#tmcworldcup match of the day: france vs germany
Click here to see larger version - or here for an explanation of the figures.
Following our World Cup predictions, which forecast an overall victory for the USA, TheMoveChannel.com follows the FIFA tournament through every stage, highlighting a property Match of the Day.
France and Germany clash in the Quarter-finals of the #TMCWorldCup. Both property markets have previously appeared in the top 10 most popular countries in TheMoveChannel.com's monthly Top of the Props chart and both are familiar, established destinations. Who, though, will come on on top?
Germany edges ahead to take an early lead thanks to its overall health: house prices have grown 5.8 per cent in the last 12 months and by 2.2 per cent in the last six months, far stronger than France's dip of 1.4 per cent and 2 per cent respectively. Fuelled primarily by Berlin's rental-heavy market, buy-to-let investors can expect capital growth to boost their returns.
While France may not appear to be the best investment in terms of prices, though, those declining values have only helped to boost the other element of its appeal: lifestyle. Indeed, with 32,900 searches for property in France on Google in May 2014, interest from overseas remains strong, thanks to the vibrant French tourism industy; it is no coincidence that the Provence-Alpes-Cote d'Azur is the most popular part of France for both holidaymakers and house hunters.
France's accessibility to foreign investors is also much higher, offering 66,958 listings on TheMoveChannel.com to Germany's 128. Combined, they drive demand for France up to much higher levels than its European counterpart: French real estate received 5.75 per cent of enquiries in 2013, over double those for German real estate (1.83 per cent). With mortgage rates at historic lows boosting affordability, France's victory over Germany goes to show that low prices are not always a bad thing when looking to buy.
Who will win the Property World Cup? See our full infographic here - or keep up to date with the latest results on Twitter by following the #TMCWorldCup hashtag.
Enquiries = % of enquiries received on TheMoveChannel.com in 2013
Searches = Number of searches for "property in X" on Google in the month leading up the World Cup
Listings = Number of properties currently listed for sale on TheMoveChannel.com
Price (12m/6m) = House price movement in the last 12 or 6 months, according to the Knight Frank Global House Price Index Q1 2014
Click here for the full statistics.