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Post by Big Blue on Sept 2, 2020 15:37:07 GMT
Not a cycling thread per se, so all you lycra boys keep your tackle tucked away in those shorts. I was a lycra clad cycling enthusiast in the late '80s, early '90s - heavily influenced by the antics of Greg Lemond plus a need for fitness for someone that was never keen on the gym so you MAMILs have my sympathy.
More a reflective thread. I am WFH and have the Tour in in the background. Every year I watch the Tour and it's usually interspersed with the start of a holiday or a family visit so this year having returned from holiday I will get to see almost the whole thing. Great. There is a downside though. I just want to go and live in France. It's not helped seeing helicopter shots of villages with houses bathed in sunshine and with swimming pools that are still viable in September (I don't like indoor or covered pools in gardens) and the backdrop of healthy vegetation and flat blacktop. It's also not helping that having had three weeks in France this year, the longest stay in many a year, I have been reminded that when you buy fruit in a supermarket it tastes like fruit, as opposed to the fruit in UK supermarkets that looks good and has been grown to a price point whilst tasting like dust. I'm not a great drinker so all the "cheap decent wine" bollocks doesn't affect me (Pays Var wine is generally harsh shite for what it's worth and you still need to pay well for decent wine in France).
So more than ever I came back to the UK for two weeks in August and found a house in Les Issambres that had a nice pool, a view across to the bay of St Tropez and about the same floor area as our house here. It was slightly cheaper (not by much) but then I started doing man-maths based on selling the property I rent out here, renting that house for peak periods and covering the maintenance and mortgage (which would be about 50% of the value) and it became so viable that I discussed it with W2.1.
"Hmm. Yes it's about time we thought about buying a property for investment, but I hate speaking French - I can't even pronounce "bonjour" [the "nj" bit is hard for Slavs]. So I thought I'd sell my flat in SK and buy a holiday place there, then my parents and cousins can use it when the management company don't rent it out." So at least she's in the same place as I am regarding holiday homes.
So the reflective bit (aside from being in a fortunate position) - Martin pointed out the issue that prevented us doing this thus far in that we like to go to different holidays each year, which allied to having to use a lot of holiday time visiting families already kind of negates the need for a holiday home. That said I love my mum's home but can't expect W2.1 to love visiting her every holiday, long weekends etc. as we would with a holiday home. We already spend too much time at her parents' as far as I'm concerned as well. I also have a great tenant in the UK that pays well, doesn't make a fuss and has been in there 5 years already - why would I want to lose that?
Then there's the retirement issue. I intend to wind back before the girls finish full time education and I want our retirement housing sorted out before making the jump out of permanent UK residence, so we are used to the surroundings, house, neighbours etc. such that retirement is a smooth step as opposed to a jolt. In the current scenario I'd be quite happy residing somewhere else and commuting to London as and when required were it not for the fact that I have school aged children. English schooling, for all its supposed faults, is pretty well accepted across the working world as English-speaking and companies from English-speaking nations still have a dominance (my German-schooled but English step-brother is a great example given that he is quite senior at a German firm with huge English-speaking markets because he is utterly fluent in German and English) and they're settled in good schools with a good path to high school so moving them to an International school in (say) Vienna or Nice would be unfair.
Like I said, just reflective, all brought on by watching the TdF play out in the sunshine whilst sitting looking at the grey skies and rain of SW London / NE Surrey through the windows. First day back at work after spending 9 days in 35C doesn't help either.
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Post by LandieMark on Sept 2, 2020 19:18:41 GMT
I like cycling, but do it for enjoyment and fitness and I don't follow the TDF. I enjoy watching the local Tour of the Reservoir when it's on, but that's probably more to do with the ladies' bums in lycra. 🤔😜
I did several years of holidaying at the family apartment in Mallorca - Es Forti in Cala D'Or/Cala Egos and enjoyed it for the first few years. It stopped being a holiday after a while as I seemed to end up doing maintenance chores and organising repairs while I was supposed to be on holiday. I also got bored of the same restaurants and bars.
On that note, when it was sold, I point blank refused to go to the new place in Altea la Vella - not least because we would be guests of my dad and I can't do with him for more than a day or two at a time without wanting to do something I may regret.
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Post by ChrisM on Sept 2, 2020 19:44:41 GMT
I'd hate to be tied to going to the same place for a holiday every year. Never understood those people who raved about timeshare apartments etc, or having a holiday home that stood empty for most of the year but where you still have to get maintenance done etc and without knowing what damage the weather caused to it each month etc etc
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Post by Big Blue on Sept 2, 2020 20:14:18 GMT
Interesting views: why would your holiday / second home be the ONLY place you went on holiday? I’ve drunk coffee and pastis at the same place in Salernes since 1992 - hasn’t bored me yet. Also if you’re going to own any property you’re not at for prolonged periods surely a management contract would be in order. These things aren’t budget purchases - even mum’s apartment in Spain gets a once over every month even though it’s been empty all year due to COVID. There’s a whole cottage industry for this in Spain and France with local tradesmen looking after holiday houses and making sure they’re safe at the same time. One English guy i know of did it all on the cheap: so the first week of his break was long days in the garden, sorting his pool out etc. One year he arrived to find there’d been a huge house party there - not of his doing!
Hence my musing about it: it’s a big commitment and part of a long term plan as opposed to a place for the interim.
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Post by Deleted on Sept 2, 2020 20:19:02 GMT
They can make great investment when run properly so I wish you well with it. The elderly neighbour moved back from France for family reasons. They still do not visit as often as they said they would but, C'est la vie mon ami.
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Post by LandieMark on Sept 2, 2020 20:44:34 GMT
Interesting views: why would your holiday / second home be the ONLY place you went on holiday? I’ve drunk coffee and pastis at the same place in Salernes since 1992 - hasn’t bored me yet. Also if you’re going to own any property you’re not at for prolonged periods surely a management contract would be in order. These things aren’t budget purchases - even mum’s apartment in Spain gets a once over every month even though it’s been empty all year due to COVID. There’s a whole cottage industry for this in Spain and France with local tradesmen looking after holiday houses and making sure they’re safe at the same time. One English guy i know of did it all on the cheap: so the first week of his break was long days in the garden, sorting his pool out etc. One year he arrived to find there’d been a huge house party there - not of his doing! Hence my musing about it: it’s a big commitment and part of a long term plan as opposed to a place for the interim. I went to other places, but the main holiday was at the family place due to costs. We had people doing maintenance while we weren't there, but there is always something that needs doing. Hot water tank failing the first night we arrived for example. Very common in Mallorca due to high mineral content in the water. My dad used to spend most of the summer out there. I reckon it got six months a year constant use just from family which made it worthwhile. Each to their own on cafes etc. After 15 years of eating and drinking the same food on holiday, I got bored. Corfu was a breath of fresh air after Mallorca. |
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Post by Big Blue on Sept 2, 2020 20:47:03 GMT
Corfu is also on my list of places it might be. I like it there and there’s a good network of English speaking medical staff.
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Post by LandieMark on Sept 2, 2020 20:50:06 GMT
We holidayed in Messonghi village the last two years and loved it. We're were going to look at another Greek island this year, but COVID put a stop to that. Next year, the plan is to take the MX-5 to the south of France.
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Post by PetrolEd on Sept 2, 2020 20:56:41 GMT
Like you BB, I watch the tour each year,bizarrely not this year but that’s because for some reason being out of season it just doesn’t feel the same. Yes I love looking at the scenery and every village looks lovely as the riders pass through. Question you have to ask is what’s the dream and try your best to achieve that, sounds like you’ve got a better idea then most and I’m with you on where to be. I’d love to live in retirement in the Var or Alpes Maritimes and spread my time between the UK and France. Like you I need to convince the missus. That and I’m a couple of million quid shy of having the money for a decent pad near Pampelonne beach. Something like this would do me. www.home-hunts.com/property/hh-13262507-french-riviera-st-tropez-grimaud-area-saint-tropez |
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Post by ChrisM on Sept 3, 2020 6:55:08 GMT
Interesting views: why would your holiday / second home be the ONLY place you went on holiday? Lack of money, different lifestyles and backgrounds. If I were well loaded and came from a wealthy family then maybe we'd have been used to having a holiday home somewhere but when you have to make a serious effort to put money aside to enjoy just a few days away, it's a different story. I'm only away at the moment due t snapping up what I considered to be an outrageously cheap deal, not much more than staying at home - and having spending money in Euros left over from a previous trip |
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Post by Blarno on Sept 3, 2020 7:49:01 GMT
I can't watch the TdF. Not enough trees, rocks and massive jumps for me. I do like it when they crash though, like little Lycra dominoes.  |
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Post by Tim on Sept 3, 2020 9:31:45 GMT
I've never watched the TdF, even the crashes.
A neighbour had a holiday home somewhere in Spain but the constant maintenance plus recurring break ins eventually made them sell it - holiday homes were targeted by the local criminals and in those circumstances the only way a webcam helps is that you know the place has been turned over before you arrive so it's not ashock on day 1 of your holiday.
Perhaps the South of France is more civilised.
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Post by Blarno on Sept 3, 2020 9:35:35 GMT
This always makes me smile.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Sept 3, 2020 11:29:21 GMT
I friend of ours had a lovely holiday villa in Northern Cyprus and found a nice local fella to look after it when they weren’t there.
It was 2 years before they found out he was using it as a brothel when they weren’t there.
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Post by racingteatray on Sept 3, 2020 15:23:10 GMT
I understand your desire/dilemma. We are in fact house-hunting in/around Fano where my in-laws are. We've just grown tired of being perennial guests of my in-laws, and would like to be able to leave stuff here.
It's a very nice part of Italy. However, are there nicer bits of Italy? For sure, but we come here anyway three or four times a year, so having a holiday home somewhere else would risk never getting used.
I'm driving my wife crazy, because she'd clearly be fine in some modern block of flats with a sea-view balcony down in the modern part of town, or alternatively somewhere in a more suburban part of the town. Plenty of either available within our self-imposed budget, but I simply don't like the sea-front area and have zero desire for a suburban property.
So have insisted on either (a) a flat within the "Centro Storico" (ie the Old Town within the Roman walls), but one that must be bright and airy, and have private outside space, or (b) a small pretty villa 10 mins drive away in the surrounding hills with a panoramic view. Both of those are proving hens teeth-like within budget, but I am determined to find my fanged chicken.
We have actually found a flat in town we really like right on one of the main squares with a 30m2 private terrace, a garage and a 10 min walk to the beach, but it's a third floor walk-up and they are being ambitious on the price.
We've seen some fab doer-uppers as well, but not sure whether we have the stomach for that, even though there are some amazing government incentives available for doing up old properties.
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Post by Martin on Sept 3, 2020 15:49:03 GMT
I've never watched the TDF, but we do all the transport for it and partly thanks to that I did enjoy some hospitality at the top of La Planche des Belles Filles. I've got a ticket for this year, but won't be going as it's not right when we're only supposed to be travelling for essential reasons and entertaining a customer is hardly that.
As for a holiday home, if it's going to turn into a retirement home then it does make a lot of sense, especially getting to know the area/neighbours etc. I agree that it doesn't restrict you to always holidaying there, but it does make it a lot harder to justify which wouldn't be an issue if you were prepared to rent it out, but I wouldn't want anyone else staying in my home so that wouldn't work for me. As I said recently, I wouldn't want to keep going back to the same place for short (2-3 weeks) holidays but if I could afford to spend several month somewhere as well as have holidays in other parts of the world, then that would be perfect. In some ways I'd like to have a different view on holidays and holiday homes, as it would be a better place to put our money than on normal holidays, which we spend more on each year than our fairly chunky (18 years to go...) mortgage.
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Post by garry on Sept 3, 2020 16:40:26 GMT
I think the definition causes some issue. Think of it a second home or other home rather than holiday home - it’s that other place you live. If you plan to spend extended periods there you’re not really on holiday.
My plan has always been to have a second home. Covid has expedited that plan because I can now work from anywhere with decent broadband. Very early stage for us to the point that we’ve not yet defined the country!
On the TdF, I love it. I’ve ridden parts of it and been to it a few times.
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Post by Big Blue on Sept 3, 2020 16:51:23 GMT
A neighbour had a holiday home somewhere in Spain but the constant maintenance plus recurring break ins eventually made them sell it - holiday homes were targeted by the local criminals and in those circumstances the only way a webcam helps is that you know the place has been turned over before you arrive so it's not ashock on day 1 of your holiday. Perhaps the South of France is more civilised. As if on cue my mother called today on Facetime to advise she was waiting for the police to arrive having been broken into  They clearly wanted her jewellery as the iPad was in her hand untouched. She's also of the opinion that undesirable friends of the neighbours' grandkids are culpable. They made off with one box of jewels but the more valuable ones were in a plastic bag (don't ask...) and remain in her possession. I am now sourcing a monitored alarm company of the type used by the Italian widow I rented the house in Nice from in July. So it's not just second homes / holiday homes (bearing in mind some chav attempted to break into our house at the start of lockdown whilst we were in it!) that arseholes target. First time in over 28 years when it's been empty for long periods so on the face of it not bad. She only went out for under an hour and didn't close the shutter to the library French doors. She won't be doing that again. |
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Post by chipbutty on Sept 3, 2020 16:59:42 GMT
Plans to trade up house on ice for now (Rona again - busy girl) - so there has been noodling of a second home nature (as they can wipe their noses if you let it when you are not using it).
I would love a place in the Lakes, but I suspect the second home tax butt reaming to be racing up various agendas and I would find the management of second property to be rather stressful. I am far less keen on a second home outside the UK, but would move abroad in a heart beat if I had my time again (Switzerland or maybe Southern Germany).
I don't like cycling, but I enjoy watching the TDF - I have no idea why.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Sept 3, 2020 17:07:36 GMT
I love Switzerland. Their flag is a big plus for me.
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Post by ChrisM on Sept 3, 2020 19:07:45 GMT
^
What about Scotland, or does their flag make you cross ??
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Post by racingteatray on Sept 4, 2020 12:15:34 GMT
We saw a very nice flat today, which was in budget. Food for thought.
Post-war building but in the Old Town just off the main "corso". Third floor (of four) with lift. About 1,500ft2 all on one floor with big windows, a spacious terrace running the length of one side looking over the rooftops of the old town, and two further usable balconies at the back off the kitchen (which shows a bit of the sea) and one bedroom (far-reaching views inland to the Apennines). Bit bigger than we need but extra space not such a hardship. Also has a car parking space in the underground garage.
However, it's one difficult entry - very steep ramp, narrow turns and a low entrance. My car would never get in there. Even if it could make the turns, I strongly suspect it would ground its belly at the top and crunch both its front lip and exhaust pipes at the bottom. All the cars inside were small city cars or smaller SUVs, the biggest of which was an old-shape Q3. One suspects taller SUVS wouldn't fit.
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Post by Tim on Sept 4, 2020 13:26:48 GMT
We saw a very nice flat today, which was in budget. Food for thought. Post-war building but in the Old Town just off the main "corso". Third floor (of four) with lift. About 1,500ft2 all on one floor with big windows, a spacious terrace running the length of one side looking over the rooftops of the old town, and two further usable balconies at the back off the kitchen (which shows a bit of the sea) and one bedroom (far-reaching views inland to the Apennines). Bit bigger than we need but extra space not such a hardship. Also has a car parking space in the underground garage. However, it's one difficult entry - very steep ramp, narrow turns and a low entrance. My car would never get in there. Even if it could make the turns, I strongly suspect it would ground its belly at the top and crunch both its front lip and exhaust pipes at the bottom. All the cars inside were small city cars or smaller SUVs, the biggest of which was an old-shape Q3. One suspects taller SUVS wouldn't fit. That sounds lovely and perhaps you could get yourself an electric 500 to overcome the parking access difficulty? |
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Post by racingteatray on Sept 4, 2020 17:20:08 GMT
It's the same price as the other one...actually EUR15k less...
We actually like the other one more....it's in the nicest and prettiest part of the old town, in a nicer building (apart from the lack of lift), the terrace is bigger, squarer and sunnier, and it's closer to the beach. Plus it comes with a proper garage in a spacious new-build underground parking garage two minutes walk away, rather than a hard-to-access parking space.
But hard to overlook that this one is fully half as large again, has a lift and fantastic views.
We are also ultimately talking about two properties which are only five minutes walk apart at opposite ends of the same pedestrianised thoroughfare.
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Sept 4, 2020 17:46:13 GMT
Buy them both and rent one out while you decide which you prefer, then rent the other one out.  |
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Post by alf on Sept 23, 2020 12:19:24 GMT
What's this got to do with cycling? Trade descriptions!!! Holiday houses are one thing - personally I fluctuate on that one, it's nice to see new places and while it would be good to leave decent bikes/TV/etc in a holiday house it might get nicked while it's left, and rental properties are so easy to find now. I think I'd ensure it was rented out by a local agency when I was not there and think of it as a business. Not that it looks like being able to afford multiple homes is a problem I'll have soon as I'm a few hundred £k lighter this year than I was  What is more interesting to me is where to live as my main location in the new working environment. We are all way more skilled and equipped to meet "virtually" than before, and probably not going to have a London office any more. My partner's kids complicate it but if I was single I would be very tempted to move - probably west - to somewhere with great countryside and considerably lower house prices. A lot of house prices seem tied to transport links, especially trains to London, I'm not sure how relevant that is any more. I loved Winchester and I really miss it - but it was shocking value, there must be other towns/cities with similarly beautiful historic buildings, great countryside for walking/running/cycling, and so on with much better value property. Now we are at home 99% of the time it matters a lot more how big the house/garden is, and while I appreciate that is not for ever, this crisis has accelerated working from home. Then there is the thought that a second home - with decent internet - could be lived in for weeks or months and worked from normally. Here or abroad. It's all very intriguing, and will have big implications for property markets I think. |
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Post by Bob Sacamano v2.0 on Sept 23, 2020 12:39:07 GMT
^ I wouldn't worry; once employers review this and realise that we can all work from home successfully they'll get rid of us and employ someone in India on a third of the salary.
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Post by PetrolEd on Sept 23, 2020 15:59:33 GMT
^ I wouldn't worry; once employers review this and realise that we can all work from home successfully they'll get rid of us and employ someone in India on a third of the salary. Thats a bloody scary thought and anyone whos worked in large corporates will know what shits they are and will do anything to save a £1. |
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Post by Big Blue on Sept 23, 2020 16:56:08 GMT
^ I wouldn't worry; once employers review this and realise that we can all work from home successfully they'll get rid of us and employ someone in India on a third of the salary. Don't worry: a couple of years after Brexit the UK will be the cheap, slave-labour country of choice. |
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Post by Deleted on Sept 23, 2020 21:35:04 GMT
We have enough Indians to do that now.
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