Having stuttered for a few years as a result of political uncertainty and a weak economy, the French property market for overseas buyers is starting to show signs of a resurgence, according to research from global consultancy Knight Frank.
Mark Harvey, the head of French residential sales at Knight Frank, told The Times: “[French president] Hollande is not going to do anything too radical at this stage. A lot of the sweeping changes which were threatened didn’t happen and his rhetoric has changed. The Americans are back and the British are returning with 50% of our inquiries for French properties now from Brits — up from 28% two years ago. There is a notable change in interest, particularly for properties between €700,000 [£509,000] and €1.8million.”
Harvey’s sentiment is shared by specialist agent Leggett Immobilier, which last year recorded a 43% increase in French properties sold, coming from buyers from 33 different nations. British investors topped the sales table, followed by Belgians, Americans, Australians and Dutch.