#02. beautiful, good, sold #08. smart immo #14. interiorA 133 m² contemporary apartment at Saint-Genis-Pouilly.

Financial Act 2019 and "Elan" law: what's new for owners?

Selling your house is like going on a date. Look your best.

#10. front page

simplify your life Rental management

N°1 January - april 2019 www.aba.fr

Pays de Gex - Bassin Annécien

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beautiful, good, sold

3

A magnificent 133 m² contemporary style apartment in the heart of Saint-Genis-Pouilly. High-quality services with a large 43 m² living room, opening onto a fitted kitchen, a large 96 m² terrace facing due south, a master suite, two bedrooms, many storage areas, a laundry room and a 30 m² garage. Located in a new joint-ownership property, the apartment could boast very good energy performance. It was sold very quickly on an exclusive mandate.

Contemporary chic

ABA immobilier, proven efficiencyFrom estimate to transfer of ownership.Selling or buying a property?Our team is at your service.www.aba.fr

© Pascal Knecht / ABA immobilier

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5

editorial & summary

From the right time to a bright future

Joëlle Houque

Is it the right time to sell or buy? Each of us has asked this question at least once in real estate matters ...

ABA immobilier Four-monthly magazine

Director of Publication

Joëlle Houque

Editor in chief

Alexandre Dhordain

Layout

dhordain.net

Photo cover

Opportunity and change

Istock by Getty Images.

Photos credits

Portraits by Adhd

Istock by Getty Images

Attended this issue

Our entire team

Printing

Bienvenue sur Mars

Siret n°411 040 561

Number of copies

1 000 copies

ABA immobilierRCS 739 939 612 00016

Carte de gestion / Transaction CPI 0101 2018 000 030 931

Caisse de Garantie Galian Paris Transaction €120.000

Gestion €700.000

FERNEY-VOLTAIRE12, Grand’ Rue

01210 Ferney-Voltaire+33 (0)4 50 40 81 81

DIVONNE-LES-BAINS39, Place de l’Eglise

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NEWOur transaction service at

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beautiful, good, sold#02. Contemporary chic

ABA RECOMMENDS YOU#04. Trusted partners

RAPID IMMO#06. All real estate info not to be missed

SMART IMMO #08. Financial Act 2019, what's new? "Elan" law, three new features for landlords

HUMAN IMMO#09. Why having too many signs is a really bad idea. But where is the dishwasher?

FRONT PAGE#10. Rental management simplify your life

INTERIOR#14. How to make buyers fall in love instantly

LE BON MOMENT'S GUEST#16. Serge Lecoq the anartistwww.aba.fr

A t ABA immobilier, we prefer to ask ourselves what we need to do in order to help you achieve your dreams. Our goal is not just to sell or rent

property. We are convinced that together we can find the best way to ensure your well-being for years to come.

As stated in standard ISO 26000 on corporate social responsibility, we focus on people and respect all parties: sellers, buyers, landlords, tenants, employees and suppliers.

We are a 100% local, family-run business. As we have no shareholders to consider, we don't answer to any financial "diktat", and our choices are essentially about quality and humanity. This gives us the freedom to refuse a sale or management mandate if the owner's expectations go beyond the qualities of the property or the market price.

Our mission is to put our skills and experience at your service to make your life easier. This new magazine has been designed and produced with this goal in mind. Feel free to come and visit us. No commitment, and you can be sure that you will find professionals ready to help you! With ABA immobilier, it's always a good time to picture a bright future.

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2018 was a good year in the Gex region and in the Geneva and Annecy basins. It saw a large supply of property, with the arrival of many new developments, as well as sustained demand. The increase in options has resulted in a slightly longer sale time, with buyers making more visits

and taking their time before making the right choice. "With older properties, products that were in good condition and well cared for sold quickly and well. The more vintage products were more difficult," explains Joëlle Houque, manager of ABA immobilier. Another trend seen in 2018 was investors' appetite to renovate older properties at a low cost. For 2019, prices of older assets should continue their slightly downward trend in the face of a plentiful supply of in-demand new homes. "2019 should be another good year as the demand is there. But sellers must be aware that prices are no longer the same as they were up to the end of 2013," says Joëlle Houque.

rapid immo

That is the number of housing programmes launched in 2018 and which will be achieved by 2020 in the Pays de Gex. A large offer that should satisfy buyers' desire for lower costs and greater comfort in terms of sound and thermal insulation.

120

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40%This is the share of Pinel investors in the French Genevan market on 1 July 2018, according to the Chambre interépartementale des notaires de Savoie Mont Blanc (Interdepartmental Chamber of Notaries in Savoie Mont Blanc). The Pinel scheme allows you to benefit from an income tax reduction if the investor rents the unfurnished property as a main residence for a minimum period of six years.

This is the maximum number of days for which landlords can rent their main residence. As of 1 January 2019, Airbnb platforms have been required to submit all information on income generated by lessors to the tax authorities. An obligation from the new law on the development of housing, development and digital technology.

Real estate market trends for 2019

Local life Investing

As an economic player strongly committed to the development of the local area, ABA immobilier supports sports and cultural organisations in the Pays de Gex. In 2019, we are beginning a new three-year partnership with the Prévessin-Moëns tennis association. The agency has also sponsored the world of horse-riding for three years through the annual Montchanais competition in Gex and by developing a partnership with the Pregnin Pony Club, starting last year. Our support is not just for sport, but also cultural events. In 2019, ABA immobilier will support the Festival des 5 continents (Cinema) for the third consecutive year, as well as a musical event for the first time, organised in June by the

"Chœur classique du Pays de Gex", dedicated to video game music. A promising encounter.

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"Sellers, price assessment is an essential step"

Where are the high-pressure areas ? Since the Alur and Macron laws, tenants of housing located in high-pressure areas have a reduced notice period of 1 month (compared to the traditional 3-month period) regardless of the date on which their lease was signed. In the Pays de Gex, the cities concerned are Ferney-Voltaire, Ornex, Prévessin Moens, Saint-Genis-Pouilly, Sergy, Thoiry. But not Gex or Divonne-les-Bains.

The security of a sale depends on the seller's assurance that the buyer will quickly find the financing they are looking for. To ensure this, ABA immobilier works with the broker meilleurtaux. com, located in Saint-Genis-Pouilly. For each candidate wishing to buy a property, our partner carries out a case study before signing the commitment, offering the seller real security in the successful conclusion of the transaction. If the buyer wishes, meilleurtaux.com can then search for the best possible financing. A winning partnership for both sides.

Property credit a closer look

In the heart of Ferney-Voltaire, located on Chemin du Mont-Blanc, between Avenue Voltaire and Rue de Versoix, this joint-ownership property of 14 units

- with between 2 and 4 rooms - offers peace, tranquility and sunshine thanks to its south-facing terraces. Apartments are still available for this programme, for which work has already begun and will be completed in the first quarter of 2020. A small building in an island cut off from traffic, with a shared vegetable garden, close to shops and transport (buses F, 66, and 64) to Cornavin Station, Geneva International Airport and Meyrin. Notary fees are free for all reservations. Wait no longer.

"The estate agent works to ensure that your project is completed for the right price and as quickly as possible. As each property is unique, estimation is an essential step. It is based on the objective characteristics of the property: specific characteristics, location, nearby infrastructures, target clientele, etc. This price then corresponds to the state of supply and demand in real time. Today, there are more properties available than potential buyers. It is therefore not advisable to set too high a price in the hope of a coup de cœur followed by a haggle. If the price is not right, people will simply not visit the property. In 80 % of cases, when a seller chooses their own estimate over that of the authorised agent, they go back to the suggested price after one month."

Le Clos des Artslast lots

SOLEN FROGERAISTransaction advisorsolen@abaimmobilier.fr +33 (0)6 66 89 58 67

8

smart immo

Landlords three new features of the "Elan" law Dematerialisation, mobility lease, end of winter truce for squatters.

P ublished in the French Journal Officiel of 24 November 2018, the

law on the development of housing, development and digital technology, known as the "Elan" law, includes several new provisions affecting landlords.

It makes it possible to give the tenant paperless documents when the lease contract is drawn up. The co-ownership regulations and

technical diagnoses (energy performance, state of natural risks, lead, measurement of habitable surface area, electrical and gas installation) may be transmitted by the owner via digital means and no longer necessarily on paper.

The law creates a new furnished rental contract, called a "mobility lease", for students and people with professional mobility. It is concluded for a period of

one to ten months and is non-renewable. Termination is possible without reason, with one month's notice, and the tenant is exempt - owners beware - from any security deposit.

The law defines a squatter as an "introduction without right or title into another's home by assault" and allows for the immediate expulsion of offenders, even during the winter truce.

Finance Act 2019 what's new for owners?Extensions of tax measures to support the energy transition.

T he new finance law establishes two measures to support

energy transition. The first is CITE. This tax credit allows for an income tax deduction of between 15 and 30 % of expenses incurred in making energy efficiency improvements in the main residence. The dwelling must have been built more than two years ago. Among the work eligible for CITE, the Finance Act reintroduces the replacement of windows at a rate of 15 % within the limit of €100 per window. The replacement of oil-fired boilers, even if they are high-performance, is now excluded. To benefit from CITE, all work must be carried out by a craftsman or by a construction company with the EGR (i.e. recognised as

an environmental guarantor) rating and meet specific technical specifications.

Cumulative devices

Another scheme that has been renewed is the zero interest eco-loan (eco-PTZ). This public aid is intended to finance energy renovation work on housing in the form of a 15-year interest-

free loan. It can be granted to the owner-occupier or lessor without any condition of resources. To be eligible for an eco-PTZ, the housing must have been built before 1 January 1990, and must be occupied as a main residence. The scheme will apply from 1 March 2019. Note that CITE and eco-PTZ may be combined.

9

W hen purchasing a property, it is not mandatory to carry

out an inventory of fixtures before signing the deed of sale, but it is highly recommended. It is in the buyer's interest to have a list drawn up of the fittings and accessories that the seller has undertaken to leave on the premises: furniture, lighting, curtains, mirrors, household appliances, etc. This list must be sent to the notary before the final drafting of the deed of sale.

The idea is to avoid unpleasant surprises once the sale is finalised, as happened to the buyer of an apartment in Ferney, purchased for €1,100,000, and for which no precise inventory had been drawn up. The new owner was surprised to receive a kitchen without its €400 dishwasher, which the seller had opted to keep without saying a word. There is no such thing as small savings.

maximum repelling effect.

Favour an exclusive mandate

The seller of a quality property must entrust it to only one person who undertakes, in exchange, to find a lessee within ninety days. The exclusive mandate is first and foremost a partnership contract based on trust. If the agent commits to selling quickly, it is because they know they can do it. Even more so if they work in a small family structure that chooses the properties offered for sale. An exclusive mandate is the only way to ensure a quick and efficient sale.

Why having too many signsis a really bad idea

the dishwasher? But where is

The wrong messages of a simple mandate.

Going from Gex down to Ferney-Voltaire, my eyes were drawn to

a house along the road. It was for sale. It would have been difficult not to notice it because four signs from four different agencies were displayed on the front.

Good grief! The seller must have entrusted the task of selling their property to several estate agents. While that is perfectly okay, the accumulation of advertising sent a very negative message: the seller was in a hurry to sell, they couldn't get it done and they didn't trust the agencies appointed to do it. The simple mandate here leads to a

human immo

A pre-sale inventory is highly recommended.

Renting out a property requires time and legal skills, in order to overcome the numerous administrative constraints. On the other hand, entrusting the management of this rental to an agency via a rental management mandate offers many advantages.

front page

Rental management Simplify your life

11

and redistributing rents, issuing receipts, apportioning expenses, declaring income, repairing and maintaining the property, providing notification of unpaid rent and damage, reviewing rents, regularising charges, and being the contact for co-ownership management.

"An agency must be able to assist you in all these areas, relieving you of as many constraints as possible, while always aiming to increase your income," Denis Raymond continues. In general, a manager offers various options along with additional services to choose from. The prices range from 5 % of the monthly rent before tax for a basic package, up to 10 % or 13 % before tax for the "full package". The cost must be assessed based on the quality of the services provided.

To promote good relations

In a complex legal and regulatory environment, it is important to have a competent, responsive, organised and continuously trained team, which is essential to ensure a high level of service. Finally, the agency must be on a "human scale" in order to promote good relations and allow effective exchanges with contacts who are easily reachable by phone or email. Rental management is a real profession, in that it requires proper organisation to overcome real constraints and give landlords peace of mind.

“ I remember a landlord who gave his tenant the keys to his apartment

before the date the rental started, and before even the inventory had been done... Using an agency avoids this type of hassle," explains Denis Raymond, Head of the Management Department at ABA immobilier agency. A not-so-isolated example that shows how difficult it is for an individual, in the role of landlord, not to make a mistake when setting up their rental.

OK, but how do you choose the right company?

First, by examining the services they offer. Rental management consists, first and foremostly, of finding a tenant. Far from being a truism, it involves guiding the owner, from valuing the property to signing the lease. There are numerous stages. They include completing the mandatory checks, drafting and publishing the advertisement, credit checks for the candidates, selecting the lucky one, signing the rental agreement, conducting the property inventory, handing over the keys and letting the tenant into their new property.

In parallel, the framework of the management mandate has to be strictly established to list the agency's areas of focus. Managing the property on a daily basis, collecting

The secrets of a real jobRental management can't just be improvised. There's a checklist of things to tick off when choosing your company.

ABA immobilierWe support you in all stages of rental management. Our team is at your disposal.www.aba.fr

12

front page

H e's always paid before. But now he's stopped paying. And he doesn't want to leave. He may also have paid

his rent, but when he leaves the premises, the tenant leaves behind several thousand euros' worth of damage. A nasty surprise…

Insurers today are happy to insure these two risks combined into one single insurance premium. On average, an owner, alone, will have to allocate between 4 and 5 % of their monthly rent to protect themselves against unpaid rent and damage. The insurer reserves the right to accept or refuse the mandate, depending on the tenant's profile.

By going through a rental manager, this cost can be mitigated and the insurer's review of the file becomes optional. At ABA immobilier, the guarantee against unpaid rent and damage amounts to 2.3 % of the monthly rent. "For a rent of €1000, this comes to €23 per month for the owner," says Denis Raymond, Head of the Management Department. An attractive price coupled with simplified formalities. "We have the enormous advantage of validating the application files ourselves with our insurer," Denis Raymond explains. And these fees are deductible from property taxes.

At ABA immobilier, 90 % of homeowners use this guarantee. Claims may ultimately be quite rare, but they are not unheard-of. "The last eviction procedure for a house in Divonne-les-Bains, with a monthly rent of €4000, took two years," Denis Raymond recalls. That means a loss of nearly €100,000 for the owner. Fortunately, he was well advised and assisted throughout the procedure.

"At ABA immobilier, the guarantee against unpaid rent and damage amounts to 2.3 % of the monthly rent."

"ABA takes care of everything and does a good job""In order to choose the agency that now manages the rental of our properties, we asked five of them to estimate the rental value. This first step let us remove agencies with over-the-top estimates. We also asked for a summary of the services they offered. The rent range ABA immobilier proposed was reasonable, and the agency met another important condition. We were looking for a small organisation, a family business if possible, in order to be sure of keeping the same contact people over time. We defined the terms of the management mandates together. ABA takes care of everything and does a good job. We simply kept the relationship direct with the tenants for the technical work, because we're very familiar with the different providers who have taken part in renovating our properties."

Guarantee for unpaid rent

It's every landlord's biggest fear. What if their tenant stops paying the rent? Recourses are available, but it's safer to get insurance beforehand.

never be without it

FLORENT ÉTIENNEHomeowner ABA immobilier client since 2013

13

Who currently uses your services?

It may be a homeowner who lives in their house or apartment, but needs to go to the other side of the world. We also have investors who own two or three properties and prefer to delegate the management for lack of time. These may be people who have had bad experiences dealing with individuals or with another rental manager. There are also those who, thanks to positive "word of mouth", want to entrust us with their property in order to avoid unpleasant experiences.

Two questions forCélia Cottin

Property caretakers

A personalised maintenance service to truly simplify the rental process.

What are the management options ABA immobilier offers?

We offer three packages and many customised services. At minimum, we manage the rent and basic administrative procedures. To this can be added management of technical operations, works and relations with co-ownership management. Finally, we can also take care of everything else: managing claims and customised maintenance of the property. We take care of apartments as well as individual houses, and also whole buildings consisting of several apartments.

“ We do almost everything!" exclaim Farid Darbazi and Jérémy Legat, ABA immobilier's two technicians. Furnishings,

kitchen assembly, garden maintenance including lawn mowing and hedge trimming, holes in the walls, grouting and sealing, clearing snow, housework... The list is long and the maintenance service is à la carte, depending on whether or not the owners choose to include these services in the charges for their properties. "We take care of small jobs, which guarantees the owners lower costs and faster work," explains Jérémy Legat.

Ideal addition to save owners time

This service is available to all ABA immobilier customers and whatever management option they choose, at an extremely competitive price point. Even when the property is being sold.With the rental and management of property, the caretaker service is the ideal addition to save owners time. "If a customer wants to rent an apartment furnished when it's empty, they appoint us and we furnish it within the agreed budget," explains Jérémy Legat.

A relay between the owner and the tenant

Farid and Jérémy are also involved with tenant requests, as long as electricity and plumbing aren't involved. "In those two cases, we call on external service providers that we usually work with," says Denis Raymond, Head of the Management Department. ABA immobilier's role is to act here as a relay between the owner and the tenant. A water leak, a faulty boiler, a broken appliance, blocked toilets... "Depending on the package, and the owner's wishes, we manage the work by putting our service providers into action once the quotations have been validated," he explains. The goal is always the same: to make life easier for landlords.

tailor-made only

Rental management adviserlocation@abaimmobilier.fr +33 (0)6 87 33 58 39

14

Selling your house is like going on a date. You need to look your best.

C lean, repair, tidy, arrange, empty, repaint, reorganise... and don’t forget to stage. Selling a property requires

certain talents and some investment. The goal is to please potential buyers as soon as the first photographs are published on the Internet."If they are not seduced by the photos, they are very unlikely to read the description of the property", warns Gaëlle Chanoine-Mallaivre, transaction advisor and interior designer at ABA immobilier.

So, how can you win them over? "The least you can do is make your property presentable, clean and tidy. It sounds like a obvious thing to say, but I have to bring it up again in one out of every four sales", says the advisor. Next, the interested buyer needs to imagine themselves at home there.

To acheive this, it is recommended that you remove clutter. It is important not to leave clothes lying about, to remove "ornamental" objects and to reduce the number of paintings on the walls. Collectors will have to remove hunting trophies, old dolls and weapons of all kinds. In the pictures, that’s all the buyers would see.

In the home, it is especially important that the air circulates and that visitors can move around without encountering any obstacles. It is recommended to have only one large piece of furniture per room. Rugs are perfect for covering floors, but they reduce the volume of rooms. Use them sparingly. The same goes for coloured walls; if you have any, it is better to repaint them in a linseed shade.

In the kitchen, only the minimum is required. Get rid of cloths and dirty dishes. There should only be a toaster and food processor on the clean countertops. Same goes for the bathroom. No towels or mats. No shower gel or toothbrushes. But you can leave a nice bottle of perfume on the sink. In the dining room, the table should be set. A little staging to charm your visitors and make them wish they were staying for dinner.

Feel free to garnish your interior with beautiful green plants.

How to make buyers fall in love instantly

interior

ABA immobilierWe assist you in the valuation of your property. Our team is at your disposal. www.aba.fr

"In a home, it is especially important that the air circulates and that visitors can move around without encountering any obstacles. It is recommended to have only one large piece of furniture per room."

15

The expert's adviceColoured walls reduce the volume of a room. They should be avoided. However, it is possible to decorate a room with a coloured or wallpapered wall. yes, wallpaper is back in fashion. Choose a colour you like, bearing in mind that the trend is towards yellows and duck blues and that you must avoid red. Also avoid painting a wall a dark colour if it faces a window. This would darken the room.

GAËLLE CHANOINE-MALLAIVRETransaction advisor gaelle@abaimmobilier.fr +33 (0)6 66 90 22 26

le bon moment’s guest

Large patches of solid colour on recycled canvases without frames. An approach inspired by one of the founders of the Supports/Surfaces movement, Claude Viallat. The painting forms an integral part of the room. There is no longer a boundary between the unsigned work and the wall.

Freed from the frame, Serge Lecoq offers an original observation on weaving. "A mixture of Art Brut and Arte Povera", as a connoisseur describes it. An approach that is at the opposite of the meticulous framer’s profession he pursued for 25 years.

Why framing? After meeting

Serge Lecoq the anartistThe man behind the canvas, formerly a framer and then a carer, is certainly out of the frame.

www.aba.fr

“ If I had to become famous, I would stop signing my paintings..."

With a mischievous look, cap in place, white goatee and cynical sense of humour, Serge Lecoq nurtures a certain contradictory spirit. Although he had never displayed his work before, in 2018 he put on three exhibitions in the Pays de Gex. The first was on the walls of the ABA immobilier estate agency in Ferney. "Joëlle Houque told me, 'I’ll exhibit your work'...," he recalls. He who was "devoid of legitimacy" is persuaded, and goes back to his work.

Serge Lecoq is picking up where he left off ten years ago.

a framer who worked in an apartment by day, and played jazz at night. "I thought it was so great, being able to work at home in slippers and pyjamas!" He became his apprentice and began his career in Paris, before continuing it in Ferney. He met collectors, curators and artists who introduced him to conceptual and experimental painting. "Broke artists with whom I also traded," he smiles.

But management was not his forte. His workshop closed after five years. "I liked the work, but not the bank balance." After spending some time at the job centre, a stint as a postman then as a launderer, he took the opportunity to produce his first paintings. A lot of them. A large portion ended up at the dump, due to lack of space.

In search of work "without a boss on your back", he became a carer and spent ten years at the Berges du Lion residence in Ornex. He set creativity to one side. "I was too busy with human matters," he temperately explains. Once retired, with his creative streak unleashed, he has worked on ever more projects. The one in the pipes: used abandoned parasols. He recovers them, cuts them out with his canivet* and paints them. A good reason to hope for the swift return of sunny days.

* small knife with lanceolate blade

"I liked the work, but not the bank balance."