PEOPLE wanting to sell their home abroad (and there are lots of them - see cover story) have varying chances of success. Enter Côte dAzur troubleshooter Katherine Garnier who set up a business in Nice helping holiday homeowners with problems over three years ago. Up to now, these included finding builders and architects, plumbers and cleaners, not to mention what to do with problems caused by fuites- leaks that bedevil apartment owners everywhere.

Now shes teamed up with rental and now also sales agency Nice Pebbles to help property owners who want to sell, but would like rental income while theyre waiting to clinch a deal.

Renting while selling can be a problem if youre working with different agencies – the deal with Nice Pebbles is that they can arrange sales viewings while not interfering with renters.

Garniers role is to help owners who may not have rented before to bring their homes up to the standards – in furnishing or fit-out – Pebbles demands before putting a property on its books. She points out that having a rental-ready property is a plus for potential investors who may also want to rent.

Despite the downturn, it seems theres always a market for properties on the Côte dAzur: Irish buyers may have disappeared, but local agents say that there are plenty of buyers from places like Russia, Kazakhstan, India and Scandinavia.

katherine-garnier.com

pebblessales.com