Investing & Living abroad - BNP Paribas

Huge thanks to Craig McGinty of This French Life  for digging out this (2009) research document from BNP Paribas - Investing & Living abroad.

The figures are well out of date and relate to the time before Lehman Brothers collapsed in autumn 2008 and the world went to pot. It has been interesting though to take some of the statistics and compare them to my own business.

Some of the headline figures were:

• more than 75% of international buyers came from Europe (26% from GB)
• more than 75% of these buyers bought "old" houses
• average purchase price of "old" houses was €248,000
• 25% of purchases were in PACA

Since 2003 my own business has seen 90% of buyers coming from Europe and 75% of my buyers have bought "old" properties.

My average purchase price has been €280,000, well above the average price in the Charente of around €150,000.

Nothing particularly shocking here but it's so difficult to find statistics on international buyers in France that I thought it worth sharing.

www.cognacproperty.com