~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
 FPS News- the fractional ownership solution
   January 2008
 
 ~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
in this issue
Shopping for a house in France
Fractionals in Europe
Save this date! Miami, Florida
Getting there! By plane, by rail-
Food and Wine of S. France
France, Spain, Italy-oh my!
Pay It Forward
Shopping for a house in France- January 2008
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Languedoc Map

It's true that my job as owner of FPS certainly has its perks, and traveling to France twice or three times a year to search for property, or to redecorate one we've bought, is indeed fun!  As we exit 2007 and enter 2008, this is an especially busy time as I do my last minute preparations to go "shopping" for our dream property- in only three short days.    To learn more, read on-

 Shopping for a house in France in 2008   



In Europe Fractionals Have Room to Grow 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Village of Cruzy

 

Claus Soerensen became a fractional owner of a second home before the term was even coined. Years ago, Mr. Soerensen inherited a share of a vacation house that had once belonged to his great-grandfather. When other heirs sold their shares, he essentially owned the house in common with strangers.

 

So Mr. Soerensen, who lives in the Jutland region of Denmark, was comfortable with the idea of fractional ownership in 2005, when he and his wife, Karen Margrethe, went looking for another second home in southern France or Italy. They found French Property Shares, based in the United States, and bought a share of a Languedoc farmhouse. NY Times article..

Save these dates!  February 16-17  Miami, Florida 
 
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Euros

If you've always dreamed of owning your own "pied-�-terre" in Paris or home in the Provinces of France, perhaps as a future retirement home or for use as a fractional owner,  this power-packed two-day conference in 2008 is a MUST.  Save these dates: February 16-15, 2008.

Hosted by Adrian Leeds, long time resident of Paris, Editor of the Parler Paris Newsletter and French Property Insider weekly E-zine and John Howell, lead attorney for the International Law Partnership, London, these two days in Miami will point you in the right direction to make it really happen! Includes three course lunch and cocktail reception. Living and Investing in France Real Estate Conference!
February 16-17, 2008
Alliance Fran�aise, Miami, Florida  learn more-
 

 

 

Getting there- By plane, by rail
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Easy Jet

Did you know that..

 

a high speed rail link from Nimes to Barcelona is planned and has been under construction for some time?  Soon a trip from Barcelona to Beziers or Narbonne will be possible in a little over an hour!  New TGV stops in Perpignan, Beziers, Narbonne, and Montpellier will facilitate an easy and quick journey to Paris in under 4 hours.

 

EasyJet will expand their operation in France next year, with the announcement that they will open bases at Paris (Charles de Gaulle) and Lyon. For the summer 2008 season, they will begin flying from Lyon to Bordeaux, Toulouse, Venice (Marco Polo), Oporto, Lisbon, Casablanca and Marrakech. They will also launch flights from Paris (Charles de Gaulle) to Biarritz, Oporto, Venice (Marco Polo), Marrakech, Krakow and Hamburg (Fuhlsbuettel).

Food and wine of Southern France  by Lits Philipou
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
videos in French

Food and Wine of Southern France . . . the Languedoc region - Languedoc is the world's largest wine region and one of the most exciting wine producing areas of France. The region stretches from Nimes in the east to the Spanish border in the west, a plain sandwiched between the mountains and the Mediterranean. Gastronomically it is as rich as any other French region owing to the generosity of the sun, land and the sea. The markets are an important source for this incredible choice of fresh food.  read more

 


France, Spain, Italy- Oh my!~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
   
Despite, or in spite of, the prevailing euro/dollar news, the popularity of F/O is growing exponentially in Europe. Personally, I've had more emails and phone calls in December than in all previous 10 years combined. More on the why's of this phenomenon, in my next issue. More importantly, FPS is perched to spreads its wings into Spain (learn more) and perhaps Italy in 2008.  If these areas are of interest to you, would you let me know?  Your opinion counts!
 
La Tulipe
Pay It Forward
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
La Tulipe I don't know about you, but a 50" plazma screen TV was not under my Christmas tree this year. (To our kid's chagrin!) But, we both are avid readers. How are you?
 
For instance, we loved Water for Elephants by Sara Gruen.  This was so much more than a tale about a circus.  Water for Elephants is a compelling journey, not only under the big top, but into the protagonist's heart. Sara Gruen uses her talent as a writer to bring that world alive for the reader.  I could smell it, taste it, feel every word of it. This is a fiction reader's dream come true.
Quick Links...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Contact Information
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Ginny Blackwell   phone: (001) 585 905-0849 email: [email protected]
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~