French housing market set to flourish under President Macron

Emmanuel Macron hit the world stage running in May when his “tug of war” handshake with Donald Trump made global headlines.  His firm grip and presidential demeanour could well have given us an excellent insight into how the country will be run over the coming years.

At a youthful 39 he will certainly have the energy to push through his ambitious (pro- European and business-friendly) plans. He has certainly inherited a healthy and flourishing property market. The Notaires de France’ latest research shows 867,000 sales in the last 12 months, compared to 805,000 in the previous year.  This is a jump of 7.7%. House prices have increased by around 1.5% over the last 12 months and Leggett are forecasting that the national rise in 2017 will be around 3-5%.  Of course, some areas are seeing price growth well above this whilst rural areas will not see the same increases we see in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon and other areas.
A healthy domestic market will prove attractive to international buyers too. 
The double whammy of low prices and cheap financing is proving most attractive.
Demand from the UK also remains most healthy.  We are seeing record sales and, anecdotally, reports from the UK French property exhibitions are that many buyers are actively looking to buy a second home in France as a kind of Brexit antidote.