French property prices 2015/6

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For the first time since 2012, the prices of old French houses in France have slightly increased according to the latest property report published by the Notaires de France at the end of January. The report shows that, in the third quarter of 2015, the prices of older properties in mainland France rose 0.3% compared with the previous quarter in seasonally adjusted figures.

Certainly in this area of France (and most particularly the Ariège) there has been a notable upturn or activity in the property market. There are, of course, all sorts of reasons for this but, most notably, there are some market factors that have come together to give French rural property a noted boost:

  1. A weakening Euro rate against many major currencies means that buyers can get incredibly good value in France
  2. Low interest rates and good access to French mortgages for foreign buyers
  3. Supply of homes in the market are still plentiful and sellers are more prepared to negotiate than in the past
  4. Rural France is still seen as a safe place to both invest and to live
  5. A general economic recovery throughout Europe and America is inspiring renewed confidence in foreign property investment

In rural France, one of the best indicators of the state of the property market is generally the number of sales and, since the middle of 2015, the report shows that the annual volume of transactions has seen a gradual but increasing upturn. The number of transactions completed in the last 12 months was estimated by the Notaires of France as 792,000 which is up 12.5% over one year. This is the biggest rise since the spring of 2012.

If there was ever a ‘best time’ to buy a house in France, this may be it.

 

 

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