Five leaseback resale price reduction – take advantage of a better yield

Leaseback resales which are already known to be a profitable investment on the long-term with tax-free incomes through the accounting depreciation are very interested at present. Today five Sextant leaseback prices have been reduced thus offering excellent yields. Read the rest of this entry »

Antibes: when a holiday home is a profitable investment

A town with a rich past

Antipolis has known a long road before being the Antibes we know today. The name Antipolis comes from the Roman occupation at the beginning of our era. After a rather quiet moment, the town passed from the De Grasse family to the Grimaldi family. Read the rest of this entry »

Leasebacks offer you great activities!

Whether set in the city, the countryside, in a French ski resort or by the seaside, French leasebacks offer –as well as a superb apartment with the best facilities and amenities nearby- plenty of activities! Read the rest of this entry »

Which French Leaseback should I choose?

.
.
Nowadays, if you want to finance your French leaseback property, it is better to select one which has a yield lower than 5%; otherwise, banks might decline your mortgage because they will be afraid that the management company of your leaseback will not fulfil all the financial requirements. Read the rest of this entry »

Leaseback Resales: Why are they attractive investments?

There are a number of reasons for buyers to invest in France through leaseback property resales as opposed to buying off-plan. Before we list those reasons, we shall remind you what a leaseback is. Read the rest of this entry »

10% Reduction for All Sextant Customers!

This new development has been delivered this month and we are pleased to let you know that four villas are still available with 10% reduction.

Le Clos Savornin – located in Luberon in the heart of Provence
(a hidden French gem that’s now available to international buyers)

It is an exclusive and well-designed new build hamlet consisting off 22 top of the range villas with private swimming pools and high quality individual services such as a concierge.

The development has elegant outdoor spaces with Provencal decor and enjoys an exceptional location close to a typical Luberon village. The architect recreates a Provencal spirit with typical lanes, colorful houses, small paved squares, refreshing fountains, shady petanque pitches and an old fashioned washhouse. Read the rest of this entry »

Change in French Leaseback

The French leaseback system could be one of the best as it is a guaranteed and advantageous rental scheme with numerous incentives.

Firstly, if you purchase a holiday residence in France, you will be able to get the 19.6% VAT back. In order to get a full VAT refund, you will need to rent your property for at least 20 years. Read the rest of this entry »

French Leaseback properties: changes for 2010

Eligibility leases with rents that incorporate a minority variable rate.

Investments in tourist residences are based on a “triangular” theory:
DEVELOPER (D) – INVESTOR (I) – OPERATOR (O)

Put simply, “I” acquires a property from “D” and then signs a commercial lease with “O” who then pays the rent to “I”. Rent is at this point guaranteed, that is to say “fixed”. ie. A property worth €200,000 at a flat rate of 4% rent per annum will therefore be paying rent of €8,000 per annum.

In order to avoid pitfalls, some property managers felt it would be more realistic to use “sliding scales” (variable rates). This usage of variable rates would mean that, for example, managers could guarantee a flat rate of 2.5% over a 9-year period and then at the end of each year, they could pay back a percentage of the residence’s or manager’s turnover to the investors. In this case, there are elements of both “fixed” and “variable” rates.

BEFORE: This “mixed” rent incorporating the two types posed taxation problems in leasebacks located in the ZRR, Zone de Revitalisation Rurale or “countryside under re-development”. The tax would depend on each tax office’s interpretation of the make-up of fixed incomes, so the investor would lose his tax advantage.

NOW: It is no longer an issue as the line is “if the income is erring on the side of fixed rates, then there is no need for independent interpretation.” It means that the tax deduction will not be affected any more within the ZRR.

Changes to commercial lease systems for 2010.
Up until the end of 2009, in the event that the management company could not fulfil its contractual obligations, property investors were required by law to sign a commercial lease with a new management company otherwise they would lose their tax advantages such as the VAT rebate on New Build properties . Now, with the law changes made for 2010, potential investors can avoid tying themselves to a new precarious lease with another management company. Investors can avoid the commercial lease altogether and grant a management mandate to a professional manager. For example, an experienced manager specialising in hotel management or in holiday centres, or if the owners decide to run the whole operation themselves without the involvement of middle-men (although it might be very complicated to do so due to the number of owners in those types of residences who usually have 100 apartments).

There are 2 conditions to this new law:
1)    The so-called “self-management” of the residency must involve at least 50% of it.
2)    The “self-management” of the residence is possible after 1 year only if the owners could not agree on another management company. In practice, this period of 12 months isn’t ideal for residences in difficulties, “It would be necessary to allow investors, who are already without rent, to find a solution to their money woes more quickly,” according to Yannick Aure, the Head of Exhore, (Exploitation d’Hotels et de Résidences).

Yannick, himself a specialist in hotel management, has proposed a management mandate to investors who agree a re-sale price of the lease for a token sum  will receive  the commercial funds of their property in line with a judicial proxy.

At Sextant Properties, we hand-pick the French leaseback developments, making sure that the management companies are sound and will be able to fulfil the rental contracts they sign with the buyers.

Breaking News – Increased yield now being offered in Le Clos du Rocher development

We are pleased to announce an increase in the percentage yield being offered on the Le Clos du Rocher development in Dordogne.

The yield has been increased to 4.2% ex VAT, with all furniture included, for ALL apartments on this development.

This is a fantastic opportunity for those wishing to purchase property in Eyzies de Tayac, a beautiful 14th century town nestled on the left bank of the Vézère river in a lush, unspoilt valley surrounded by limestone cliffs in the heart of the fabulous Dordogne region which welcomed over 2.9 million visitors in 2008.

OPEN DAY Thursday 14th January 2010

Those choosing to invest here will also receive a NOMAD Card, entitling them to use any of the company’s catalogue of properties for an extraordinary 50 € per week.

Why not visit this stunning development and discover all the Dordogne has to offer?

French ‘off plan’ leaseback property – an investment protected from currency fluctuations

In these economically troubled times, many potential investors are put off by poor exchange rates between the pound and the Euro, preferring instead to err on the side of caution. While this course of action is wholly understandable, they do risk missing out on some great opportunities.

Sextant Properties is currently marketing a leaseback development for sale in the French Alps with a yield up to 4.5% (ref 19547). Having appeared on the market on the 21st September 2009, the development is attracting an overwhelming amount of interest. – as of the 12th November, 47 of the 77 apartments have been sold, and 5 others are reserved.

The 25 remaining properties still offer plenty of choice. It is unlikely that any of the properties will still be available in January. Here is why you can buy today without being affected by the unfavourable exchange rate:

The properties are ‘off plan’, which means that the buyer pays little now. Additionally, taking out a French mortgage will result in monthly payments which are the best way of responding to currency fluctuations.

If you buy apartment number C001 on the market at €175,800 (including VAT) you will need to pay only €154,764 because the VAT will be reimbursed. You can take a 100% mortgage on the price excluding VAT (€154,764) and the property can thus be financed in the following way:

> Due now 5% Reservation deposit: €8,401
> On signature of the mortgage offer, brokers fees €774 to be paid in December 2009
> Just before signature with Notaire, Bank fee €1548 (to be paid in March 2010)
> After signature with the Notaire refund of extra deposit €2,248

For the next 24 months you pay life insurance payments of around €41 per month (subject to approval). The delivery is scheduled in November 2011. You will then start to receive a rental income every three months from La Grange, and this will be used to pay back the mortgage.

Our specialist broker, Athena Mortgages, gave us a quote for this particular property, as follows:

The start date for repayments will be in March 2012. The buyer will need to pay €286 per month from that date. The rental income will be increased every 3 years, and, for this reason, the shortfall will decrease with time.

In summary, the purchase of an ‘off plan’ property worth €175,800 would only require an initial payment of €10,723, which would be paid in several instalments. Industry experts predict that the exchange rate will have improved significantly by March 2012, making the reality of investing in French property far more accessible than most people think.

If you do not want to miss this unique opportunity, contact us on 020 7428 4910 or visit the reference 19547 for more details