The euro-sterling exchange rate is the lowest it has been in its short history, and without doubt this has deterred some UK buyers from entering the French property market.

However, Laetitia Hodson of the French Property Shop advises potential investors not to be deterred. "Some specialist commentators are predicting a further fall in the pound – some even talking about parity," she says. "This would mean French property and other European countries properties becoming 20 per cent more expensive in sterling terms! Or, to put it another way, it would be 20 per cent cheaper to buy now."

But the potential fall of the pound isn't the only reason Hodson recommends buying now. "Many commentators feel that France and much of the eurozone are better placed for weathering the coming financial storm than the Anglo-Saxon world due to their lower exposure to the finance sector," she says. "Ninety five per cent of French property is sold to the French. Given this, as well as better trade balances, productivity levels, low levels of personal debt, possible macraeconomic reforms, a growing population, migration from cities back to the countryside and the point that more and more Frenchmen and women see their home as both an investment and something to be proud of, we feel that the French property market will outperform its UK counterpart over the next five to ten years."

According to other experts, the increasing number of budget airlines flying into France will also give the housing market a boost. "There is no doubt that low cost travel, particularly cheap flights, has contributed to the growth in French property buying," says Patricia Fevrier of A Place in France. "As far as France is concerned, after the opening of the Tunnel which brought in some good deals in crossing the Channel, low cost flights have made it even easier and more tempting to buy a second home in France."

Nick Leach, head of business development UK and Ireland for Pierre and Vacances Property Investments, agrees. "The effect of cheap flights has been to encourage second home ownership as everything becomes more accessible," he says. "The property market has been given a boost, particularly in the area of the French Alps."

Pierre and Vacances have several different types of leaseback ownership properties for sale in the French Alps, with prices ranging from £110,000 for a studio apartment to £1.2 million for a luxury penthouse suite.

Another area that has benefited from cheap flights is the Languedoc. "This region has much to offer outside the busier summer months," says Fevrier. "Montpellier, Carcassonne and Perpignan are now established gateways to the region year-round."

A Place in France is selling a selection of traditional French homes in the Languedoc from a starting price of 68,000 euros.

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For more information visit:
www.frenchpropertyshop.com
www.aplaceinfrance.co.uk
www.pierre-vacances.co.uk

Article first published 31.03.08