The property market in France has fared well amid the global economic crisis and prices are now on their way to reaching levels seen before the crash in 2008, rising by 7.8 per cent on average.

“With UK property values outside London still falling, it is easy to forget that other popular property markets are continuing to recover strongly,” commented a euro mortgage specialist. He continued: “French banks traditionally have a more conservative approach to lending and this may well have helped prevent volatility in that market, but loans of up 85 per cent of the sale price at rates of around 3.45 per cent are widely available today, and for buyers concerned about future changes to interest rates, there has always been a wide choice of fixed and capped rate products available.”

Another expert had this to say: “For expatriates looking to invest in property, the French market certainly has potential and mortgages are easier to arrange with smaller deposits than in the UK at present. High quality areas such as the Cote d’Azur and towns such as Nice and Cannes will always have a special appeal both as second homes but also as rental propositions, as the area has such strong leisure and business traditions.”

Anyone who needs to transfer money to purchase property in France, should use a currency specialist to exchange their pounds into euros. For more information, 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’