[quote=spdrun]Apart from the ages of the homes, it’s not as if you can’t find similar deals in rural Vermont or some parts northern California/rural Oregon. We’re not talking about Parisian pricing here.
As far as bureaucracy and taxation, France is far from being free of it, rather the opposite. Though the good thing is that there’s a much bigger tradition of lawbreaking and evasion there, so the effects of the bureaucracy tend to be tempered.
Vive l’anarchie![/quote]
The difference though is what you’ve got in those rural areas. For me the beauty lies in the history and culture, and how it has blended into the rural landscape. The Loire is dotted with the most unimaginably beautiful chateaux, Provence is dotted with ancient hilltop villages, rocky landscape, and rural beauty. You simply cannot compare places like Vermont to France. Each region of France has its own culinary traditions, festivals, architecture and so on. There is nothing remotely like it in the US.
Yes, taxes, bureaucracy, and other things are challenges to living there full time. But let’s keep the debate on an even footing. Home prices in France are lower largely as a result of much tighter lending regulations, and home ownership does not have the same emphasis as the US. That has changed more recently, I believe as a result of foreign lenders from places like the UK that have targeted the expat communities, and brought with it the same home buying fever, and greed tendencies. But in spite of that, rural France has not, for the most part seen tripling of values, and therefore remains (as you can see from the examples) relatively cheap.
Now getting to the homes themselves–where I have first hand experience–there is really nothing comparable in the US, and if there were they would be historical monuments. The homes are often solid stone with walls up to two feet thick, and you can’t help but think that “charm” played a big part in their construction, even all those hundreds of years ago. No two homes are alike, but rather reflect regional styles. Normandy thatched cottages, Perigordine towers of Acquitaine, even Valoise homes of Picardie near Paris. They exude character and charm, and have a permanence about them that is both endearing and awe inspiring.
It sometimes isn’t enough to visit these places, which are often away from the tourist routes, since you need to live there for a while to understand them. It is like a fine wine, lost on the uninitiated palate. This is the point missed by many Americans, where instant gratification shapes the mindset.
Now, I’m not French but I recognize my jealousy and don’t fight it. The bottom line is that for the price of one home in California, I can buy two homes in two places that for someone like myself, offer a more enviable life style than suburban soCal. Even if you disagree with my comparisons, you have to ponder whether CA is so expensive due to the life style, or other causes. Since it was the birthplace of many of our current housing woes, you can decide for yourself, as I did, and make your choice, as I did
