December 2012: Currency update

Investors' impatience with the lack of progress on a permanent solution to the Euroland debt crisis (if that's what it still is) has begun to take its toll. From its position at the beginning of October the euro has fallen by more than two US cents....

French mortgage currency update

Francois Hollande's election is representative of the French people’s will for change as they are tired of a centre-right led government which has always been rigid in its approach to security, immigration and work....

Mortgages in France - Why buy French property now?

Obtaining French mortgage finance for a property in France can sometimes be a daunting process as the French banks generally demand more documentation to support an application than their...

Effect of the UK budget on the French property and mortgage market

George Osborne’s budget today outlined some major changes to UK taxation but what effect if any will this have on the market for French property from UK buyers? The headline changes from the speech are...

Showing posts with label How much can I borrow in France. Show all posts
Showing posts with label How much can I borrow in France. Show all posts

Thursday, 22 October 2009

How a 100% French Mortgage works

Got an enquiry today from Steven who wanted to know more about how 100% French mortgages works.

Steven asked, "Please explain how a 100% mortgage would work,could I buy a property with no money down in France with the a strong chance holiday lets could cover the mortgage,is there a catch,and what would be your fees."

Ignoring the obvious element that the loan amount would have to be affordable a 100% French mortgage is catch free. It does what it says on the tin, it's a 100% French home loan that can be used to purchase either an existing second home, buy to let or a French leaseback where the VAT is advanced by the developer. The only properties which are excluded are new build/off plan properties that do not have the 'residence du tourisme classification'. However, whilst 100% of the purchase price of the property is covered, the fees to purchase a property in France are not.

As a rule, it is not possible to buy a property in France without making any contribution at all, though the cash required might only run to a few thousand Euros for some French leaseback properties where the VAT is advanced. In general, for a second home or buy to let which is an existing building, there will be legal fees and taxes which will be approximately 7-8%, including stamp duty and mortgage registration tax. The bank will also charge a fee for setting up the mortgage and our broker fee will be no more the half a percent taking the total contribution to approximately €20,000 for a property worth €250,000.

We work with many developers and French agents offering French leaseback properties that have guaranteed rental income of between 4%-7%, which certainly covers the mortgage payments on an interest only basis and comes close to being self-financing with a repayment mortgage. The personal contribution required for these developments ranges from €11,000 to €20,000 for off plan properties in the region of €250k including deferred interest payments on sums drawn down to meet stage payments. If you were to go it alone and to rent out the property on a permanent or seasonal let you could probably also achieve a similar level of return meaning this would work for you also.

For a personalised simulation of the different loans available the best idea is to first find out how much you can borrow in France so just give one of us a call on +44 207 471 4515.

Thursday, 15 October 2009

Guide to getting a French mortgage or How much can I borrow in France?

French mortgages are somewhat different from loans/bonds/mortgages in other countries. For a start, in 95% of cases the amount you will be able to borrow from a French bank will be based on an affordability calculation that will be linked to your provable income, whereas in the UK and US it is possible to have "self cert" mortgages where no proof of income is required. In the Anglo Saxon world, with a certain amount of deposit, the future rental income from a buy to let rental property will be sufficient to obtain mortgage finance without reference to income documentation from employment or accounts. That is not to say that French banks do not consider the future rental income from buy to let or investment property, indeed, some banks will take up to 100% of the future rental income from the property into account when considering the affordability of the French mortgage loan to you.

Lets look at an example, French banks are willing to let you spend a very sustainable 33% of your gross income on servicing all your borrowings. For somebody earning the equivalent of €60,000 per year, this would mean €19,800 per year or €1650 per month. If for example, you have a mortgage of €1,000 per month, this would leave you with €650 per month to spend on a French mortgage. A quick glance at a mortgage calculator will show you that for €650 per month you could have a mortgage of approximately €100k to €200k depending on interest rates, the duration you would like to have the mortgage over and whether the mortgage is on interest only or not. If the property you were looking at had a rental income potential of 4% of its value on an annual lease basis you could realistically obtain a French mortgage of over €400,000, providing the property was valued at that amount.

There is some flexibility in the system and brokers with their personal contacts at banks can sometimes make the correct representations in order to obtain better rates and higher loan amounts. For a free quote to find out how much you could borrow in France, just give us a call on +44 207 471 4515 or visit our website. If you like to see a list of the required documentation for obtaining a french mortgage please click here. An experienced French Mortgage broker such as Athena Mortgages can save you time and money by helping you to select the right French mortgage for your project to suit your circumstances.