France and spain still top ‘euro stars’

France and Spain are still the most popular choices for overseas investors…

With 2008 barely two weeks old, some property companies have reported a 50 per cent rise in France and Spain enquiries compared to the equivalent seven days in 2007, reports Assetz.

Commenting that France is a "wise" choice for investors, Easier Property commented that the early months of the year offer a great opportunity to acquire property bargains in the country.

VEF itself has some clear ideas about where the best places to go in the country will be this year. In its Overseas Property Market Report 2007/2008 it describes Provence Var as a favourite location for British buyers which will go on doing in 2008.

Reaping the benefits of Eurostar

Two major factors in this are that the neighbouring Cote d'Azur is seeing investors holding onto property rather than selling it, making new investments scarcer, while the easy access from the airport at Nice also helps.

VEF added that transport links were also helping other areas improve their fortunes, with Burgundy, Drome and Brittany reaping the benefits of improved TGV access, while the north was also gaining from the faster Eurostar services launched last year.

The company concluded by stating: "The top advice for this year if you're planning to move to France full time is to look out for bargains on newer properties, as there are some great deals to be had and it can be more cost hyphen effective in the long run."

St Tropez ‘a major hotspot’

But while VEF and Easier talk of bargains, it is worth investors appreciating the lifestyle aspect behind many moves across the Channel. The possibilities of commuters living in France and taking the Eurostar to London were regularly discussed when the new service began running from St Pancras. But the south of France has both quite, rural properties and low prices, Country Life has reported.

Property firm Knight Frank's head of French affairs, Paul Humphreys, told the magazine that St Tropez would be a major hotspot due British investment being added to by new money from Russia. But he stated that for those looking at the rural scene, there were some ideal bargains for those whose market would be quiet, out of the way corners of which France, with a quarter of England's population density, has plenty. Here, Mr Humphreys stated, a grand estate can sometimes be cheaper than a simple Cote d'Azur villa.

Thus even in an old favourite like France, with so many property investments in British hands already, it appears there are still many more bargains around for those who know where and when to look.