The who's-who of French property gathered in London

©val walmsley via poitouproperty.fr

So you didn't make it to the 2013 Property Exhibition at Earl's Court London? No problem. We eavesdropped for you and here's what exhibitors and visitors had to say.

A crowd of 11,500 braved the blizzard over the weekend of January 18-20. A large part of the appeal is to find, in one place, advice on legal matters, taxes, financial resources, and a current inventory of properties on offer plus a chance to talk face to face with the professionals.

The backdrop climate of the French property market pointed to a slower pace with about 20% fewer transactions recorded compared to the previous year. For Paris, usually an exception, estate agents predict an increase in prices and the same goes for choice locations in Provence and the Côte d’Azur. For sales of properties in the middle and lower price bands there is subtle downward trend. The two main French estate agent networks predict prices will go down around 3% this year.

Here's what we heard:

From The France Show organizers “We had positive feedback from visitors about the content of the show and the range and calibre of the exhibitors. We also had very encouraging feedback from a number of exhibitors who said the visitors were high quality, interested in France, wanting to know more about holiday options and some very keen on buying property in France, with bigger budgets than last year. We were on track to deliver a similar number of visitors as last year, in fact one week prior to the show we were ahead with advance ticket sales and registrations. So we do feel that the drop in actual attendance was primarily due to the awful weather conditions and subsequent travel difficulties.”

Siddalls (Tax & Personal Financial Planning): "People are asking about what changed recently," said Consultant Simon Tutton, "they are concerned about the tax burden. We noticed that retirees are the majority, as usual, but there's a steady increase of people in their 40's and 50's, active or planning an early or semi-retirement, wishing to relocate."

Les Bons Voisins: Sally Stone said, "The seminar on starting a business was standing-room only. I didn’t get lunch until 3pm and that’s a good sign in any show.”

FrenchEntrée Property Services : Gaëlle, Murielle and Fleur were busy non-stop all the way to closing time."Despite the weather the attendance was good," said Manager Gaëlle Perreaux, "I met a lot of people really serious about buying in France for a holiday place or for a permanent move. The average budget seems to be higher than what I have seen over the last few years which is a really good sign for the market."

Notaires de France: The audience asked very focused questions at their seminar. Potential buyers had done their homework before going to the show. Of particular interest seemed to be the Capital Gains tax and EU 2015 changes to be able to opt in some cases for English law to apply to the estate. Notaires de France identified the 3 top areas for UK property buyers: Creuse, Dordogne and Charente.

MGM Leaseback Ski Property : "We observed fewer number of inquiries but of very high quality. We focus on upscale properties so people already know what they are looking for. They know, for example, about the waiver of the 19% VAT with our leaseback products."


Mary and Alfred (visitors): "We like the way the show is set out. We bought a mobile home as a result of a visit to the show a few years ago, and now we keep coming for the food & wine and to learn more about places to visit in France."

A teacher and her husband (visitors): "We had a house in France and sold it 6 years ago, now we are looking again but this time for a permanent move to the Tarn region. We just found two possible properties within our budget."



Added to all these very practical aspects, the France Show is a fun day out. There's food, wine, music and culture from the six corners of l'hexagone. Loredana's enthusiasm at the Président Cheese stand said it all "I have the best job in the world. I'm giving people cheese!" You can taste, purchase, ask questions and find inspiration about things to do and places to visit. It gives you a preliminary insight into the enviable French lifestyle. As close to France as you can get without actually crossing the Channel.

Save the date for the next one, from the 17th to the 19th January 2014 at Earls Court London.


•Sylvia Davis, Property & Living Editor
Photo Courtesy of ©val walmsley via poitouproperty.fr and TheFranceShow.com

Would like to know more about the show? Please contact us.

For information about the properties on our portfolio during the show or for help with your property search, please call our consultant at +44 (0)1225 463 752 or email propertysales@frenchentree.com or contact one of our local property finders with expert knowledge of the area.

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