First-time buyers heading to France, experts say

23 July 2008

Young couples and would-be first-time buyers are opting to put their money into a home in France rather than attempt to get onto the property ladder at home, experts have claimed.

Just recently the Association of International Property Professionals (AIPP) reported that the average amount now spent on an overseas property by Britons stands at £99,200, an increase of one per cent on the previous year's figure of £98,166.

Given that the average price of a UK home is around double this, it is easy to see why growing numbers are choosing to buy abroad, while Property Finder France has now added that the temptation to leave the UK is made even stronger by the better quality of life offered on the continent.

The company's research assistant Laura Sturgess, noted: "Whereas it used to be very much the retiring couple who were looking for somewhere nice to retire, now - with the property situation being what it is in this country - a lot of first-time buyers and younger couples are moving to France purely because it's cheaper and the quality of life is better."

Anyone thinking of getting on the property ladder overseas may want to make use of safe storage facilities in the UK so that they can keep a base at home.

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