Crunch-less France Keeps Appeal by:Jim Barnaby
For those looking for evidence that the worldwide credit crunch is not quite so worldwide
as some might think, the best place to look, it appears, may be across the channel, which, as a major hotspot for Britons looking at buying investment property, is just as well.
As Assetz made clear this week, the country has survived the liquidity crisis fairly unscathed. This is thanks partly to French Banks suffering far less from the subprime crisis due to lower levels of investment in affected companies and also because the reaction has been to stimulate the market by offering more enticing deals, in stark contrast with lenders in Britain.
These explanations were offered by Matthew Weston, overseas French mortgages manager for Blevin Franks, who stated: "So far this year the subprime crisis has had little to no impact on the non-resident France property investment market in France."
However, wider evidence seems to suggest that this avoidance of the financial problems that have blighted many other economies - and consequently housing markets - is not just a phenomenon seen in the French property mortgage-lending sector. In the commercial property sector, for instance, UK commercial property firm Hammerson's released its half-yearly results earlier this week. They showed that overall its assets had lost 5.5 per cent in value in the second half of 2007, but the company was bolstered by a 16.5 per cent rise in the value of its French assets last year.
Speaking to Reuters, chief executive John Richards said: "Having nearly 30 per cent of the business in France has been extremely advantageous," adding: "France will not be entirely insulated from economic slowdown seen across Europe, but any downturn is likely to be more muted than in London. Values are stable not falling."
So if the economic and property situation in France, both commercial and residential, is looking up, where might the investor go? Much of this depends on the market they wish to serve. Some Britons, either wanting a weekend retreat or simply a holiday home, may let out somewhere far from the crowds - and their countrymen.
Other places, however, have developed sizeable expat communities. Recently, for example, the Daily Mail reported on the region of Dordogne, a name famous for wine but where the treading of grapes may be no more common a feature of a summer's day in some places than the sound of leather on willow.
The paper noted that in towns such as Eymet, the British ex-pat presence was due considerably to the ambience of a place like an England of many years ago, an elysian which some ex-pats are so keen to keep as it is they have even caused a local stir by standing for election to the local council. Any investors looking in places like this for buy-to-let must of course be sure there is demand for a taste of old England amid the vineyards.
In today's world Property investment is an excellent investment option especially investment in UK
About the author
Jim Barnaby is a real estate investment broker and successful property investment adviser delivering research and selected UK and overseas property investment solutions with experience in spanish properties, french property investment, German property, Cyprus holiday homes, Property in Cape Verde, German property investment, cape verde property buy to let property.
http://cape-verde.assetz.co.uk/http://www.articlecity.com/articles/business_and_finance/article_9328.shtml
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