Interesting article from the World Property Journal which focuses on the fact that British property buyers are currently showing a lot of interest in French property, following a recent statement from Theresa May which guaranteed rights for those Brits, living in France before March 2019.
The article includes comments from HH director Tim Swannie about how the number of British enquiries have escalated:
According to Tim Swannie, Director of Marseille, France based luxury property finders Home Hunts, Brits will not be deterred by the weaker pound and Brexit negotiations and will continue to buy properties in France over the course of 2018, thanks to the positive tax reforms and their desire to secure a property before the Brexit deadline.
Buyers are keen to secure properties before Brexit
Home Hunts saw a 100% increase in British enquiries at the end of 2017, many of whom are motivated to buy before March 2019. This has been driven recently by the Brexit ‘divorce’ announcement by the UK and EU negotiators in December, that stated that anyone living in the EU or owning property there will have their citizen rights guaranteed. Since this, there has been a flurry of enquiries from Brits looking to buy in France. We had more than 150 requests in one week from the UK which is unheard of for mid-December.
He goes on to explain which area seem to be the most popular at present also:
Popular areas for Brits are emerging
In terms of the types of homes and areas in France that Brits will be buying in 2018 depends hugely on the individual clients says Home Hunts, but the areas that will remain most popular are the French Riviera, Provence, Languedoc Roussillon (particularly the areas between Montpellier and Carcassonne, and the coastline), the Dordogne, the Bordeaux area and some other rural locations in south west France such as Gascony and the Lot.
Aside from that, Paris is also eternally popular for those looking for a ‘pied-a-terre’, and this year it also became attractive for those working in finance who are potentially looking to relocate. The same trend is happening around Geneva, which has influenced the demand for properties in the French Alps, particularly homes around the French side of Lake Geneva and some of the closest ski resorts such as Morzine, Les Gets and Chamonix.
