There
was a time when renovating old French properties was the preferred
option. Today, however, more and more people are discovering
the advantages of buying brand new.
LOWER
LEGAL COSTS
----When you buy a second hand property in France the
purchase costs (which include the notary’s fee) are around
7% of the purchase price. However when you buy new, these
costs are reduced to approximately 2.5%,
a considerable saving.
LATEST
CONSTRUCTION REGULATIONS
----While older houses may have their charms, they
often fail to meet the standards we have become accustomed
to. A new building will meet the latest regulations in thermal
insulation (important in Alpine areas for comfort and efficiency)
as well as in sound insulation and general safety.
CONSTRUCTION
WARRANTIES
----It’s good to know that your new home is covered
by a ten year warranty on its structure
as well as a two year warranty on secondary
work such as carpentry and plumbing. This means
you can relax and enjoy your new home with confidence.
RUNNING
COSTS
----It sounds quite obvious to say that an old property
will be more expensive to run than a brand new one. Nevertheless
very few people are aware of how much more expensive this
could easily be. Generally speaking,
it costs twice as much to run a 15 year old property than
a brand new one. Nowadays new properties are thought
to be cheaper to maintain; improvements of thermal insulation
and treatment of external walls, for instance, will substantially
lower the running costs. By choosing new you could also avoid
unexpected expenditures such as repairing a roof, changing
the central heating or making structural changes to comply
with new regulations.
To conclude, you should take all these factors into account when comparing different
properties and especially when it is a resale of over
15 years.
