Real Estate - Nice, France

Nice, the capital of France, French Riviera, has once again become synonymous with glamorous style, charisma and sense of the French translated into an easy life. The 'place to see hedonistic, relax and eat well.

The Riviera is through many transformations over the past 150 years has passed since the discovery of its charms by the British aristocracy and then the Americans in 1920 and '30. Over the past 10 years, the most famousBeach in the world (from St. Tropez to Menton on the Italian border) was a significant renaissance and has once again become the target of choice for many wealthy Europeans and Americans.

But the extraordinary history of this area is not that hard you have to be a millionaire on the coast, especially if you're a fan of city life. It 's true there is a wide selection of villas and farmhouses in the hills behind Nice, worthmany millions of dollars, but if you want to buy an apartment in Nice, well presented itself, just minutes from the beach, the budget would not necessarily be much more than $ 180,000. Those who bought real estate in Nice warn potential buyers from the United States which, if not at least try to learn the basics of the language and try to integrate, can be a difficult transition. But they add is much support for the new American buyers with a large expatriate community and localsuch as the British-American Bridge Club, the British-American Library and a variety of company throughout the year.

The vast majority of customers in North America are looking for large luxurious villas, apartments, and according to the British mortgage bank Abbey National, even though buyers in the U.S. only 2 percent of international buyers bill of the Coast, are still the biggest spend on average € 229 000 on a property. The average price for buyers is the United Kingdom€ 142,000, but the British are about 40 percent of foreign buyers in France and the number is greater in the south.

The British Irish busiest buyers in the south of France for the last 6 years, especially on the birth of a series of successful low-cost airlines in Britain and the plane 40 of the landfill costs the British Sunbathers on the beaches of the Cote d 'Azur every day. Buyers from other countries enjoy the benefits of"British invasion", as the city of Nice has seriously cleaned up his image over the past 5 years because of pressure from the mainly middle-class buyers who build a safer, more orderly, cleaner do. The Council updated the old streets, with new areas for pedestrians, a new state of-the-art tram services in 2006 and the city police said it was his understanding for the interests of foreigners and immigrants in the start area.

The last French royalWell, statistics show that today's buyers are expected to increase from 15 to 20 percent of their investments next year. But the American invasion is that many agents are always very busy. They say the south of France is to see many more Americans are inquiring about the property in the last twelve months. U.S. customers are returning to the coast in increasing numbers since the collapse of tourism following 9 / 11 There are certainly many more Americans on the streets ofNice, Cannes, Monaco and St. Tropez, because for years.

There are still a great affection in the south of France for Americans, which in many ways reinvented the French Riviera in their own image at the turn of last century, the American railroad magnate Frank Jay Gould, open only since the summer only the season of Juan-les-Pins and built the magnificent Palais de la Mediterranee in Nice. It was the likes of F. Scott Fitzgerald and Ernest later Hemingway and the following years, the jazz greats of the United States made their second home on the Riviera. In a famous incident in American millionaires, Gerald and Sara Murphy, persuaded the Hotel du Cap in Cap d'Antibes to remain open for their party followers in the summer of 1926 - something that had never done before. In more recent times are the likes of Ivana Trump at the Riviera and the Microsoft billionaire Paul Allen has purchased, the costs become more and more time in the South> France with his yacht, the largest port of Antibes, just as its base.

The region has the capacity, the A-list with many people is in part because of its beauty. From the deep blue Mediterranean Sea to the cities and charming medieval villages, the French Riviera hard to resist and many tourists buy a house after their third or fourth visit.

The market in the Riviera is still very active and will remain so for thenear future. This is due to the needs of foreign buyers are very specific about what they want - usually based on a romantic idea of the French Riviera and its old stone houses and mountain villages 1000 years. They also want their property "perfect" for the proximity of the region, only international airport of Nice. This means that there is a limited amount of prestige and picturesque properties available that meet the criteria for foreign buyers and the supply and demand mean pricesis becoming increasingly expensive, as these properties romantic old town are harder to find.

This in turn has a change in the expectations of many buyers in North America and England, the difficulty to realize their "dream" forced. They are now looking for new construction projects and developments in modern apartment up and down the coast. There has been tremendous growth in this market sector, with some parts of the coast turned into permanent sites.

Those whospecializes in large objects on the hills behind the Riviera, says that the properties are located there and the quality of great character that many buyers of dreams not yet completely disappeared, it costs you more. An example was a beautiful postcard from Century 17 former mill in the hills about 30 minutes from Nice. A property where nothing has really changed in the last 100 years. The massive old stone mill and water wheel drives them have survived andstill in operation and the pond water that has been done to the wheels is one of the most spectacular pools in the area feed. The old mill was on the market at the end of 2005 to € 3,000,000.

As in all parts of the world appears as a foreign buyer beware, but a good agency will help you avoid potential problems with its inherent problems, then you must, you navigate through the bureaucracy and make the shopping experience more enjoyable . In this sense, there are a couple of 'goldRules for buying in France.

1. Find a professional with staff who speak fluent English sales. Some of the biggest problems of foreign buyers are misunderstandings caused by lack of knowledge of the local dialect.

2. Talk to you with the resources or would like to first begin to address the property. Will soon be a sense of professionalism on the phone if they can answer your questions about the local real estate market in detail.

3. Make yourSearch. Have a good understanding of the region and a pretty good idea of where to buy and what you want. This is both the agent and also the security of your apartment or house that you just do not sit for days in a car that seemed to be hopelessly inadequate property.

4. Ask for references. If the agency does a good job for his clients in English should be able to give you the details of a minimum of 3 satisfied customers who will tell you all about their purchaseand the agency's work that you want.

5. Get a good lawyer. A notary is a landmark in the French property market. He is a semi-government officials who for seven years to capture the complexity of the real estate business moves. The Notaire is essentially a property lawyer who will ensure that there is no debt associated with the property and that a road is not built through your living room in five years. He also manages the research now mandatory forAsbestos, lead and termites in the apartment. A notary seal in good hands as an independent part of the transaction. A villain can be arrogant and out of reach. Technically, as an independent part of the Notaire to act on both sides of the transaction, but it is always advisable to get your own and will not cost you more.

6. And finally - remember with an open, thousands of years in France and many of its buildings. Venuti were formed in one or the other for. If you are notAn expenditure of € 1,000,000 is no longer expect to find up to 200 square meters bathroom and large American refrigerators. A word of advice from experienced property buyers in Europe - the British - cute and old are always the best investment.