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Med In Heaven is featured in the property section of London's Metro newspaper. Pick up a copy on your way home!
After turning all the bus lanes in the city centre into cycle lanes, from next month the tunnel that runs between Rue du Congres and the Promenade des Anglais will be converted to bicycle only. The first bicycle tunnel in Nice! Motorists will still be able to turn both ways down the Promenade at the lights.
Ce tunnel de Nice sera exclusivement réservé aux cyclistes à partir de mars
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Estrosi mouille le maillot pour les cyclistes. Le tunnel du Congrès qui relie la rue du Congrès à la promenade des Anglais, deviendra "le premier de Nice 100% dédié aux vélos". Une annonce surpr...They've opened Cours Jacques Chirac, just behind the Cours Saleya, and it is very nice. Only the pub Van Diemens has a terrace out there so far, but as other bars and restaurants start to realise its potential it's going to become a cozy yet buzzing little street. A great addition to the Old Town of Nice.
How long does it take by the new tram from Place Garibaldi, next to the Port and Old Town, to the Alsace Lorraine tram stop on the far side of the Carré d'Or and Musicians Quarter?
One of my clients who bought an apartment right in the Square of Place Garibaldi wants a family member to buy "not too far away". I have a new property coming onto the market Monday on Boulevard Gambetta a short walk from the tram stop. It's a 2 bedroom apartment 74m² with 2 balconies, nice and quiet, plenty of French charm, and within his budget of "under €300,000".
From the moment I stepped onto the tram it took 4 minutes 40 seconds to step off the other end. So it really is five minutes away. I am interested in people's opinions. Would you buy a place twice the size with an extra bedroom 5 minutes by tram? Or a smaller one bedroom for the same price but a couple of minutes walk from the Square on foot?
Let me know in the comments below...
Interesting, comments seem to side more with the smaller but closer apartment.
Since the tram has made distance a non-issue, for me it’s what neighborhood do you want to be in when you leave your apartment. That was my #1 priority (as you well know). Thanks again!
It has really opened up the whole area. If we were going to buy again we would definitely widen our search as the team is so easy.
I would go for the two bedroom for a 5 minute tram ride!
Location,location,location is the most important for me. So it would have to be the smaller apartment.
Personally I would buy the smaller apartment near the square.
The most expensive villa in France has been bought by a Ukrainian coal magnat for a cool €200m. The villa "Les Cèdres" in Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat is 1,600m² and was built in 1830. It has been in the family that created Grand Marnier for nearly 100 years. Before that it was owned by the Belgian king Léopold II. The new owner Rinat Akhmetov, who owns the football club Shakhtar Donetsk, also bought one of the most expensive apartments in the UK, at One Hyde Park, for £137m. The market for top end property is still healthy at the moment with the well-off looking to the security of property to park their wealth.
La villa la plus chère de France a été rachetée par un Ukrainien
immobilier.lefigaro.fr
C’est l’oligarque le plus riche d’Ukraine qui a acquis ce joyau de Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat pour un montant équivalant à 3% de sa fortune.The elections are underway for the new mayor of Nice, with Mr Estrosi unsurprisingly leading the race. What are his plans if he wins the next term? First is the demolition of the Acropolis conference centre and the National Theater to extend the Coulis Verte park!
This spectacular promise is one we can believe he will make happen, after the successful demolition of the bus station and central car park to make way for the park that has been universally acclaimed. It has transformed the space between the Old Town and the city centre, and the children play areas are packed from morning until night. That is if you can drag them away from the fountains during the summer months.
Where will the theater go? Into the Franciscan church that they just spent €1m restoring hidden away in Place St Francois. This will kill two birds with one stone.
This is a bold project and one I would like to see happen. The Acropolis does not win any awards for beauty, and the area around it is congested. By opening it up, it will allow gentrification of the area to spread east from Place Garibaldi, which has so far failed to happen. A great move from Mr Estrosi.
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L'occasion pour lui d'annoncer qu'il entend justement raser ce bâtiment pour prolonger la Promenade du Paillon vers le Nord. Pour permettre ce projet de "forêt urbaine", le Théâtre national de Nic...More AirBnb news. They are launching a service where a neighbour can complain about nuisance AirBnb guests. Just launched a few days ago in the USA, this features is soon to be launched in France.
You can go to the page "Airbnb et votre quartier" and register your complaint, which can be a noisy party or leaving rubbish in the common areas. They will then investigate, and if they determine nuisance then sanctions can be anything from a warning to the deletion of offending guest's account.
There will also be a hotline telephone number for more urgent interventions. AirBnb will allow owners to put in noise meters which can be installed to reassure your fellow residents that errant behavior in your apartment will be punished, with the stipulation by AirBnb that the detector can only measure noise levels and not record conversations.
Finally, if a repeat offender tries to book your apartment then you will receive a warning along with your booking that the guest could pose a "certain risk", though without any details for legal reasons.
The positive thing about this system is that the problematic guest will get punished, rather than the absent owner. However what is NOT mentioned is the ability for an owner to cut short the stay of a troublesome guest without penalty. How this would work could be an interesting discussion.
Airbnb déploie son arsenal pour lutter contre les voyageurs bruyants
www.mieuxvivre-votreargent.fr
Toute une série de mesures va être mise en place dans les prochains mois pour lutter contre les voyageurs bruyants et les nuisances.AirBnb is NOT an estate agency, is the final verdict of the European Court of Justice. The court case against AirBnb, brought by French hotels, was firmly squashed as the judge ruled that the popular web site was classed as "information society service" rather than providing estate agent services.
The hotels tried to use the 2017 ruling against Uber that classed it as a taxi firm rather than a simple service pairing drivers with passengers, as a precedent. However the courts ruled the case was not similar as AirBnb did not try and fix the prices on behalf of the owners, nor did they influence which homes they put up for rent or try and restrict them advertising their properties on other sites.
This is a major victory in many ways. The first is that the French real estate industry is heavily regulated. From the contract with the owner to the commission they can charge. Sales people need a minimum number of hours of training per year. The French government would have their whole business model firmly within their grasp, and have shown themselves not afraid to meddle (with disastrous results for the country over the past decade).
The second is that the kind of property they can advertise. At the moment an owner puts up a property "as is". Once an estate agent has it on their books, they need to ensure it conforms to local laws and regulations. They need to check it has a smoke detector, that electricity is up to code, and there are the minimum requirements for the kitchen and bathroom. This was one of the key objectives of the hotels as they saw AirBnb as "unfair competition" not having to comply with any of the health and safety rules that they do.
Finally a whole ancillary industry of "concierge services" has grown up around AirBnb, offering to manage the holiday rental of a property in exchange for a fee. The French real estate legislation was put in place 1970 and was based around sales, long term furnished rental, and long term unfurnished rental. Not much thought was given to holiday rentals. The recent services have existed in a bit of a grey zone where there is a grumbling that these companies should have a real estate license except there is no text obliging them to do so. This appears to put them firmly in the clear.
Round one has gone firmly in favour of AirBnb, and the freedom of owners. They have just put in place a restriction of 120 days if you mark it as your primary home, though we will see how long that lasts if they are no longer legally obliged to do so. Next court case is against being forced to register your property with the Town Hall but I believe we will not see a ruling on this until next November.
Airbnb is not an estate agent, EU court rules
www.bbc.com
Airbnb will not need an estate agent licence to operate as it is an "information society service".The new tram line is now fully open! On time, as expected. You can now go all the way from the airport to the sea port in under half an hour. When you take your first ride from end to end, please post what you think of the new underground stations below...
VIDÉOS. Ce qu'il faut retenir de l'arrivée du tramway sur le port de Nice
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3. Un réseau complet Ce n'était rien de moins que la 5e (!) inauguration du tramway en dix-huit mois, après le tronçon Cadam-Magnan (juin 2018), l'embranchement vers l'aéroport (décembre 2018), ...When you buy a property from a developer it comes with a set of guarantees called the "decenal" insurance. You get a decade of structural insurance and two years on plumbing, electricity and tiling.
Interesting court case result yesterday where an individual took the builders to court for substandard tiling. The judge ruled that aesthetics were not a good enough reason for compensation or the builder being forced to re-tile. If the tiles were loose, or jutting out that they impeded a drawer or a window then he would have a case. However "not straight enough" did not impede the function they were designed for.
Just something to bear in mind if you buy from a "marchand de biens" here in Nice off-plan.
Le carrelage n’a pas droit à une garantie décennale
immobilier.lefigaro.fr
Un client mécontent d’un carrelage mal posé pensait pouvoir invoquer la garantie décennale. La Justice lui a donné tort.Yet again mortgage rates hit a record low in France. The average mortgage rate now being given is 1.12%. The average length of a loan has edged up to an average of 19 years, which is considered long here unlike other countries. The LTV percentage has also increased.
Compared to 2012, the margin of profit the banks have added to the inter-banking rate has dropped from 1.7% to 0.8%. The government is keeping a stern eye on the liquidity of the banks and may take out measures to make getting a mortgage more restrictive to calm down the real estate market. Any recommendations will come out early next year.
Nouveau record pour les crédits immobiliers
immobilier.lefigaro.fr
FOCUS - La frénésie est bien réelle et les autorités publiques surveillent de près cette tendance.Nice Airport is to become the first in France with only electric buses to transport passengers between the planes and the terminals.
Why is this interesting? Between the railway and three new tram lines, only the bus remains on fossil fuels. Even the little white tourist trains have all been converted to electric. Bikes and electric cars can be cheaply rented all over the city.
The mayor is having all bus lanes removed from the city centre, you have seen posts on this already. All that remains is the no.8 bus running east-west along rue Buffa and the no.11 bus running the other direction along rue Marechal Joffre. If the airport buses are a success and supplement the no.8 and no.11, by next year Nice could become possibly the only city in the world with a 100% electric and carbon free integrated public transport network.
Now that would be some achievement.
C'est une première en France: l'aéroport de Nice se dote de navettes électriques
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L'aéroport de Nice, qui se targue d'être le premier de l'Hexagone à atteindre la neutralité carbone, vise le seuil de zéro émission de CO2 à l'horizon 2030. Et ce, en dépit des polémiques env...Brilliant! Then all the cars need to be Teslas ( like ours!)
Planes next....
After 43 years, the Tribunal of Administration has moved from Franke Pilatte to number 18 avenue des Fleurs. The new building, renovated at a cost of €3m, can be seen here:
www.google.com/maps/place/18+Av.+des+Fleurs,+06000+Nice/@43.6978288,7.2535164,3a,75y,349.13h,104....
Quite a difference from the beautiful sea facing villa in the Port. At least the staff will no longer be fighting over a south facing or corner office. Will this landmark be sold to investors? Turned into a museum? Its fate is yet to be decided. It certainly seems the interior should live up to the glamour of its beautiful exterior. We will have to wait and see.
Que va devenir cette villa d'exception inoccupée depuis un an à Nice?
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Il y a un an, presque jour pour jour, le tribunal administratif emménageait au 18, avenue des Fleurs, dans l’ex-bâtiment du Crous entièrement repris après plus de 3 millions d’euros de travaux...The new flower market on the Cours Saleya is open to the public and it looks great.
I am not sure if there are more stalls, or spread out around the square it just looks that way, but it really is an impressive display.
The flower market used to occupy the first section of the Cours Saleya which then gave way to the fruit and vegetable market. With the flower market settled in its new home, this means phase one of the renovation of the Cours Saleya can now take place. Clever.
By the time they have finished that, the passage Jacques Chirac will be complete and the restaurants can move their terraces behind the Cours Saleya whilst phase two takes place. Again very well planned. With the underground tram being completed and all the bus lanes being converted into cycle lanes over the next few months, Nice is on track for an incredible 2020.
Looks great. Can't wait to see it in person in a couple of weeks
The tram has completed its test runs all the way to the Port of Nice with success. Everything is on track for the entire tram line to be finished and launched on the 14th December.
You can see some videos in the link below. The tram will be travelling 70km/h between underground stops and you can really feel the difference after it surfaces at Magnan. The underground stops look unfinished, and the areas around the Port and Garibaldi stations are just commencing the resurfacing, so we are going to see a lot of activity over the next month and a half.
VIDÉOS. Le tramway arrive au port de Nice: les essais commencent, mise en service le 14 décembre
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L'inauguration, prévue le 14 décembre, marquera la fin d'un chantier débuté en 2013, et d'une mise en service en quatre temps: le 30 juin 2018 entre Magnan et le Cadam, le 17 décembre 2018 jusqu'...Though there have been graphics put up throughout the city and on the web site about how the different roads and squares under construction at the moment will look like, there have been no images of what we can expect from the small street between the Cours Saleya and the Promenade called "Cité du Parc". These images I have taken just now give us a very good idea what we can come to expect.
In other news, the Nice council have decided to name a road after Jacques Chirac to commemorate his service to the country. The road they have chosen to rename is the road Cité du Parc. It will now be called "le cours Jacques Chirac".
Money begets more money. Interest rates hit a new record low, with the lowest mortgage rate being 0.27% over 10 years. In Nice the lowest rate to be found is 0.8%.
The average rate is now 1.05% over 15 years, 1.25% over 20 years, and 1.45% over 25 years. So how do you get these incredibly low rates? To get the lowest rates you need to fit a specific lender profile: you should be buying an expensive house as your primary residence, and your household earning over €15,000/month net.
They give one example of a couple in Nice buying their first apartment, two working professionals, with a purchase price of €500,000. Their combined revenue was €10,000/month and they brought to the table €80,000 cash. The interest rate on their mortgage over 20 years was 0.8%.
If you are French resident, banks are still giving up to 100% mortgages though obviously not at the same rate. Now is a very good time to get a loan.
www.mysweetimmo.com
Certains arrivent aujourd'hui à décrocher des crédits immobiliers à 0,55% sur 20 ans. Avez-vous le bon profil pour être le chouchou de votre banquier ?The dates and course for the Tour de France 2020 has been announced, and it starts in Nice. It will be here on Saturday 27th and Sunday 28th June, so if you own a rental property in Nice and are a fan then you will need to be quick to reserve those dates before somebody else does!
Découvrez le parcours du Tour de France 2020 qui partira de Nice
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Après les deux premières étapes déjà connues autour de Nice (samedi 27 juin, dimanche 28), la Grande Boucle quittera ainsi Nice depuis l’Allianz Riviera pour rejoindre Sisteron, via la vallée ...The underground to the Port was open to the public for a day, and locals got to walk down the tunnel and see the progress on the underground stations. You can see photos in the linked article. The tunnels need cosmetic finishing, as do the stations, but everything is on course for opening on the 14th December.
During the dig, they found remains of the original city wall destroyed by the Turkish invasion in 1543, which made the Nicois heroine Catherine Segurane famous. The road leading up to the castle from the Garibaldi stop is called "Sincaire" after the "fifth corner" of the original fortifications, which also hosts her memorial plaque. The stones were individually recovered, catalogued, then rebuilt back into an identically restored version which is now on display in the tram stop.
Visitez les coulisses de la future station Garibaldi du tramway de Nice
www.francebleu.fr
Une visite de chantier a été organisée ce lundi pour voir les avancées des travaux de la ligne 2 du tramway niçois.Can you stop a neighbour from renting out on AirBnb? is the question posed to the local paper today. The simple answer is... no.
The tramping up and down the steps with suitcases, lifts breaking down through over-use, and overflowing dustbins are common complaints. Noise in both the apartment and the common areas are another. Irresponsible holiday rental companies that treat owners homes like cheap hostels, packing in multiple beds and sofabeds, and even renting for as little as one night, can cause hell for some neighbours.
However the law is clear. In France an apartment is freehold and you are allowed to rent it out without restriction unless you contravene the law or building rules. The building rules can restrict rental usage but it is very rare. The neighbours can get together to try and change the building rules to ban AirBnb, but it needs to be a unanimous vote and of course the owner renting out will block it.
In terms of contravening the law, excessive noise can get the activity banned but it will need extensive documenting and a lengthy court case. Even if you win, if the owner does not comply then you need a second court case to get him to comply with the first.
You can rent your own home up to 120 days per year without restriction. After that, or if it is a holiday home, you need to register it with the town hall as a rental apartment. It is quick and free, and they will give you a reference number to post at the bottom of your AirBnb listing. Your property management company normally will take care of this for you.
As you may have gleaned from previous articles, the Mayor is very proud of his city. Billions are being poured into it and we will see the results of this next year. One thing he does NOT want to see are those AirBnb key boxes plastered on the walls of buildings. He is pushing for a law for them to be physically ripped off and destroyed anywhere they are spotted. I suspect he is going to get a lot of sympathy for this one, even from the tourists that come to stay.
www.nicematin.com
2019, été record pour les loueurs Airbnb. Mais les affaires florissantes des uns ne font pas toujours le bonheur des autres. >> RELIRE. Tourisme: le bel été des loueurs Airbnb de la Côte d'Azur.....