Dream houses, classic cars, Art Nouveau: our great deals for your money

Become the owner of an 18th century house^e in local stone in Gordes in one of the Luberon’s most famous villages, give bare ownership of a property while maintaining the usufruct, find an Art Nouveau object at the Brussels Art Fair, renovate a rented property to benefit from the boosted land deficit, admire the racing car of your dreams at Rétromobile, better control your condominium expenses: here are six ideas for investing, having fun and saving…

In residence in Gordes

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What do the movies have in common? The deadly summer by Jean Becker Cursed weed by Josiane Balasko and 18 years later by Coline Serreau? Scenes from these French feature films were shot in Gordes, one of the most famous villages in the Luberon (Vaucluse) along with Apt, Bonnieux, Ménerbes and Oppède. Located on the southern flank of Mont Vaucluse, this town of character is located 340 meters above sea level.

It is in this preserved setting that the village houses the local stone nestles. Built in XVIII^e century and completely restored, the house offers 205 m². The ground floor has a living kitchen and dining room opening onto the terrace. On the first floor, there are three large bedrooms with a terrace. The top floor has a large suite. The exterior has a swimming pool in basin format (4 mx 3 m) and a summer kitchen. Offered by Michaël Zingraf Real Estate, this property is looking for a buyer for 945,000 euros.

Retromobile: sales on hats

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Retromobile, the big annual meeting for lovers of old cars will be held from 1^eh until February 5 at the Paris Expo, Porte de Versailles. As is the case with every edition of this show, the Artcurial house organizes an auction of beautiful vehicles on site. Due to the large number of lots offered this year (230), the dispersal will take place on February 3 and 4. “This is the most important sale of collector cars in France with some nuggets, original models kept by owners for decades”, commented Matthieu Lamoure, Managing Director of Artcurial Motorcars. Thirteen cars on display cost more than one million euros. This is particularly the case with a Bugatti Type 57 Atalante coupé (2 to 3 million euros), a Mercedes-Benz SLR Stirling Moss (3 to 4 million euros) and a Porsche Carrera GT from 2005 (1.1 to 1.5 million euros) .

The stars of this sale are two racing cars: Michael Schumacher’s Formula 1 Benetton Renault B195 (1995) (2 to 3 million euros) and Pininfarina’s Ferrari 250 LM Berlinetta (1964). In its original condition, this racing car that won the 24 Hours of Le Mans in 1965 was made in only 32 units. He can tear himself apart with the price of gold. “The last sale from 2016 for a similar model reached 18.5 million euros”, says Matthieu Lamoure. Other less expensive and singular lots will be offered, such as a car in the shape of a flying saucer designed by Renault for Disneyland Paris, a Riva brand boat with an apartment with Jean-Paul Belmondo and a horse-drawn carriage built in 1880.

Donation in pieces: watch the timing

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Donating an estate is an effective solution to anticipate your succession. A quick reminder: this provision allows you to give away bare ownership of real estate or an investment (securities account) during your lifetime while retaining the usufruct. It is only at death that full ownership is reconstituted for the benefit of the donee, all without tax friction. When this bonus does not exceed 100,000 euros and it is made every fifteen years, it does not generate any rights.

What we do not know is that timing is important when there are rights to pay, so when the amount given exceeds 100,000 euros. The taxable amount will be determined in relation to the age of the person at the time when he did this work. The bare ownership valuation scale has nine tranches that are assessed every ten years, ie at 21, 31, 41 and up to 91 years of age. “Thus, it is better to donate at age 50, where bare ownership is worth 40% of full ownership, earlier than at age 51, where it is worth 50%”advises Nicolas Message, associate lawyer of the firm FTPA.

Energy repair: boosted land shortage

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Is an energy renovation of a rental property imminent? Note that if this work is funded between 2023 and 2025, the tax authorities will grant a bonus. Thus, the land deficit limit applied to unfurnished rentals, which normally amounts to 10,700 euros per year, has been exceptionally raised to 21,400 euros. However, this increased deficit will only apply if the additional charges come from costs resulting from an energy adjustment. It is also necessary that the property in question has a poor rating in the DPE (E, F or G) and obtain after work a better label (A, B, C, D). Two other conditions must also be met: the estimate must be dated November 5, 2022 and beyond, with a change in the energy performance class to be made no later than December 31, 2025.

Condominium fees: a source of savings on all floors

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Rising condominium fees are inevitable. According to the start-up Matera, which specializes in supporting owners in the management of their condominium, several levers need to be activated to reduce the charge. Among the methods mentioned, the individualization of heating costs when the building is equipped with a collective boiler is a solution. “The installation of individual meters makes users more responsible and aware of their consumption”said Raphaël Di Meglio, president of Matera.

Although mandatory, this provision is not always applied. For it to be effective, this resolution must be ratified at a general meeting of the co-ownership. “You need to know about the cost and feasibility of the work and then compare this cost with the potential savings”, added the latter. Another root cause: get maintenance contracts for all equipment (intercom, elevator, parking gates, etc.). They ensure regular check-ups and avoid paying for any expensive repairs. Every three years, it will be necessary to consider returning these contracts to competition, so that these costs do not slip.

Belgian Art Nouveau at BRAFA

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From January 29 to February 5, the 68^e edition of the Brussels Art Fair, better known as “BRAFA”, will be placed under the sign of Art Nouveau. On the occasion of this traditional meeting at the beginning of the year, collectors and lovers of beautiful pieces will have the opportunity to discover and acquire objects made by the great names of Belgian Art Nouveau. Characteristic of the beginning of the XX^ethis artistic movement is present in the urban landscape of Brussels with constructions such as the Hannon house, by the architect Paul Hankar, without forgetting the hotels (Tassel, Frison, Solvay) made by the Belgian architect Victor Horta at the request of the upper middle class of the time.

“Besides ‘made-to-measure’ real estate, this trend comes in different forms such as sculpture, stained glass, furniture, ceramics and jewelry. It is also described as a total art “, said Thomas Deprez, of Thomas Deprez Fine Arts gallery. In the corridors of BRAFA, you can admire, among other things, some original drawings by Victor Horta, furniture by the interior decorator Henry Van de Velde or even the creations of the goldsmith Philippe Wolfers. A silver planter designed by the latter will be offered at 18,000 euros by the Thomas Deprez Fine Arts gallery. The Epoque Fine Jewels stand will display a tiara (1902-03), a unique piece created by Philippe Wolfers.