seeing a lot of international interest, including from Russians, while many owners are Swiss. You need at least €400,000 (£315,000) for the kind of house Fran and Reg want in the pretty villages close to Annecy, especially on the eastern side of the lake. The more French residential area of Annecy – less pretty, but with the same amenities – has nice homes for under €300,000, and the west side of the lake is cheaper.
Amanda Lamb is presenter of Channel 4’s hit TV series A Place in the Sun
It’s surprisingly recently that Brits woke up to the fact that the seaside tends to be fun for only about 12 weeks of the year, while mountains and lakes offer holiday excitement and outdoor adventure all year round. Mind you, it’s only recently that the lakes have been clean enough to get into: now Lake Annecy is one of the cleanest in Europe.
AMANDA LAMB PRESENTER OF A PLACE IN THE SUN
Annecy attracts second home buyers from all over Europe, especially members of international organisations like FIFA and CERN, based in Geneva. So, affordable, attractive holiday homes can prove elusive. But while the classic lake-view property is pricey, there are more affordable properties that provide a lively lifestyle for a modest price. Fran and Reg could look at more residential areas – such as housing estates – or more isolated cottages where they may have to use the car quite a bit. Or get a moped: it’s far too hilly here for cycling.
Stefano Lucatello is a property lawyer (
www.kobaltlaw.co.uk, 020 7739 1700)
Under French law, children automatically inherit part of their parents’ estate, so our couple must consider this before buying. If one dies without a will, the French estate will be divided up in accordance with an order of ranking; the fi rst benefi ciaries being the children. The surviving spouse would be entitled to a quarter share of the French estate.
There are several options to avoid some of these issues. They can insert the Tontine clause at the time of the purchase, not afterwards, so that on the death of either spouse the clause retrospectively vests the French property in the survivor, who has total freedom to dispose of it. Another solution is adopting the French matrimonial régime de la communauté universelle des biens, which effectively will put the property in joint ownership. Finally, they can use a holding company named Société Civile Immobilière (SCI), which can offer substantial benefi ts and introduce fl exibility into holding the property. They need expert legal advice to choose which is most appropriate.
DID YOU KNOW?
Despite losing out to Pyeongchang, in South Korea, in its bid for the 2018 Winter Olympics, Annecy and the nearby resort of La Clusaz are known for their spectacular snowfalls that make relatively lower-altitude skiing a possibility from December to April. Local people say it’s a special microclimate influenced by all the lakes.
If you imagine you can hear a low-pitched humming when all is quiet, could it be the Large Hadron Collider at work? The 17-mile tunnel below Geneva doesn’t appear to have dented property prices (imagine the furore if they tried to build one underneath Surrey), but there were some sighs of relief when Annecy wasn’t sucked into a black hole.
Annecy is one of the most beautiful snow and lake destinations in Europe, as well as being about the closest to the UK. The 500-mile drive from Calais can be done in a day, and the train is even quicker, at under seven hours from London, costing from £149 return.
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Turn over to see the four exciting properties we found for Fran and Reg!
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