Latest news with #newresidents
Forbes
15-07-2025
- Business
- Forbes
This French Region Is Offering €1 Houses
Puy-de-Dôme, France, is offering €1 houses in its village of Ambert getty Expats often look to Paris or the Mediterranean and Atlantic coasts for relocation, where you won't get the best value for your money and you'll find the crowds. Instead, you could try a small village in France that has launched an initiative to sell €1 houses to attract new residents and reinvigorate its community. Ambert has a population of 6,500 and is located in the Puy-de-Dôme region of France, approximately 134 km west of Lyon, and 475 km east of Bordeaux, and La Rochelle on the Atlantic coast. The aim is to combat population decline, revitalize the local economy, and breathe new life into its streets. The houses for €1 are part of a five-year plan aimed at halting population decline and encouraging people to relocate there. After a new class opened at the school and with several renovations underway, it might be working. However, there is still a long way to go. In some parts of the town, vacancy rates reach 60%. France is often associated with having an 'empty' middle, a strip of vast land that traverses the country diagonally (the 'diagonale du vide', the empty diagonal), which is less populated than its mountains or coastlines and has fewer infrastructure and services. It's not empty, though, and has many lovely towns and villages within. However, it's where the population has shifted from rural to urban areas since the end of the 19th century. Many of these places have increasingly begun to offer stimulus to encourage newcomers. It's common to find these types of opportunities across Italy and sometimes Spain. Last summer, for example, one rural region in Spain offered remote workers the promise of a permanent, idyllic home and additional income, up to $16,000 if you relocated to Ambroz Valley, just a three-hour drive from the Spanish capital, Madrid, and a four-hour drive to Lisbon, Portugal. Several other French villages have offered €1 houses in the past, notably in the northern Picardie region, where, in 2019, they were offering €5,000 to relocate there as well. These houses never actually cost just one euro, as you would have to commit to restoring the home, including the façade, which increases the real cost by several thousand euros. The U.K.'s Independent newspaper recently noted that in Italy, "the cost of renovations is still relatively low compared to other countries – in the region of €20,000–50,000 depending on the size of the property." You wouldn't need to be a French citizen, but you would need to be keen to live there, and a little French might go a long way when dealing with contractors. However, aid is available to help with the cost of reconstruction in the form of grants and low-interest loans. Buyers are also required to commit to renovating the homes within a specific timeframe, ensuring the properties are restored and liveable. They also need actually to live there for at least three years. Anyone interested in living in Ambert, France, and buying €1 houses, can contact the local town hall here. MORE FROM FORBES Forbes Retire To France, Live Like A Tourist—It's More Affordable Than You Think By Alex Ledsom Forbes The Five Safest Countries In The World, Per 2025 Global Peace Index By Alex Ledsom Forbes What It Means To Be Wealthy In New Zealand By Alex Ledsom
CBS News
01-06-2025
- Climate
- CBS News
A couple, new to South Florida, get ready to withstand their first hurricane season
People new to Florida are getting ready for their first hurricane season People new to Florida are getting ready for their first hurricane season People new to Florida are getting ready for their first hurricane season The 2025 hurricane season is now underway. With an average of more than 1,200 people moving to Florida each day, many will be experiencing their first season in the state. Two of those people are Joe Rosen and Darlene Turner. The couple got married and moved to West Palm Beach at the end of 2024. From picking mangoes in their backyard to taking their pup to the dog park, they are soaking it all in. Rosen is from Canada, and Turner is from Vermont. "I mean, sure, we have to batten down the hatches, and we've got to gather anything that can be thrown around that's outdoors. That I know," said Rosen. The couple said they've heard a lot about hurricanes from their neighbors. "They really said they can be really bad, sometimes they're not so bad," said Turner. She and Rosen said the best advice they received was on how to prepare for the hurricane season. "Some people say they get generators. Make sure you've got canned food and bottled water, and a transistor radio," Rosen said. "So we're going to have to get all of that." The couple said they have some food and bottled water, but will be getting more. They also plan to pay extra attention to the news this season to make sure they are aware and informed. If a storm is headed this way, the couple plans to shore up their home and stay put, unless they're told to evacuate. The two said that as they get ready for the season, they hope it will be calm in South Florida. "I'm going to do a lot of praying come hurricane season," said Rosen.
