2025 projects, previous year’s review : a word from the club’s founder

All the members of the CIPG club’s voluntary team join me in wishing you a very happy and prosperous 2025 !

On the personal side, I’m pursuing my objective of increasing my assets. Despite two offers to buy small lots of garages near my home, I didn’t sign any property agreements in 2024. It has to be said that I’m a gambler, taking advantage of the property market to try and buy lots below their value. The first lot consisted of 5 garages, and another buyer bid € 500 more per garage than I did. The second lot will be back on the market in a few months’ time. The sellers hesitated, but finally turned down my offer and decided to keep this profitable lot of 8 garages fully let.

No vacancies. As is the case every year, rental demand remains abundant, and I have a 100% fill rate whatever the type of property: car park, garage, storage space or vehicle winter storage. With a small waiting list for each type of location to re-let in the event of a vacancy.

Enough about me, let’s get back to the heart of the matter with my views on the niche property market. Followed by a retrospective of the past year for our club, and to finish, an explanation of the developments to come within our club in 2025.

A slowing property market

Supply and demand

Each sector operates on the principle of supply responding to market demand. When investors are scarce, there is less demand, and the supply side of the market has to adapt to this situation. The current property market is frightening buyers. In fact, we’ve noticed a significant drop in the number of first-time buyers joining the club. It has to be said that only bold investors are benefiting from this unstable situation.

Political instability is heightening fears among investors and sellers alike. The latter are hesitating : should I sell at a time when prices are high but buyers are scarce ? Is it better to wait and risk my property losing value ? Unfortunately, no one knows how things will develop in the property sector, but our niche will inevitably continue to generate additional income, since rental demand remains strong despite the crisis.

Difficulty obtaining a loan

In terms of financing, it’s very difficult to get a bank loan for a parking space or a garage. It’s very difficult but not impossible, and a few club members obtained financing in 2024. The key to success is to prepare your application for a bank loan well, and to sell your project to your bank advisor. Bear in mind that banks look for profits and profitable projects. If your project’s rental yield is excellent and your presentation file is well put together, your bank will definitely go along with it !

Tertiary real estate remains stable

Several club members have chosen to diversify their property portfolio towards commercial buildings. This property sector is still active, even though prices in some towns have risen sharply. With new standards to comply with, only large companies are turning to the new-build market. The cost of constructing a building has soared with the cost of raw materials. The fall in the number of new buildings is strengthening the rental market in the sector.

The year 2024 : lessors helping each other out

The year in figures

The forum : the ultimate self-help tool

The difficult property market has strengthened ties between landlords. The club’s forum remains the preferred venue for the majority of club members. With over 1 000 exchanges, no question goes unanswered for long. Remember to carry out a search before asking your question, as the answer may already be covered in one of the sections.

A popular monthly newsletter

Producing new content every month is a big challenge, and I’d like to thank all the members of the volunteer team for their hard work. The real estate industry is constantly changing, and we have to constantly review our old content to bring it up to date and keep abreast of new developments. This year, we’ve added a monthly survey that allows us to adapt our content to your expectations; I’d like to thank everyone who plays the game by responding. I’ve created Sympathiser status at a reduced price (just € 2 per month), for readers who want to discover the niche with access to all the articles for information. This status does not include access to the club’s self-help area.

Ongoing development of online rental management

As the property market remains difficult, landlords are becoming increasingly active within the club to boost their rental yields. Thanks to the many requests we’ve received, we’ve added new features and are still working on new features to make our rental management more efficient. Our aim is to save you time by simplifying your day-to-day tasks.

Return of the no-obligation subscription

We spent a lot of time getting everyone off the subscription system. The aim was to simplify the system by letting people renew their subscriptions manually. But nothing worked as planned and old problems came back with a vengeance:

• massive failure to renew subscriptions,
• discontent among those who have lost their access to the exchange platform,
• not to mention the few members who lost data when their accounts were deleted,
• we had a lot of problems managing and restoring access rights,
• the return of troublemakers to the club, and the subscription fee was a real disincentive to unmotivated people…

I have to learn from the time lost for the team, but above all take into account the demand of the majority of club members. The no-obligation annual subscription remains the best solution for our club, while guaranteeing a sorting process at the entrance by stopping less motivated people. Today, all the members and supporters who were under the old system with a no-obligation subscription have nothing to do. For the others, the club team will contact you well before the end of your membership to switch back to the new system.

Objectives for 2025: to provide you with even better support

Strengthen the sharing and exchange of ideas within the club

Our forum will remain at the heart of our site once again this year. It’s an essential tool for quickly obtaining the opinions of other investors and landlords. The majority of members use this forum, so we recommend that you carry out a search before asking your question. The answer to your question is probably already here in one of the sections.

Improving rental management

The previous year enabled us to analyse more closely the way in which you use our rental management services. We have different profiles within the club: small landlords, large landlords and annuitants. Each of you uses online rental management in a different way, and we are finalising the adaptation of the module with the following new features:

• Import your Excel spreadsheet,
• Configure online reservations,
• Automated digital lease creation,
• Help with tax declarations (microfoncier and régime réel),
• Optimise local referencing,
• Assign a contract to a tenant and view it in a matter of seconds,
• Dematerialisation of several documents with automated sending.

The new module is available when you create a new rental management system. Click on the address showing the demo property, select add a property and let yourself be guided. For all those using the old rental management system, a gradual migration is planned during February so that everyone can switch over before May. We also need to update the FAQ section of our site so that the help provided complies with the new module. This operation will be carried out by the volunteer team during the first quarter of 2025.

Interactive dashboard

As part of the ongoing development of online rental management, your interactive dashboard will continue to evolve, offering you better day-to-day support. We still have to reintegrate the old training modules into this module. The ideal goal is to complete this integration before the end of 2025.

Developing the club’s YouTube channel

It’s a real debate within the club, there are those who want more videos and those who are against this format. It’s hard to please everyone… My personal wish is to continue to develop our channel without pretension, because it enhances our visibility and raises the profile of our club. I say it often, but we need new members to help our club evolve, open up new subjects and bring in new ideas.

I know that the best investors are the most discreet, but if you would like to appear on our YouTube channel, don’t hesitate to contact the team. I’d also like to thank the club members who have already contributed a new face to our public channel: Nicolas DECOUPIGNY, Alexandre LACHARME, Nicolas TODO and Mike. Not forgetting all the members who have taken part in the recorded webinars, a format that is broadcast privately within the club and therefore invisible to the general public.

A simplified press review

The current press review is not working, as we don’t have the time to keep this section going properly. The aim is to keep you better informed, which is why I’m thinking of incorporating a press review into our monthly newsletter. If you have any ideas on this subject, please let us know.

Where to invest in 2025 ?

Niche real estate : apply a strategy

In 2025, buying a car park or garage and simply renting it out is no longer profitable enough. The property niche remains a good option for making property investments, but you need to target locations and apply a strategy in order to obtain a good rental income. Here’s a summary of some of the most successful strategies in the club:

• Buy a cramped car park to divide it into two-wheeler parking _{Gain : 💰💰💰⚫️⚫️ | Risk : 🔴🔴🔴⚫️⚫️}
• Find a warehouse for wintering motorhomes and caravans _{Gain : 💰💰💰⚫️⚫️ | Risk : 🔴🔴⚫️⚫️⚫️}
• Converting a car park into a garage _{Gain : 💰💰💰💰⚫️ | Risk : 🔴🔴🔴⚫️⚫️}
• Creating a self-storage centre in a commercial shed _{Gain : 💰💰💰💰⚫️ | Risk : 🔴🔴🔴🔴⚫️}
• Buying goods at auction _{Gain : 💰💰💰💰💰 | Risk : 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴}
• Buying unsold goods _{Gain : 💰💰💰💰💰 | Risk : 🔴🔴🔴🔴🔴}

Long-term equity savings plan

As far as bank investments are concerned, the best option is a share savings plan (PEA). Choose a bank with low charges and opt for dividend-paying shares. In addition to the value of the shares in your portfolio, which will fluctuate with stock market movements, you will receive an annual dividend for each share held. A good banking strategy is to reinvest the dividends you receive each year, by buying other dividend-paying shares that will add to your portfolio.

Life insurance : a secure investment

Life insurance remains a safe bet in 2025, as this investment is perfectly suited to different profiles. Those who don’t want to take any risks will prefer the euro fund. Investors looking for yield will turn to stock market funds. This is an ideal investment to complement your property investments. If you have young children, it’s important to open a life insurance policy for them as early as possible, so that they can benefit from more favourable tax treatment after 8 years. Note that in the event of death, life insurance remains the least taxed investment in terms of inheritance tax.

Conclusion

What a pleasure it is to hear about our club in various property groups. Thank you to everyone : club members, supporters and loyal readers ; once again, it’s thanks to you that our club is growing every day ! I’m really pleased that our caring community is continuing, with the constant quality of the exchanges and all the good advice shared. Many of you have told me that our site is a goldmine of information, but it’s thanks to you that we are where we are today, so thank you…