Swiss real estate investment management company

See “Investments” page at

realestate-eu.com

&

xystus54g.com

+++

Commercial Loans

Commercial Loans

[GO TO]

Direct from lenders - no brokers

Readers of this page may find some of the information useful. This is not a definitive list of references, it is just a list of some publications that have provided useful information on the countries in which we do business.

Paul B. Anthony, Broker does not endorse any of the articles, books or services mentioned or does he guarantee the accuracy of content; they are offer for your information, evaluat ion, enjoyment and, sometimes, amusement.

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Before leaving home check that you have your passports (you will need need a passport for every member of the family including children and babies) your Form 111 and your tickets.

Form 111 has been revised and enhanced to conform with EU regulations and travelers MUST obtain a newly authorized Form 111 with a 2005 date. YOUR OLD Form 111 WILL NOT BE ACCEPTED. A permanent travel document (EHIC) for health care abroad is now being issued and will, from 1 September 2005, replace the present Form 111.

The care provided under reciprocal health arrangement with other EU countries and Switzerland is only basic and the NHS certainly will not repatriate you if there is a need to do so. An example is Greece where, if hospitalized, you have to provide your own bed linen and your relatives or friends must bring food to the hospital daily to feed you! Private health insurance is essential - visit COLUMBUS (see below). This company will also cover over 65’s.

 UNITED KINGDOM

Visit our online Farm Shops

Just arrived at our shop are T-shirts and the Puma football shirt that can be customized with your own names and numbers. Our shirts are all well known brand names.

Order online easily and quickly - T-shirts, caps, gifts and more in the style and colors of your choice. We will ship world wide.

Many items for sale have unique graphics, some bear the special AgroTourism Project logo that promotes the countryside, rural economy and creates employment. Please feel free to browse our stores and buy anything you like! This is NEW - our Bike Ride Gear leather store or our Rural Industries Today Shop

Webs largest Agricultural and Outdoor world link directory[click banner].

Established in 1804, the Royal Horticultural Society is now the UK’s leading gardening charity dedicated to advancing horticulture and promoting good gardening. Their goal is to help people share a passion for plants, to encourage excellence in horticulture and inspire all those with an interest in gardening. Find out more about the RHS click here

Welcome to Shrubs Farm

Shrubs farm has undergone a miraculous transformation over the last 25 years. 270-acres of featureless farmland have been carefully returned to the sort of landscape which was traditional in North Essex.

About seven thousand trees have been planted with three new woods and five spinneys, all the arable fields now have two or six meter margins, five miles of hedge have been allowed to regenerate or have been planted afresh. In addition we have extended the gardens and planted a small orchard with a fruit cage as well as a park around the house of some fifty acres.

The farm is owned by the Erith family who are delighted that this transformation has succeeded in restoring the landscape from what was little more than a prairie and take great pleasure in welcoming visitors to enjoy and learn from their gardens and walks.

For more information CLICK HERE.

This England - A quarterly journal for all that love England’s green and pleasant land. A very patriotic magazine depicting a fast disappearing England. Further information may be found at: This England or tel. +44-1242-537900.

Worcester Warriors - The local Rugby Football Club. They are a Guinness Premiership 2005 - 2006 league team and play at Sixways, Worcester (near the M5 Motorway. Visit their site, Click Warriors.

Customer satisfaction and value for money are the driving forces behind Columbus Direct and we pride ourselves on providing a quick, efficient and hassle-free service. Columbus Direct Insurance offers a fast efficient quote and buy process. All payments are taken via credit card using our secure SSL providing customers with the confidence they require when transacting online.

We write Car, Breakdown, Home, Travel, Pet and Van insurance, CLICK LOGO FOR QUOTATION:

Columbus Direct is part of the Collision Group of companies employing over 500 staff of more than 40 nationalities in 7 countries. The group has customers in 120 countries around the world and writes insurance in 32 countries in any of 4 languages.

Ferry lines to Europe

Brittany Ferries - Ferries to and from France and Spain using Western Channel ports. Visit.

Condorferries - Ferries to France, Jersey, Guernsey and the UK. Visit.

LD Lines - Portsmouth to Le Havre, Newhaven to Dieppe, St. Nazaire to Gijon. Summer fast craft and ferry to Le Havre. This is a no-frills ferry services priced by demand and not duration of stay. Visit.

DFDS SEAWAYS - NORFOLK LINE - Ferries to and from France, The Netherlands, Ireland, Germany, Norway, Newcastle, Dover, Harwich. Visit.

P&O

Transmarche - Newhaven - Dieppe. Visit.

Stena Lines - Harwich - Hook of Holand and Ireland. Visit.

Train anyone? Click banners to ride

Benefits of booking through Rail Europe online - exclusive online offers

 BELGIUM

In Belgium cruise controls are illegal and it is illegal to have a cruise control fitted to a car let alone use one. No one has told me what to do if your foreign  registered car has cruise control. Perhaps the only answer is to avoid Belgium altogether! Have you another solution to this problem?

 BULGARIA

Is this the “new France”? I just don’t know! Beautiful country, good beaches, fine skiing, great shopping and low property prices. However, be careful, Bulgaria is not yet in the Common Market and ownership of private property is restricted. Sellers, once they know that the buyer is a foreigner, often double or treble prices. There are many real estate agents who are not quite what they seem to be. There are good agents who are totally reliable but there are also many that are uncontrolled with no recognizable or verifiable street address. It really is a country of caveat emptor. Take sound advice.

  FRANCE

Motoring in France:

Speed Cameras!

There is a growing number of speed camera in France (about 1,500 of them PLUS many “mobile” speed checks). They are not the same type as in England and a far from easy to spot. The cameras are gray boxes located at ground level, some hidden in the bushes beside the road. Expect to find these camera  on the main highways (“N” Class roads). There are some in towns and villages but they are mainly on the highways. Speed limits are not usually posed in town except where they are other than 50 km/hour. Enforcement of town limits is becoming stricter the police have mobile radar units. The town name is the start of the limit and the name in black with a line through the name the end of the limit. Fines are very severe, the most embarrassing one being the instant removal of your driving license by the police. (see Loss of Driving License, below). Be aware of your speed on the Autoroutes (“A” Class) as a number of these routes are timing motorists between tolls Calais to Paris (A1) is one of these autoroutes. Another Vierzon to Tour. The Auvergne are also in the speed trap revenue business with speed traps on the A27 (Clermont-Ferrand - Montpellier) at junction 9 (watch this one as it is 90 km/h stretch of the A27) and junction 16. There is a speed camera hidden in the bushes anti-clockwise on the Caen préiphérique  (ring road) just before the bridge over l’Orne and the turn off for the ferry at Ouistreham. On the A28 Alençon to Tour the police are waiting for you with mobile cameras and on the spot fines as they know the Brits speed on their way to Le Mans!

Speed Cameras continue to grow in numbers in France especially on “A” routes. There is a new generation of camera mounted in the Armco barriers on Auto Routes. They as small and just look like a bulge in the barrier. There is one on the A7 southbound 12 km. after the Vienne-Reventin toll. It is on the downgrade where the speed is restricted to 110km/hr.

ETED Radar is another new type and is set up on the side of the road in a shaded area and transmits by WiFi your speed to a police car down the road. Driving a foreign car will not help you as you will be stopped and fined on the spot!

There are still a number of old Peugeot 306 on the road that have radar mounted in the rear window and will ‘ping’ you before you have a chance to slow down. Again on the spot fine.

Ouistreham is located between the last exit (Commercial Zone and Carrefour) and the préiphérique junction. The other is just before the l’Orne bridge clockwise.

There is a cameras on the D901 Barfleur to Cherbourg West bound. It is located on the straight downhill section of the road by Cherbourg-Maupertus Airport. It is very easy to exceed the speed limit on this downhill section.

More new! French police have developed a speed camera small enough to install in a motorcyclist’s helmet. It is presently being tested in Lanquedoc Rousillon by police riding unmarked motorcycles. It is to be used countrywide as soon as tests are concluded. I wonder how long it will be before the British Police send a squad to France to study this new technology.

Same area, A9, the part that is toll free through Montpellier, has 110 kph speed limit and cameras - it is making a fortune in fines for Montpellier from 25,000 speeder in two months.

Grillé a STOP? A stop sign in France means just what is says. Whether or not the road is clear you must come to an absolute four wheel stop at the sign. The gendarmerie will hide behind trees at these signs then jump out to catch unwary motorist who fails to obey the sign. Penalty is a fine and points for failure to come to a complete standstill. [Same rule in USA and Canada]. “Cédez le passage” allows a rolling stop. Here is a question for your next pub quiz - What is the only English word in the French Highway Code? - Answer: “STOP”.

Lyon. The citizens of Lyon have voted for and implemented a new 30 km/h speed limited for the center of their beautiful city. It applies to the Old City where you will find some of the best restaurants and the area surrounding the Old City. Problem is it is difficult to determine where the speed limit starts and finishes so be on your guard.

Loss of Driving License.

Another law that has been on the books for 5 - 6 years and is now being strictly enforced is that 25 km/h. over the speed limit will result in on the spot suspension of your driving license - NO mitigating circumstances. Be aware that there are also other reasons for your licenses to be suspended such as DWI. So, if you are caught and you are the only driver it will cost you perhaps thousands of Euro to have your car driven or towed to the border where you may request the return of your license (after paying the fine which is in addition to the cost of getting your car to the border). Your AA, RAC or other roadside help will not cover this expense or pay your fine. You may wish to consider carrying with you an emergency fund of a thousand Euros in Travelers Cheques to pay on the spot fines should you be unlucky and fall foul of the law.

Typical fines in EU. 1 to 29 km/h over limit on highway up to 375 € and 3 point. Over 30 km/h unlimited fine and loss of license for three years.

BECAUSE it has been difficult to collect fines from foreign motorists FROM 3 JULY 2006 French police will be imposing more on-the-spot fines for speeding and to make sure you pay, they have the power to impound your car until the fine has been paid.

Need a DOCTOR at night, weekends or holidays? There is now a special number that will put you directly in touch with the duty doctor. DIAL: 02-51-44-55-66 and you will be connected directly to the duty general practitioner. The SAMU emergency center can still be accessed by dialing ‘15’ but this center only handles true emergencies (similar to the 999 service in the UK or the 911 in US). Do not misuse the SAMU emergency service with non emergency calls. 

Brittany Ferries - Cross to France with Brittany Ferries in comfort, luxury and true French style. Fantastic restaurants. Routes: Portsmouth to Caen, Portsmouth to Cherbourg, Pool to Cherbourg, Portsmouth to St. Malo, Plymouth to Roscoff, Plymouth to Santander (E), Cherbourg to Cork (IRL). Special fares for property owners. Click Brittany Ferries for website or tel. 08703-665-333.

Passengers with special needs: Brittany Ferries will do their best to accommodate passengers with special needs but make no special provisions except on their flagship Pont-Aven that has specially designed accommodation for disabled passengers. Be prepared to pay extra for special consideration. Brittany Ferries point out that ships are not entirely user friendly to the physically challenged and other means of travel may be more appropriate.

BANKING IN FRANCE - CA Britline (Credit Agricole), the largest French bank, provides full banking, mortgage and insurance services in English through their branch in Caen. This banking service is only available to English speaking residents of the United Kingdom, Ireland and France. It is not available to others. The bank ask that we make it clear that we are not paid a commission for recommending this service. I am just passing on my personal satisfaction with the service. To reach the official site click Britline or tel. +33-2-31-55-67-89

Accor hotels.com - the hotel business and leisure portal, offers you almost 4,000 hotels in 90 countries from budget to luxury (All Seasons, Ibis, Suitehotel, Mercure, Novotel, Pullman, Sofitel )! Book any country, any hotel from this site.

CAMPANILE AND OTHER Louvre Hotels - Kyriad Prestige, Kyriad, Campanile, Premire Classe, the Campanile Hotels (2 star) are the favourites of British tourism travelling through France. They offer both good and bad services at the same time. Prices are reasonable and in most inns there is a good bistro, a type of restaurant that has almost completely disappeared elsewhere in France. Campanile Hotels allows the guest to park outside their rooms which is very convenient. The downside is that in most hotels there is no 24/7 front desk and the rooms are very old fashioned and do not compare well with their major competitor, Ibis Hotels (2 star). The lack of 24 hour security can be disastrous as a self service after hours key dispenser can allow very undesirable persons to rent rooms. Currently there is group wide upgrade programme for both the rooms and the restaurants. All new menus in some hotels. Book.

CONNEXION - France’s English Language Newspaper. Published monthly and is published with Connexion 2 supplement and a directory of English speaking tradesmen. Visit.

France Magazine - The magazine advertises itself by “France, The next best thing to being there”. New, Views, reports of forgotten parts of France. Some adverts for property sales and rentals. Click France for Website or tel. +44-1242-216050.

French Property News - Properties for sale, articles on understanding the real estate process in France. Useful adverts and articles on where to obtain necessary services. Web site French Property News or tel. +44-20-8543-3113. Visit.

Living France - a Magazine with special features on the Regions with emphasis on food and wine. Articles on travel and holidays in France. One section is devoted to properties for sale. Contact on line, click: Living France or tel. +44-01234-713203.

Savoir Sans Frontières (Knowledge without borders)

International. Management Site

An interesting and educational site. English and other language translations. You may have to pay to use some files. The contract for use is between the user and the author, we have NO fiduciary interests.

Highly recommended. CLICK HERE

Tour de France 2011 - Running from Saturday July 3rd to Sunday July 25th 2010, the 97th Tour de France will be made up of 1 prologue and 20 stages and will cover a total distance of 3,600 kilometres. The 2010 Tour will be launched from the south side of Rotterdam, for a prologue time-trial. The launching pad will actually be set up in Zuidplein, from where the riders will move north.  Tour - 2010.

 GERMANY

Speed Cameras the police are hiding speed cameras in wheely bin placed beside the road.

Hock - German wines should not be summarily dismissed as many are of excellent quality and extreme complexity. From the time of Elizabeth I to Queen Victory these mainly white wines were the choice of the British Court. The wines are of moderate alcohol content as they are grown on the northern edge of wine growing territory on South facing slopes. Originally the British referred to the Germany wines as ‘Rhenish wines’. Queen Victoria popularized the term Hock, a contraction of Hochheim, one of the two locations from which there wine were shipped down the Rhine (the other is Bacharach) to East of England ports such as Ipswich and Lynn.

 ITALY

Tour Italy, Private tours throughout Italy.

Unique and exclusive tours of Rome, Venice, Florence, Amalfi, the Vatican and more. Experience Italy with a private tour guide in luxury. Italian tours customized to individual interests. Click here for more information.

Italy - The magazine for lovers of all things Italian. Further information may be found at: Italy Magazine or tel. +44-1305 266360.

 THE NETHERLANDS

KLM - Royal Dutch Airlines carrying more than 17 million passengers each year KLM is the 4th largest airline in Europe. We offer users of this site KLM's competitive fares and latest offers. Click on Logo for a quotation.

KLM has great offers to over 30 European destinations including Amsterdam from £69 return inclusive of all taxes and charges. Enjoy the sunshine in Europe, hop over to Rome or Madrid, or Milan or even Copenhagen... Book now for travel at anytime this year.

 POLAND

Real Estate Ownership Solutions - Interested in buying a second home or acquiring a property for your business in Poland and have run foul on the property laws of ownership? Contact us as we can help you own the property you want to buy.

 SPAIN

We are suspending sales of Spanish properties. There are profound problems with property ownership in Spain and  laws that allow properties to be demolished that are owned by foreigners in favor of Spanish developers. Mercia are apparently withholding water connections to homes built for foreigners and only allowing water connection for Spanish owners. In Catalan there is intense nationalism and they are being grants increased autonomy by the central government. This could lead to renewed demands for Basque autonomy. Not everyone agrees with what could potentially be the breakup of Spain. One army general, General Mena, who disagrees with increased autonomy and threatened military intervention  is now under house arrest. Do I hear reminders of 1930’s Spain? If you still want to live in Spain consult a lawyer outside Spain for advice and listen very carefully to what you are told!

Living Spain - A magazine that takes a new look at XXI Century Spain. It conducts the reader on a journey through the real Spain of today. Contacts: Tel. +441234-710992, Fax. +44-1234-240578. Click here to go to the Website: Living Spain.

 SWITZERLAND

Beware the new speed cameras hidden in back and yellow road bollards. They are working cameras and some are located on the approach to Geneva airport where the highway speed drops to 100 km/h. The police in Switzerland are using unmarked hire cars to catch speeding motorists. If you are speeding they will chase you, stop you and fine you on the spot.

 USA

Visitor Visas, Resident Visas and Passports - Follow the link to obtain, on line, a visa to visit or live in the      United States or for citizens to renew their passports. This link will take you to the official US Department of State site.This is the ONLY official site and has the suffix .gov in the address. There are a number of other sites that purport to be official sites and offer information for a fee. These sites are NOT supported by the US Government and many are fraudulent. ALL forms are free of charge from the US Government. Click here to enter the office US Government site.

Audacity - Have Vinyl Collection? If you have a turntable download this Free, Cross-Platform Sound Editor and make digital copies. Audacity is free, open source software for recording and editing sounds. It is available for Mac OS X, Microsoft Windows, GNU/Linux, and other operating systems. Learn more about Audacity...CLICK.

SEIZED LUXURY HOMES

The #1 Resource for Seized Homes & Luxury Cars up to 90% OFF! Affiliates Earn Easy 70% profit!  CLICK HERE.

 MISCELLANEOUS

Wines: ChateauOnline is the leading European online wine merchant. We offer more than 5000 outstanding wines, champagnes, all rigorously selected by our Head Sommelier, Jean-Michel Deluc and his wine tasting committee. Only 1 product in 10 makes it into the ChateauOnline selection. ChateauOnline has also recently launched its range of more than 100 of the finest spirits including whiskies, rums, vodkas, cognacs and much more. You will also find exclusive gift ideas: mixed cases, wine subscriptions, gift vouchers and gourmet hampers.

What A Wine Country Tour Can Do For You

Are you thinking about taking a wine country tour?  If you are, you may be wondering what a wine country tour can do for you.  What do you get out of taking a tour?  In all honesty, the answer is a lot. When taking a wine country tour, you will find that there is so much for you to do, see, and learn.

When looking to plan a wine country tour, you will find that you have a number of different options.  For example, some wine countries have guided tours available.  Even with guided tours, you have the option of driving yourself around.  For many tourists, this option is nice, as they have more freedom to do and see what they want.

As previously stated, there is a lot that a wine country tour can do for you.  One of those things is that you get to taste and sample a large selection of fine wines.  Wine tasting is one of the many reasons why wine country tours are so popular.  For a small fee, most wineries will give you a number of wines to sample.  Chances are, you won't leave most wineries without purchasing a full size bottle of wine for yourself.

In addition to wine tasting, many wineries in wine country will offer tours of their establishments.  These tours should not be confused with a traditional wine country tour.  A wine country tour is technically defined as touring the region in general and stopping at a number of wineries and vineyards along the way.  As for private tours offered by wineries and vineyards, you may be surprised with what you see.  You, essentially, can get a behind the scenes look at how wine is made or how wineries operate.

By taking a wine country tour, you also get opportunity to learn about the history of wine making or the history of wine country. This is done a number of different ways.  It is not uncommon for some wineries to have special activities and events planned.  One of the activities you may find is a small course on the history of wine being offered.  You may also find educational resources available for free and others for a small fee located along many wine country trails.  These resources and guides may be able to provide you with insight into the history of wine county, as well as wine in general.

Perhaps, the greatest thing that you can get out of taking a wine country tour is a good time.  Wine country tours are both educational and exciting.  Whether you use visiting wine country for a romantic getaway or a trip with friends, there is so much fun waiting for you.  As an added tip, it may be a good idea to first examine wineries and vineyards before leaving for your wine country trip.  If you plan to do your own traveling, as opposed to taking a guided tour, you will want to know which wineries are the best to stop at, as well as what activities, events, and festivals may be going on during your dates of travel.

As you can see, there are a number of reasons why you should take a wine country tour, as there is so much that you can get out of doing so.  As a reminder, wine country is a phrase that is commonly used to describe Northern California; however, there are other areas in the United States that are also commonly referred to as wine country as well.

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Work from Home:

A conventional business (plumber, electrician, catering and so on) run from home possible and profitable. Electronic on line business you have a 98% chance of failing and loosing a lot of money. If you still want to try buy and read a book telling you what the hidden costs of promoting online business really are. You will need very deep pockets. Click read book.

Creating And Starting An Online Business

Within this article today on creating and starting an online business, we are going to look at different ways of creating an online business for you.

There are many different online businesses that you can start but most of them come down to three broad categories which are: selling products or services to retail customers, selling on eBay, and business-to-business selling.  When you are looking at creating and starting an online business, you'll want to look at what your speciality is in creative business around one of these three broad categories.  If you decide that you want to sell to retail customers, you will have to find a way to sell your products or services in a different manner than many of the other retail web sites out there.  If you decide that you want to sell on eBay, you'll want to find a wholesale distributor of products where you can buy your products at a great discount.  If you already work within the business-to-business forum, this will be an easy transition for you.

Each of these three categories can be broken into but you must decide upon which of the three will focus.  Many people will decide to start an online business but have no idea where they should focus their efforts.  By focusing your efforts on one of these three categories, you'll know in which direction to start.  If you decide to start with eBay, look for a wholesale distributor where you can buy your products of the great discount.  This is most effective for many start ups because you do not have to buy the products in you can worry about selling online to people who want your product.  The people who want your product will be the ones who are bidding so that you know exactly what they want when the auction is over.  To find some wholesale distributors for you, look at the following web site: www.worldwidebrands.com.

If you decide that you want to sell products or services to retail customers, try and find a niche that is under served by your and your Internet competitors right now.  This is when the keys to creating a starting an online retail business because you want to find an area where there is little competition that you can dominate. To find some of these under served niches, visit the following website: www.findhotniches.com.

Finally, if you decide that you want to do business to business selling, figure out how you can provide benefit to the particular market that you want to go after.  Many people work online as freelance writers and you are able to do this and potentially differ yourself from the competition if you market to one particular niche.  Business-to-business selling is similar to the retail strategy in that you want to focus upon a niche and try and dominate that niche.

Hopefully this article on creating and starting an online business gives you an idea on which of the three areas you would like to focus