The market for UK buyers of French property is picking up, an expert on the subject has said.

Founder and managing director of French property specialist firm VEF Trisha Mason said the number of Britons buying French property had dipped during the credit crunch because the fall in UK house prices reduced their main source of funding such a purchase.

"However, the signs are that things are slowly improving again," she added, noting that many Britons are now accepting their loss on a UK property as French homes cost that much less, meaning they only have to make a "small sacrifice" in order to be able to enjoy living in France.

Ms Mason said the company’s research had consistently shown most Britons who buy in France do so for lifestyle reasons, with the perceived superiority of health and education services being major factors.

In a move that may secure the stability of the French property market in the future, French president Nicholas Sarkozy announced yesterday that a €360 billion (£280 billion) package was being implemented to bolster the banking system in the country.

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