In a year of ups and downs brought in by the Coronavirus, one thing consistently seems to be happening, new real estate trends.
Perhaps because of the lock down situations that have taken place at different times in various parts of the world, this has given people time to reflect on what they want their future to possibly be.
One thing we noticed drastically on week one of the lock down situation here in France is that interests in our properties as both long-term rentals and real estate investments increased substantially.
People are wanting to get out of cities for the most part and obtain more space which naturally provides freedom in their lives. Whether it be a second home, rental investment or new primary location in the countryside or by the sea, the requests started coming in on a daily basis and now that it is the month of August, interests in properties has not waned in the least.
These requests are not only coming from people that already reside in France but there has also been a large surge of new clients seeking properties here that are from the USA, Canada and especially the UK.
The reasons vary for those wanting to purchase a property in France. With the US it is mainly because of the political situation, from those in Canada it seems to be more of a second home, retirement and/or rental investment opportunity, with people from the UK it can also be a second home they are seeking but for the most part we are told it’s because of Brexit.
In fact, the number of UK citizens emigrating to EU has risen by 30% since the Brexit vote.
In France, there is an extensive part of the population that are from Britain and seem to enjoy living here. There any number of English speaking expat communities in the country so seeking one out for ease of lifestyle while grasping the French language can be found quite easily.
Estimates of the number of British citizens living in France is easily 400,000 plus. Besides Paris, many British expatriates tend to be concentrated in the regions of southern France, Brittany, and more recently on the island of Corsica.
With the Brexit deadline looming, a trend we have been working with daily the past number of months are with people seeking a long-term villa rental, anywhere from 6 months to a year so that they can live comfortably and assimilate to the location of their choice while taking their time in finding the exact property purchase of their dreams.
This is something that has become a top request from a new majority of clients along with our regular work efforts for clients wanting a luxury holiday villa rental during the summer months and it’s something we were certainly happy to oblige.
Many owners of properties we have in our extensive portfolio do also offer to rent them out for longer terms and usually at a very good reduced rate for the client as they would rather have the same people in their villa for an extended amount of time than managing weekly changeovers.
From there, once a client is settling in; the fun begins on the real estate hunt. When we know what you are looking for architecturally whether it be a classic Provencal or a contemporary design, or even a place that needs a whole renovation, plus size, amount of bedrooms and of course budget range, we will have options for you underway through our own direct to owner portfolio and with the help of our professional real estate partners we have hand chosen for their special expertise.
We realize time is essential and with Autumn slowly coming in, this is actually the best time of year to be looking for properties to purchase as the rush of summer comes to an end and places in France have gone back to a more normal pace of life.
We also understand for families being in the right locations for schools is important and that the bureaucratic world of paperwork in France can be daunting. For this we can refer you to our list of professional and certified consultants to speak with to keep things running smoothly for you.
With all that being said, if it is a long-term villa rental you are looking for in France while also looking for a home to buy, we are ready to guide you along the way.