An apartment for sale in the French Riviera for 69,000 euros…
Must be a pile of rubble, right?
Au contraire, mon ami…
The property I’m looking at, 60 square meters in size, comes to the market in …
A Guide To Using Viager For Buying Real Estate In FranceRead More »
Spain is the world’s second most visited country after France.
It has 15% of the United States’ population… yet it receives almost 84 million tourists every year—4 million more than …
Property In Spain: Resort Living And A Competitive InvestmentRead More »
The Federal Reserve Bank of St. Louis just announced that the median house price in the United States is US$440,000.
This isn’t because all Americans live in mansions, as US$440,000 just gets you the average American house.
That’s not beachfront. Nor is it a huge house in a gated community.
It seems crazy to me to pay all that money for a house and not be living in the lap of luxury. Why are houses in the States so expensive?
The issue isn’t a lack of natural resources and cutting-edge construction technology. The U.S. building industry is advanced.
Overpriced housing exists because of a combination of inflation, developers, speculators, and bad city planning practices.
Bear in mind that US$440,000 is the median price in the whole country. The median price in states like California or New York is …
For the price of a mid-range car, you can own a village in Europe.
Somewhere that offers peace, solitude, and time to contemplate the important things in life.
I’m not talking about some ancient ruins on the Siberian tundra…
I’m talking about charming villages in romantic locations around the world that are desperate to be saved from dereliction.
A historical hamlet entirely your own…
If you’re willing to put in the work, fabulous renovation projects are available to you right now…
…
In 1604, Sir Edward Coke wrote, “The house of every one is to him as his Castle and Fortress as well for defence against injury and violence, as for his repose.”
Nowadays, we paraphrase this to: “Everyman’s home is his castle.”
Your current home might be your castle… but did you know that it’s fully possible for a castle to be your home?
And you don’t have to be as rich as royalty to own one.
Right now, castles are for sale all over Europe. Some are fabulous, some are practical, some are nothing more than piles of ruins, but all of them are steeped in history and character.
Like many, I dreamed of owning a castle as a child. It’s certainly a romantic notion, but there are realities of castle living you should be aware of before taking the plunge…
Castle prices vary hugely, affected by size, location, state of repair, general real estate prices, and many other factors.
Castles in cities are more in demand, but remote towns and villages offer better prices. For the best deal, go to places where the government or private owners can’t afford to …
Living In A Castle Like A King Or Queen Is Possible And AffordableRead More »
Plutarch believed it was seeded by thunderbolts hurled by Zeus…
The Romans considered it an aphrodisiac…
First recorded in Neo-Sumerian writings over 4,000 years ago, this elusive delicacy has been prized for millennia.
It’s even more in demand today than ever before.
With the most prime specimens selling for over US$100,000 a pound, you would think big corporations would be rushing into the industry and flooding the market.
But they can’t.
Unlike so many of the world’s most-prized foodstuffs, this delicacy cannot be …
This traditional European lifestyle offers an innovative way of living in the most desirable places in Europe for a fraction of the cost of conventional lifestyles.
If you are up for a little adventure and the occasional inconvenience, it could be the perfect option for you…
I have an affection, a nearly childish obsession, with the idea of living on a houseboat. I’m drawn to the itinerant lifestyle it affords…
The U.K., France, Germany, Belgium, and Holland are countries that are best suited for it.
Imagine being able to avail of waterfront accommodation in the most expensive cities in Europe for 20 euros per day. Consider all the places you could discover if you could move your home whenever you wished.
You could cruise forever, exploring every town you passed or stopping to settle for a while whenever you found a place that …
Houseboat Living: Reinvent Your Life For A Fraction Of The CostRead More »
For six centuries Portugal’s mighty empire dominated European life. Soon after launching its age of discovery, Portugal had an empire encompassing West Africa, Asia, and the Americas, becoming the first de facto world empire.All this bloody conquest was to slake her insatiable thirst for priceless spices from every corner of the globe. People flocked to the banners of the Portuguese empire to enjoy the many benefits of her citizenship.Alas, no empire lasts forever. When Portugal finally relinquished the island of Macau to the Chinese in 1999, the world thought that Portugal’s days of plundering were over.However, a little over two decades after Portugal relinquished the last vestiges of her empire, she is back to her old tricks once again. Portugal is back in the spice game, but this time she’s not looking for cinnamon or saffron. Her eyes are on …
Why Portugal Tops The List For Living Or Investing In EuropeRead More »
In an episode of This American Life recorded back in 2000, writer David Sedaris takes host Ira Glass on a tour of Paris—his adopted home.
Here’s how Glass introduces Sedaris…
“Two years ago, at the age of 41, barely speaking French, David Sedaris moved to Paris. He had no special feelings about France, no particular interest in the French. It would be the same if it’s Korea, he said to me, a sentence that, I think, if the French ever heard that he said it, they would deport him.”
The deeply cynical Sedaris also made a pact with himself to avoid all the usual tourist traps in the city. In pre-smoking-ban France, he says of the Louvre…
“Why come to Paris and go to the one place where you’re not allowed to smoke? As a matter of fact, it’s my goal to be the only …