Buy Investment Property in France: Stop Procrastinating

France is one of the most popular second home and holiday locations for Britons simply because it is so accessible - you can fly to France, drive to France and you can even take a train to France.  But recently France has wavered in favour as Brits have been lured away to explore seemingly exciting emerging locations such as Bulgaria and Poland which have been boosted in appeal by the old cheap flight effect.  But you know what?  These cheap locations all play second fiddle to France in terms of everything from cuisine to culture, and from accessibility to investment appeal.

Yes you can get a cheap flight to Krakow today, but what about when eco-taxes are applied to flight prices, yes you can get a cheap property in Sunny Beach (well, you can’t actually) but what about when you want to rent it or resell it and you’re hit by the deluge of real estate related competition?  France doesn’t suffer from any of these emerging market glitches and foibles and so we’ve decided to cut to the chase and tell you why you should buy investment property in France and stop procrastinating!

The thing is…the French economy has been less than enthralling in its progress of late.  France has begun to feel like a nation dragging its feet, some of its glitz and romance has been eroded in our minds by an image of a country which has had its property potential fully explored and exploited by the Britons who have already bought their rural rundown retreats and turned them into B and Bs for other property seeking Brits.

While the French and their economy can be blamed in part for this seeming drop off in interest levels among would be investors, property related TV programmes and expos which have focused on the abundance of amazingly cheap real estate to be had in unexplored eastern European destinations have also got a lot to answer for. 

Fortunately we have all become a little more immune to the hype and bluff of the developer with a multi-unit apartment complex to flog in some obscure European outpost, and many more of us are actually looking into the prospect of achieving tangible returns and crystal clear capital appreciation potential - which is why we have chosen to turn our attentions to one of the oldest and firmest of favourites – namely France.

While Spain is being slated left, right and centre for over development and over stretching property prices beyond that which anyone can afford – France has remained out of the firing line because its lacklustre economy and drop off in intense interest among overseas buyers has left it ‘steady as she goes’ in terms of price increases and rental yield expansion.  But now that we have Nicolas Sarkozy for President, all things property related could be about due for a substantial shake up.

Unless you’ve been living in a cave for the past few months during the build up to the elections in France you’ll be well aware that Sarkozy stands for economic reform.  He wants the French to own their own homes and to that end he wants to make the buying and owning processes more transparent and more attractive - and many analysts are certain that his objectives will actually buoy up the real estate industry in France significantly.

There will be a liberalisation of the markets, inheritance tax will be reduced, property related bureaucracy will be slashed (apparently) and all this adds up to one thing according to French Property experts VEF UK – and that’s that now is the time to buy property in France before the far reaching legislation changes have a dramatic and positive effect on the market.  But they’re estate agents so they would say that right?

Right in part – yes.  However there is substance in their argument.  France is what we term an ‘evergreen location for property investment success’.  It is just so hugely popular with holiday makers, retirees, students, short term travellers, business travellers, those seeking a new life abroad and so on and so forth.  Additionally it is still an incredibly well priced country because it is vast, under populated and as long as you buy away from the most popular cities you’ll be able to find decent property at a decent price.

Finally, add to all of this the fact that even if cheap flights become less cheap and the buying or renting public you require for profits as a property investor are less likely to jump on a plane to France as a result…they are also less likely to jump on a plane anywhere and so will be looking for a holiday or a home abroad in an easy to access location.  Well, as stated you can already drive to France and get a train to France…but now there have been some significant and exciting rail related developments that will boost the appeal of French real estate even further.

The French high-speed TGV service has had significant investment into advancement and is about to launch a new East Europe line linking Paris to Stuttgart and dramatically slashing the journey time to the likes of Frankfurt, Stuttgart and Munich in Germany, Zurich and Basle in Switzerland as well as to Reims, Metz, Nancy, Luxembourg and Strasbourg.  Now add this fact to the one about the new Eurostar service from St. Pancras which will create another high speed rail link from the UK to Paris and you have yourselves the most amazing solution to traffic congestion, higher flight prices and longer journey times, and you can open up your property in France in terms of accessibility to the whole of the rest of Europe…not just to the British.

And so there we have it – plenty of reasons to buy investment property in France and stop procrastinating!

Special Reports: Property News for France

France a Guide to Buying Property
A comprehensive guide to the property buying process in France including legal and financial considerations

France for Property Investors
An introduction to France and its property market for would-be investors

France Investment Property Potential Guide
From leaseback to commercial property investment opportunities, we examine the potential for profit from property in France