Les Senioriales d’Equemauville – A Retirement Paradise in Normandy

The Normandy coast is now the scene of an entirely new type of housing development.

ADDRESS:    Equemauville
PRICES:   €164k – €355k
DEPOSIT:    €3,000
ACCOMMODATION:    1-3 bedrooms
SIZE:    51sqm – 105sqm

This development “Les Senioriales d’Equemauville” is aimed specifically at those who wish to spend their autumn years’ ensconced in a comfortable seaside surrounding.
These duplex villas combine comfort with a sense of community that in later life can sometimes be lacking. For comfort, the villas are spacious and comprise large living rooms with fireplaces, well-lit bedrooms and gardens with terraces and sense of private space that is not so common in some housing developments. A variety of home help is also available and emergency services are only 20 minutes away.
The community spirit of Equemauville is enhanced by the club house which is at the centre of the complex. This club house comprises a television room, a room with Internet access, a library, a fitness room, 2 guest rooms and an information centre.
Equemauville itself possesses all the necessary everyday amenities that are required. Should one wish for a smattering of history and tourism, why not try visiting:
-    Mont St Michel.
-    Museums and memorials dedicated to the D-Day Landings.
-    Bayeux and Le Havre.
Normandy is famed for its cuisine which includes a variety of fish and seafood (lobster, turbot and mussels’ are held in particularly high esteem) as well as dairy products (butter, cream and cheese) and cider and calvados!
Equemauville is very accessible as it is positioned within touching distance of the ferry ports of Honfleur, Le Havre and Caen. These three ports are 5, 30 and 40 minutes away, respectively.

There are 2 options on the villas within the development:
1)    Permanent or holiday usage.
2)    Pure investment with a yield of up to 3.28%. (These villas are to be rented out exclusively to senior citizens.)
Sextant French Properties has its own in-house mortgage brokerage team which is dedicated to finding the best mortgage for you depending on your financial circumstances.

You can see the full description here

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French Property: Is the new less expensive than the old?

The price differential between new and old property diminishes if one looks at a comparison of property cost over the last decade due to increased charges in the old properties.

Increased renewal works’ have to be carried out on old property, notably those involving energy and safety, which have been classified as compulsory by the law. In the coming years, this will put a strain on the profitability of older houses. It is therefore more important than ever to make the correct calculations.

Some buyers’ are satisfied. They prefer a new property over an old one because they wish to buy the property “hands’ in pockets” without the constraints of re-development works’. For them, the comforts of heating and sound-proofing insulation, as well as standards of safety, are equally important. All this comes at a price that they are prepared to pay. For other buyers, only the price is important. They do not hesitate between a 70m2 new property at €280.000 and a 70m2 old property at €210.000. “Saving €70.000 is worthwhile”, they say. Of course this is a reasonable point but the calculation isn’t entirely fair.

The older properties bear more important burdens….
The cost of purchasing an old property plus the increased notary fees (6-8% instead of 2 – 3.3%) and the fees for renewal work, systematically ensures that if need be fees are incurred for inherited works’ on the property. So, a face-lift for the property or a replacement boiler represents a significant cost. In a new building, these costs are practically non-existent for the first 10 years.

Expected to widen further in the coming years…
Spending should increase further in the future because of increases in planned works’. In fact, recent laws have been enacted due to the desire to protect the consumer and the environment by making some work mandatory and others’, highly recommended.

Compulsory work
The law of 2nd July 2003 requires that private lifts installed before 27th August 2000, be upgraded in order to comply with current regulations. This process is set to last for 15 years (until 2018). For its part, the law of 3rd August 2009 relating to the establishment of the “Grenelle Environment” stresses that greenhouse gas emissions must be cut by 25% before 2050. In this way, the State has made it its goal to completely renovate 400,000 homes each year up to and including 2013.
This work will however be costly.

Highly recommended work
In turn, the increase in test techniques which are used before selling a property will generate increased costs’ for a large number of old properties. The current tests concern the presence of lead, asbestos or termites in the property, the state of the gas and electrical fittings and furthermore, their energy output. From 2013, there will be an additional test on drainage systems which are unconnected to mains’ drainage. It is very likely that other assessments will be added to the list in the future. These tests, which are designed for the buyer, are of course informative only. Except in major cases’ (if a danger is proven), the seller is not obliged to start renewal work. Neither is the buyer, although perhaps they will do it all so that they can improve the safety of their home and reduce the energy bills’. The report increases the price of the property further. Even if the works’ aren’t carried out, the presence of these tests showing the problems of the property risk representing a potential “de-valuer” on the price, in light of an eventual re-sale.

“The new: less expensive than the old?”
In any case, it seems fair to add the total bill of these works’ to the acquisition price of old property in order to gain a true estimate of its value. Our example earlier, the saving of €70.000 between properties, is without doubt considerably reduced. In the years to come, it is highly possible that for certain types of categories of properties, a decennial assessment between new and old will show that the new property has the upper hand.

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Only one unit left in this leaseback next to Paris

The Domaine of the Val de Seine – Only one unit left!

Act fast to snap up this last available unit in a luxury business development just outside of Paris!
This 4-star leaseback business residency offers spacious accommodation which is ideally located at the gateway of Paris, in Sainte Assise Beaulieu. The development offers fully furnished studios to 2-bedroom cottages offering 20 sqm to 43 sqm of living space.

The accommodation features:
A fully fitted kitchen and bathroom, television and a telephone socket, storage space, electric heating and double glazed windows

The residency offers:
A car park area, an indoor heated swimming pool, 8 tennis courts, a SPA and fitness centre, a restaurant and bar, and a conference centre

The investment scheme includes:
– A high rental demand
– An 11 year lease term
– Up to a 5.2 % yield
– A 19.6 % VAT return
– A guaranteed index-linked rental income
– A self-occupancy scheme

The residency is ideally located just 35 minutes from Orly airport and 45 minutes from the Paris Euro star. Located in a green area, facing the magnificent panorama of the Seine, this development provides all the necessary facilities for tourism and business and also offers relaxation for quality stays.

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France prepares for Trust investment boom

Following the introduction of its first trust law on the 2 March, huge amounts of foreign investment are expected to flow into the French property market.

What are the benefits?
•     The opportunity for a first-time investment in French leasebacks for foreign pension trustees.

•    High net worth individuals will be encouraged to move offshore funds into the property market without major tax penalties.

•    “It could be one of the biggest developments in overseas property for the next decade,” according to chartered tax adviser David Anderson of law and tax firm Sykes Anderson.

•    More high net worth individuals taking an advantage of the unique property types such as vineyards and ski chalets.

•    A potential immediate benefit to the €10 million + property market.

SIPP leasebacks
Leaseback developers are also excited because of the potential for Self-Invested Personal Pension (SIPP) investment from the UK. A massive interest from current clients has been reported.
SIPPs are not allowed to invest in residential property but developers are confident certain leasebacks would satisfy tax office rules.

The change in law will encourage more SIPP providers to invest in foreign property in order to avoid losing business.

France has signed tax information exchange agreements with a number of tax havens including: Jersey, Guernsey, the Isle of Man, the British Virgin Islands and the Cayman Islands.
The 3 % gross annual tax penalty and the absence of a trust law were two major obstacles for foreign investors so it an amazing turnaround has come about that could even lead to Trusts being able to buy residential property that no-one’s been able to invest in for the last 50 years.

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Mediterranean-style Leaseback apartments in Argeles-sur-Mer

Situated in the heart of the Languedoc-Roussillon region, deep in the South of France, a new oasis of peace has been created to fulfil your ultimate holiday pleasures. This oasis is situated on the outskirts of the pretty village of Les Demeures de la Massane. It is a landscaped, private park which is close enough to the village that you feel attached to civilisation but far enough away that you can ignore it [civilisation] for a while, making it a very attractive touristic and financial prospect for everyone.

The fully-furnished interiors of these Mediterranean-style apartments offer a haven for those who enjoy the sun and sea provided by the south coast of France. The blend of colours provided by the rural surroundings’ and the resort itself, cannot fail to set a mood of total relaxation.

As with many such resorts, Les Demeures de la Massane is an exclusive community that is centred around a communal reception area that houses a 5-star luxury spa facility that comprises a large swimming pool, Jacuzzi, sauna. The resort is not just targeting adults; children have their own games’ area within the spa complex as well as a paddling pool to amuse themselves with. All this and should you still wish to explore further, there are the white, sandy beaches of the Mediterranean no more than 2km away and the Pyrenees mountains as well as Spain, only a short distance by car.

On the financial side of things, this resort is a leaseback property, meaning that you can have the opportunity to enjoy both touristic and financial reward! The investment scheme is as follows:

- The property will be managed by a well-known management specialist.

- Rents will be guaranteed via a commercial lease.

- You, as the buyer, will get a VAT percentage in return.

Additionally, buyers will be granted a VIP member card which will give access to special holiday offers!

The resort is very accessible as the nearest city, Perpignan, is only 20 minutes away and has a train station with trains going to Paris and all over France as well as an international airport with cheap flights to the UK.

If you want to receive the full brochure, send us an email at info@sextant-new-build.com

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