France is the most popular expat destination for the British

The latest HSBC Expat Explorer Report 2019 has just been published. It was carried out in 163 countries and shows that France has become the most popular expat destination for the British. It also shows that it was twice as popular this year as last, presumably down to the Brexit effect. The survey was undertaken in April, just after the UK was originally scheduled to have left the EU which suggests that there was an impetus to move to France before this deadline in order that the buyers could enjoy the same rights as they do as EU citizens. The fact that the deadline was extended until 31stOctober might show a further spike in British buyers and this seems to be borne about by agents in this region who have had a particularly busy six months.

This report is backed up by a recent report from the French bank, BNP Paribas,  which also showed that the the international property market in France is dominated by British buyers. They made up 27% of all non-resident international homebuyers in France last year, compared with 22% in the previous year, although the purchase price is lower than in previous years.

In the HSBC report, France was ranked the 17th best expat destination in the world while the UK came 27th. Switzerland topped the rankings, followed by Singapore and Canada.

The authors of the HSBC report said: “Although those moving to France are some of the best educated in the world, money is not their main motivation. They do not move there expecting a large salary boost, instead they take advantage of France’s location on the doorstep of some of Europe’s most famous sites. For international workers, the French working culture provides them with the work life balance to enjoy their travels.”

If you are thinking of buying a property in France in the near future, please do get in touch: nadia@foothillsoffrance.com

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