Continuing a trend from the year before, house prices in regional France fell again on the whole in 2014. According to some estate agents though, there were substantial variations with popular areas seeing price rises.
French Property Market Update 2015
Propertywire.com reports that the annual review from the FNAIM, the national association of French estate agents, reveals that house prices fell by an average of 1.5% in 2014, but with significant variations across the country.
Picardy in the north bucked the trend with price rises of 3.5% perhaps thanks to its proximity to Paris. Lower Normandy saw prices rise by 1.2%, Poitou-Charentes which has seen a burst in popularity with expat buyers by 1%, Languedoc-Roussillon by 0.9%, Auvergne by 0.8% and Brittany by 0.4%.
Elsewhere prices fell, most notably by 5.3% in Nord- Pas de Calais, by 5.1% in Limousin, by 4.9% in Upper Normandy, by 4.8% in Franche Comte, and by 4.3% in Champagne Ardennes.
The smaller towns and rural areas are being worst affected in the downturn, cities and tourist areas have continued to see strong movement in the market, and overall the level of sales was about the same as the year before.
However Property Wire also says that other estate agents groups reported different statistics with prices shown as down across the board outside of Paris. They say the only conclusion to be drawn from the different numbers is that prices are falling generally and will likely continue to do so in 2015.
With a less strong Euro and low interest mortgages in France, 2015 could be a good year for overseas buyers.
Read the full report at www.propertywire.com
