The France Show

I’ve just been on The France Show website and there is a video showing highlights of the weekend’s Show. It looks wonderful – Can Can dancers, wine-tastings, people playing boules, buying cheese, watching cookery demonstrations etc. etc. Nowhere does it show the French Entree Property Stand where you would have seen a middle-aged woman slumped over a table rubbing her tired feet!

To be fair, Head Office had produced a ‘rota’ to ensure that all the Property Finders took their turn in manning the stand but this turned into a work of fiction as we were inundated with enquiries & clients from the moment the show opened until the end of each day. Despite the current economic climate (and also the untimely news that France’s credit rating had been downgrade) the ‘vrai Francophiles’ seem more determined than ever that 2012 will be the year they buy their new property in France. But despite the painful feet, lack of lunch & the frustration (& temptation) of being next to the Champagne Bar I thoroughly enjoyed myself and loved meeting potential new clients and talking about their plans, whether it was for a tiny pied-a-terre or for the dream villa with pool. I was able to answer the ‘normal’ questions regarding property prices, finances etc. but have to admit to failure when a gentleman asked if I knew anything about the laws regarding the importation of bees! I also watched my colleague struggle to keep a straight face when, despite the fact that our stand was covered with the “French Entree” logo and we were at “The France Show” she was asked whether we had any properties in Spain....

It appears that The Languedoc is still a popular location with UK buyers (and why wouldn’t it be?!) so it looks like being a busy year for me!

New Year, New Resolutions!

One of my many resolutions this year is to get to grips with this blog. I started with the intention of providing regular, informative, informal updates based on my experiences of France, the French, life in general and the property market in particular but last year I got side-tracked by the purchase of a new house and I’m ashamed to see that my last posting was in October!

And talking of being side-tracked, as I sat down to write this I started playing with the ‘tools’ on the website instead and found this new widget where readers can subscribe to receive updates by email – so here it is, at the top right-hand corner! I would love as many people as possible to subscribe – and it will encourage me to write more often (and hopefully with better content!)

Finally, the main reason for writing today is to mention that next weekend is The France Show at Earl’s Court, London. “You can expect top-notch tutored wine tastings, inspirational cookery demonstrations, a lively French market and live music to indulge your love of France. Get information on buying property, learning the language, holiday ideas and hear about real life experiences of relocation in our enlightening talks. Those interested in making the move to France will love browsing through the thousands of properties for all budgets in the UK’s largest French property exhibition. There will be so much to see and do at the show that one day there may not be enough!” (OK, I pinched the last bit from their website at www.thefranceshow.com but as I see they are using an article I wrote (albeit buried on page 2 of the property section) I am sure they won’t mind!). I’ll be on the FrenchEntree stand on Friday 13^th & Saturday 14^th Jan and look forward to saying hello to anybody who is passing.

Happy 2012 - and don't forget to subscribe!