Posts Tagged ‘french mortgage advice’

French Mortgages won’t lead to Capital Gains Tax on French homes

Thursday, May 27th, 2010

With Capital Gains Tax in the news in the UK, here’s the French position.

No capital gains tax is payable to the French government on the sale of a principal residence by a French resident (and taxpayer) whatever their nationality. You just have to pay the Notaire’s fees and repay your French mortgage.

For second homes CGT is levied at 16% for EU residents with French residents paying an extra 11% social charges, while non-EU residents are charged 33%.  The Notaire will collect the tax at the point of sale.

However, capital gains tax is reduced progressively by 10% per year after 5 years’ ownership, so there is no tax to pay after 15 years. The cost of improvements carried out by French-registered contractors can be deducted from the capital gain between buying and selling prices. French residents also pay CGT on the sale of a second home, wherever it is situated. They too are exempt from capital gains tax on the sale of a second home after 15 years ownership.

If you are thinking of relocating to France, where Capital Gains are treated differently, Best French Mortgage can organise a mortgage for your French home at the best rates from the best French banks.

Best French Mortgage are the leading online French mortgage broker:

Click here to apply for your French Mortgage.

Mayday, Mayday

Tuesday, April 27th, 2010

May 1, La Fête du Travail (Labour Day), is one of most important Bank Holidays in France. Apart from the boulangerie selling fresh bread and breakfast croissants just about everything else in France is closed. That includes Estate Agents, banks, petrol stations, food shops, other retailers and public services.  Many French people make it a long weekend, so you may also find businesses closed on Friday.

Be aware that this year May 8, May 13 and May 24 are also public holidays in France, although generally supermarkets will be open for part of the day.

 
Best French Mortgage online portal will always be open, of course, so you will still be able to apply for a French mortgage and organise your financials before house-hunting resumes next week. We will find you the best French mortgage from top tier French banks and mortgage providers. We don’t charge clients for our mortgage broking services.

Best French Mortgage are the leading online French mortgage broker:

Click here to apply for your French Mortgage.

Pâques 2010 – Easter in France

Tuesday, March 30th, 2010

Easter weekend begins on Friday 2 April. The French call it Vendredi Saint and although it’s not an official Bank Holiday, many people start their Easter holidays on Good Friday.
 
Easter Day (Sunday 4 April) is traditionally celebrated with Church bells, chocolate treats and a sumptuous family dinner. As well as Easter eggs, there are Easter bells, Easter bunnies, Easter fish, Easter nests and exquisite dark chocolates for adults. Nearly everyone in France eats lamb on Easter Sunday.
 
Monday 5 April is a public holiday and Estate Agents do not open. However, by Tuesday it’s business as normal and the spring season brings a whole new set of properties to market. French property continues to represent good value and a sound investment. Completions in France can take up to three months, so if you want to spend your summer holiday in your new French home, now is the time to move forward on your purchase.

 
Best French Mortgage continue to arrange mortgages with First Tier French banks at the best rates and with the best terms. Contact us as soon as you find the right property and we will immediately start to find you the best French mortgage for your personal circumstances.
 
Best French Mortgage are the leading online French mortgage broker:

Click here to apply for your French Mortgage.

Now’s the Time to Finance a Property in France

Saturday, March 20th, 2010

Experts are agreed that 2010 is the time to invest in French property provided you finance the purchase with a Euro mortgage through BFM.

Why? Because the French market has bottomed out in terms of pricing and there are major bargains to be picked up in most areas.

But what about the exchange rate, surely the poor sterling/euro exchange rate makes French property a bad deal for British buyers?

Not if you take the maximum mortgage available, usually 80 to 85% of the property valuation.

The reasoning goes like this:

If you buy for cash you do indeed risk exchanging a lot of money for Euros at a bad rate.

If you take a mortgage, then one of two things will inevitably happen.

Either Sterling falls further against the Euro, so the value of your property increases in sterling terms;

Or Sterling recovers against the Euro. Your property value goes down in Sterling terms BUT SO DOES YOUR OUTSTANDING MORTGAGE.

It’s called hedging and is the first thing young international bankers are supposed to learn.

Keep your assets (the property) and your liabilities (the mortgage) in the same currency. Anything else is a decision to take a foreign exchange risk.

For more details see the Best French Mortgage Market Trends page.

Click here to apply for your French Mortgage.

©BestFrenchMortgage

Compromis de Vente

Thursday, March 18th, 2010

The Compromis de Vente is a legally binding bill of sale. Once both the seller and buyer have signed the Compromis, and the buyer has had 7 days reflection, there’s no backing out for either party.  A Compromis may be drawn up by an registered Estate Agent or a Notaire.

The Compromis must describe the property fully including not just the size and location of the property and outbuildings, but also any fixtures and fittings included in the sale. The price is also fixed at this point.

There are 3 types of conditions which may be included in the Compromis de Vente: Conditions générales, Conditions particulières and Conditions suspensives.

Conditions générales mean for example that the buyer takes possession on the day of completion and becomes liable for property taxes and that the seller doesn’t sell off part of the property before then.

Conditions particulières would be written into the contract if the seller agreed, for example, to complete repairs before the sale date. If the condition is not fulfilled by the sale date, you may not withdraw from the purchase but you can ask the Notaire to retain some of the purchase price from the seller until the matter is put right.

Conditions suspensives are clauses which, if not realised, allow the purchaser to withdraw. If you are looking to buy with a French mortgage, you must have a condition suspensive in the Compromis de Vente which allows you to withdraw from the purchase if you are refused a mortgage.

You may be offered a promesse de vente (promesse unilatérale de vente) by a developer, which is an option to buy a property granted to the buyer by the owner. A promesse de vente is at a specified price and good for a specific duration.

And, for commercial premises there is a  promesse d’achat where the buyer commits to buy a property in the case where the owner wants to sell it.

As soon as you sign the Compromis de Vente or equivalent document, you must start to look for a mortgage if you need one. Best French Mortgage will get the ball rolling as soon as we hear from you.

Best French Mortgage are the leading online French mortgage broker:

Click here to apply for your French Mortgage.

Surprise Fed Interest Rate Moves Shocks Markets

Friday, February 19th, 2010

The French Mortgage market is reeling from the shock move by the Fed to increase its emergency loan rate by 0.25% to 0.75%. The Fed’s move definitively signals that we are now at the bottom of the global interest rate cycle and the window of opportunity is beginning to close on what will probably be the best French Mortgage rates for the next 25 years. If you’re thinking of buying in France ACT NOW and contact us to get one of the last great mortgage bargains of the decade. For more details see the Best French Mortgage Market Trends page.

Click here to apply for your French Mortgage.

©BestFrenchMortgage

We’ve Updated our Market Trends Page with the Latest Information

Friday, February 19th, 2010

Best French Mortgage have updated their Market Trends page with the latest information on French Mortgages

Click here to apply for your French Mortgage.

©BestFrenchMortgage

French Bargain Cheap Property

Tuesday, January 19th, 2010

French bargain cheap property is available in every departement of France but seldom via local French estate agents or on internet property web sites. This guide tells you how to find the very best French bargain cheap property that can be purchased on a French mortgage and often with no estate agent fees. Best French mortgage are specialists in French Euro mortgages for French bargain cheap property.

Visit our updated French Bargain Cheap Property page.

Click here to apply for one of our 90% French Mortgages.

©BestFrenchMortgage

French Mortgage Glossary and Vocabulary of Terms

Monday, January 18th, 2010

The Best French Mortgage glossary of French mortgage, housing and property terms includes the essential terms, words and vocabulary (including technical and legal terms) related to French property purchase and French mortgages.

This glossary should cover most of the terms you will need to understand to obtain a French mortgage but if you come across a term which you don’t understand and which is not listed here contact us and we will send you an explanation.

Visit our updated French Mortgage Glossary and Vocabulary of Terms page.

Click here to apply for one of our 90% French Mortgages.

©BestFrenchMortgage

Use a Currency Trading Account to Slash Your FX Costs

Sunday, January 17th, 2010

Get the Best Foreign Exchange Rates

The currency market plays a huge part in the price you pay for your French property and yet is one of the easiest areas where you can make big savings.

Most people now recognise that their high street bank or building society will not give them as good a deal on Euros as they could get from a specialist currency dealer. This is especially true if the sum is large, such as a mortgage deposit, or if the payments are regularly recurring, such as with Euro mortgage repayments.

It is all too easy to become bewildered by the proliferation of currency exchange bureaux advertising their services: when we checked our search software found 53,100,000 references to foreign exchange on the internet!

To save you having to do the research yourself, we decided to select a foreign exchange partner that would give our clients an exemplary foreign exchange service and the best possible foreign exchange deal. And, exactly as you would expect from Best French Mortgage, foreign exchange with no broking commission charges.

Our new service offers

  • All Client funds are sent via SWIFT payment from secure Client accounts at Barclays, giving you peace of mind that your payment will arrive at its destination swiftly and securely
  • Best rates in the market
  • No commission charges (typically banks charge up to 2%)
  • No transfer fees (typically banks charge up to £25 per transaction)
  • Secure online access with visibility of your currency trade via First Rate FX’s unique web portal
  • Forward Contracts to fix your rate and cut your risk
  • UK and International payments sent same day with no hidden costs – guaranteed!
  • A representative based in France to sort out any problems in the French banking system

Visit our updated French Euro Foreign Exchange page.

Click here to apply for one of our 90% French Mortgages.

©BestFrenchMortgage