According to the national association of Notaires in France, the French property market is picking up again, with British buyers prominent as Sterling has risen markedly against the Euro. Certainly here in the Midi-Pyrénées I am noticing a marked increase in activity and properties are selling much faster than in the last few years.
Sales in March and April were still down on last year but the Notaires said prices for older properties had risen 0.3% and increasing and the market was “active”.
The Bordeaux, Toulouse and Nantes area were noted as particularly busy, as was Paris, and mortgage companies expect to lend up to €150 billion this year as against €122 last year – down from a peak of €175 in 2011.
Buyers still have the upper hand in negotiating on price but some estate agents have seen a marked increase in sales. The estate agent, Century 21 told Le Monde the number of promesses de vente were up 9% in March and 22% in April while Orpi said it had seen 4.5% extra promesses since January.
There are still more sellers than buyers in the market and some excellent deals around so the next few months are looking like the perfect time to buy in France.
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