Owners in France thinking of adding to their property will welcome President Sarkozy’s plans to allow homeowners to increase the size of their home by 30 per cent without planning permission, announced at the end of January.

The new regulation applies to all properties, both new-build and resale. It will be an excellent opportunity for anyone thinking of extending their house, both for their own use and for investment purposes. The President also has put plans in motion to sell off some state-owned land so that more new-build properties can be constructed, the idea being to increase housing in France and to offer more competitive prices.

Remember that we are now running up to the French presidential election so various tactics will be used by all candidates to try to win the vote. This could be the ideal time to take advantage of this and snap up a French property!

For details of properties for sale in France, new-build and resale, visit the French listings on Rightmove Overseas. One way to save money when buying in France is to use a currency specialist when transferring your pounds into euros to complete the purchase of your property. For more information on this, contact Smart Currency Exchange.

To understand the full step-by-step process to buying a property in France, collect The Overseas Guides Company’s ‘France Property Buying Guide’