Mortgage rates in France have been at historic lows in recent months. However, the outlook for the next move in interest rates has changed markedly over this period. During the summer of 2013, commentators expected French mortgage rates to rise before the end of the year. In the early fall, this was pushed out to […]

An interview with our collaborator Nicole von Klencke, owner-manager of Unusual Spaces in Berlin. She personally advises clients who seek high-end real estate tailored to their specific needs. 1.    What are your customers typically looking to buy? Our customers want something special, so we offer only architecturally-interesting or exclusive properties with a fascinating history. […]

Today, 21 million citizens of non-European Union (EU) countries live in a member state of the EU. Growing cross-border mobility and property ownership mean that beating a path through the jungle of inheritance law is becoming ever more necessary.

In central Paris you are rarely more than 500 meters (1/3 mile) from a métro (subway) station – it’s one of the densest subway systems in the world. Since using the subway is such a convenient way of getting around the city, closeness to a station is a factor influencing property prices.

Real estate transactions in France are subject to stamp duty, which the buyer pays. The rate is currently 5.09% of the price of the property and breaks down into: A departmental (county) tax of 3.80%. Paris is classified as a county. A communal (municipal) tax of 1.20%. Each arrondissement (district) of Paris counts as a […]

Paris notaires (officials who handle property transactions) recently issued figures for real estate sales during the 3rd quarter of 2013. Real estate prices in Paris overall have seen a fall of 2.1% during the past 12 months but, in the 3rd quarter, they were slightly up on the same quarter in 2012. The average price […]

La Samaritaine, one of Paris’s iconic landmarks, is to be reborn following an ambitious makeover project. The famous department store, first opened in 1870, is situated between the Pont Neuf and the rue de Rivoli, close to the Louvre Museum. The 1st arrondissement (district) is the city’s luxury shop window, with some sought-after addresses.

Shooting in Paris has recently finished for a new movie that delves into an aspect of French real estate law – property that is already occupied. ‘My Old Lady’ stars Kevin Kline as a penniless New Yorker who has inherited a valuable Paris apartment from his father. Arriving in Paris to take possession, he finds […]

In August, we reported on the much-welcomed tax relief on real estate sales, which was immediately applied to any sale finalized after September 1, 2013. The changes were intended to offset the government’s wholesale revision of the capital gains tax laws in 2012, which had discouraged property owners from selling and thus significantly curbed the […]

In recent decades, bricks and mortar have proved the surest bet for a profitable investment over a 10-year period, according to a recent study. Real estate ranked ahead of shares in the CAC 40 (France’s top companies listing), gold and other favorite French investments, such as life insurance and the Livret A savings account.