Signs of optimism for French market in 2015

Last year saw a 43% increase in French properties sold by Leggett Immobilier with buyers of 33 different nationalities which demonstrates the global appeal of the property market in France,
Trevor Leggett, Chairman of Leggett Immobilier comments:
“2014 was the year that British buyers came back to the French market with a bang – and our sales pipeline shows that 2015 will see more of the same. We have seen a 43% increase in transaction numbers over the last 12 months fuelled mainly by confidence levels in the UK and continued low interest rates.
We have been making sales throughout France and “Middle England” is buying again – in 2013 the average purchase price for a British buyer was €269,000, we think that in 2014 this will have risen to around €300,000 and that in 2015 it will rise further still.
We have seen a lot of activity in the Alps and Cote d’Azur which also helps push this figure up. These middle class buyers tend to want properties that are finished to a reasonably high standard and that are in good locations – we’re still selling plenty of renovation projects but there is a definite trend towards “just furnish to your own taste” properties.
The UK election in May hasn’t yet had any effect on enquiry levels (traditionally buyers of second homes tend to be cautious in the run up to an election). We currently have over twice as many ongoing sales, between exchange and completion, as we did at the start of the year – the bulk of these to buyers from across the channel. With around 12,000 properties for sale on our books there is certainly plenty of choice.”