The luxurious properties situated within the French Riviera fell in price during 2011, according to a leading estate agent in the region.

Their figures recently revealed that prices fell in the French Riviera and Monaco by over 5% in the last year, despite the rate of sales increasing. Transactions were up by over 16% during 2011, as people consider the areas to be a “secure, long-term investment”.

The average price of a luxury home on the Riviera or Monaco will cost you around €2,117,349 (￡1,754,580), and the majority of properties to be found will cost anywhere between €1 million and €3 million.

The cost of properties in France in general are expected to rise in the next year, but for now, luxury properties remain ‘cheaper’ – which is set to make a small profit for anyone who buys now and sells in a few years time.

For details of property for sale in the French Riviera, visit the French listings on Rightmove Overseas. One way to save money when buying in Italy 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’