A very interesting (& long) review of the commercial real estate. It paints a very cautionary -- even gloomy -- outlook. Vital to reading the article, however, is the following statement: "Remember that you can't compare the French Riviera to France overall. There are regional differences in property price changes, and the French Riviera has far less growth than many other areas in France."
. But I was wondering if that Second Home tax would start to apply to the overseas parts of France, etc. Mostly what I have heard from friends who own in the South of France is about the home invasions and crime, usually when the owners are not present for periods of time. (Not like that isn't going on in many places here in America also.)My research about the "second home" tax indicates that it is a revenue device that is authorized by the French government, but is assessed on a local basis -- i.e., each "commune" determines whether to levy the tax and, if one chooses to do so, the rate. With respect to SBH, I suspect that the French government's authorization to communes to levy a "second home" tax is inapplicable. That is, as an "Overseas Collectivitie," I'm thinking that SBH is not a commune for purposes of the tax. Moreover, though I don't know details of "treaty" arrangements between them, there are legal agreements between the governments of France and SBH which provide "fiscal sovereignty" to the latter. As a result, I expect that the Collectivitie is unlikely to apply a second home tax on the island. To do so would seem to risk "biting the hand that feeds you."I quite agree with you! SBH isn't lowering prices anytime soon, as far as I can see
Saint-Barth, with its significant American buyer base, likely operates differently and might be more stable. From what I’ve heard, Saint-Barth's market remains strong and isn’t as affected by the same downturns. I\
