All about investment

by Jim Barnaby

Overseas investment in France is booming, with British investors to the fore. Figures from the Economist magazine show the French property market as a whole grew by 87 per cent between 1997 and 2005, with the contribution from across the channel in recent years including a 50 per cent rise in the number of UK citizens emigrating permanently and five times as many buying holiday homes in the country, according to PropertyShowrooms.com.

There are many aspects of France which may attract investors. The south of France offers sunshine and beaches on the coast and wineries inland. The Alpine areas offer winter sports. Normandy offers easy access to Britain. The last of these factors could also be applied to Paris, on top of the wide array of attractions in a glamorous city forever associated with romance and style. Property website Homes Worldwide reported this week that the newest Eurostar trains, to be launched on November the 14th, will shorten journey times between London and Paris by 20 minutes, making the city even more accessible and perhaps even more attractive to investors as a result.

But where should investors go in Paris? Paul Collins, overseas editor of property magazine BuyAssociation, lists two notable investment opportunities.

The first, he states, is the suburban area. Paris is of course known by demographers to be the most densely populated city in the western world, with over two million crammed into the city proper, but the suburbs surrounding the city take the population of the urban area well past the nine million mark. It is in these suburbs, stated Mr Collins, that many of the opportunities are in a city which he states is getting more popular for investors.

He said: "There are quite a few developments springing up in Paris suburbs, which can be quite good for buy-to-lets because you can let them out to commuters that are going into Paris - they can get in reasonably easily."

"Out towards Euro Disney there are a few places like that. It's in the Marne-le-Vallee which is becoming particularly popular. You're getting some quite modern developments out there."

Thus the tourist market should be well catered for, not least by a public transport system which is better than London's. For instance, the Paris Metro has 380 stations, compared with 274 in the British capital.

Mr Collins notes that the modern developments in the suburbs also have better amenities than many properties in the historic heart of the city, which are much older. But location is not the only issue. The glamour of the city attracts large numbers of students. For Mr Collins, this is the second big opportunity.

Describing this as a "ready-made market", he stated: "You've also got the advantage that you do tend to get probably a nine-month let on that property and then in the summer you can rent it out for shorter periods to the tourists. So there are advantages there."

The glamour of Paris is never in doubt, with its reputation, is food and culture, architecture and history. Add all that to the right investment in the right places and to the right people and property investors in the city of lights can expect to make good returns on their buy-to-let ventures in the city.

About the Author
Jim Barnaby is a real estate investment broker with experience in spanish properties, french property investment, mortgages, loans, buy to let properties.

source:www.goarticles.com