Borrowing rates continue drop in France.  The latest May figures show an average mortgage rate of 1.29% for loans of all durations.  This beats the previous record, 1.33%, set in 2016.   The French have never before been able to rent for so little.  At an average of 1.29%, all maturities combined, “interest rates on […]

Although the Century21 real estate agency network was the first to have calculated average prices above €10,000 per m² in Paris as early as March, French notaries have since come to a similar conclusion (€9,920/m²) according to their pre-contract data updated at the end of April. For months now, the Paris Chamber of Notaries has […]

The new Loi Elan, passed in November 2018, authorized property rentals of one month or more for those on work or study travel. After six months, the new law seems to be remedying some of the negative consequences of the crack-down on short term Airbnb-type vacation rentals.   “This is a game changer”, according to […]

Home to leafy café terraces, towns tucked away in mountainous landscapes, and Mediterranean beaches, France is as beautiful and diverse as its culture. In fact, expats living there seem to truly enjoy the culture and benefit from a high quality of life and a world-class healthcare system, as shown in HSBC’s most recent Expat Explorer […]

A dedicated site providing free access to property sale prices over the last five years in France has just been updated by the French Ministry of Finance.    A big change to the world of French real estate, the Demande de Valeur Fonciére website offers anyone the chance to access past real estate transactions for […]

Plans to fully redevelop the Champs-Elysées before the 2024 Olympic Games are in the works, much to the delight of Parisians and tourists alike.    Long considered the most beautiful avenue in the world, the Avenue des Champs-Elysées seems to have lost some of its splendor… and for good reason: 64,000 vehicles drive along this […]

The objective of “Embellir Paris” (“Beautify Paris”) is to enhance the capital’s “forgotten nooks and crannies, all those abandoned or insufficiently developed parts of the city where our residents live their everyday lives,” says Christophe Girard, Deputy Mayor of Culture of the City of Paris.      More than 700 artistic contributions Launched on November 9th […]

It’s not news that property prices in Paris are on the rise, with the average price per square meter in more than half of Paris’ 20 arrondissements exceeding €10,000.  It is interesting to note, however, that price disparities exist between the small boroughs located within each arrondissement.  In this article, we zoom in on the […]

At the Château de Versailles, Cartier, Louis Vuitton, Chanel, Breguet, and Hermès have replaced the Rockefellers and David-Weills of yesteryear and contribute to the smooth running of the château through financial donations or sponsorship.    Carved into the walls of the lower galerie de pierre, a statue-lined walkway leading to Versailles’ Opéra Royale, are the […]

Since 1998, the annual Étude Clameur reviews the overall activity, price progressions, and supply and demand trends of France’s private rental market.  Based on a sample pool of the leases signed over the previous year, the study analyzes market trends in 1,715 French cities with more than 10,000 residents.  The 2019 edition draws a contrasting picture […]