Whether it’s the alluring promise of a high quality of life, or the idea of living in a country where the healthcare system is considered to be world-class, there are plenty of reasons why many expats choose to call France ‘home’. But moving there as an expat brings new challenges – not least getting used to the cultural differences.
To help expats understand and integrate into this country’s rich culture, this article offers some cultural do’s and don’ts – from food etiquette to language learning.
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Language
Do’s:Learn the local lingo. This doesn’t mean you have to be fluent right away, but learning some basic phrases and sentences can really help you communicate with others and blend in with the locals more easily.
Are you buying a house in France, where real estate agents easily charge 5% and sometimes even more? Then it is certainly worth asking yourself whether you should maybe buy a house without a real estate agent. Depending on the selling price, the brokerage fees can add up considerably. The average price of a house in France is between 200,000 and 300,000 euros. So, at a commission rate of 5% you pay a brokerage fee of many thousands or euros. Of course, in itself it might not be a bad thing to pay a specialist for doing his or her job, as long as that job means that the numbers still add up. The question is what precisely a real estate agent does for
Buying a hotel or restaurant in France is easier than ever. While I am writing this, various restaurants and hotel restaurants in my touristy French town of Tournus are for sale. That is because like in many countries in Europe, and also in France, keeping the business afloat in the catering industry is not an easy job. Moreover, many French do not manage to adapt to modern marketing practices. None of the hotel restaurants that are for sale have a good website and most of them show little activity on social media. This is why they cannot compete with the more innovative players on the market, who make full use of the services of AirBNB, Bookings, and Trip Advisor. So, no other option than offering their 
2017 was an exceptionally good year for the French real estate market. House prices in France have increased with 2% on average and it now looks likely that this trend will continue in 2018.
