Marrakech is Morocco’s premier destination and has built a reputation as an travel destination offering visitors an exotic blend of history, culture and an overseas experience in one of the worlds most colourful and striking locations.

Popular with the French for years who have been buying up dilapidated Riads in the city and transforming them into luxury vacation homes, Marrakech property is now firmly on the overseas investment map offering strong emerging real estate market opportunities and its has been attracting high profile celebrity guests as far back as 2003 when the likes of Kate Moss and P Diddy Continue reading ‘Luxury off plan Samanah Country Club in Marrakech in Morocco’

Following on from yesterday’s Paris property market blog post, today we look at which Parisian arrondissements are up for regeneration with future property profit potential. Each of the zones within this snail shell layout benefit from their own character and cultural offerings and much like London are mini cities in their own right.

The 18th arrondissement is one such zone with planned regeneration in the pipeline but buyers beware! Whilst the 18th does have one of the lowest prices per m² (4671€/m² in stark contrast with the most expensive, 6th arrondissement almost double at an average of 8088€/m²), the area is still home to certain neglected neighbourhoods known as dangerous and downright dodgy. However, this should change in time given the City’s plans for renovation of the Porte de la Chapelle-Porte de la Villette area. Development of the tramway and a new RER (main line) train station will render this area accessible and popular.

The 19th is the cheapest in Paris with an average price of 4252 €/m2 and although is said to be “quartier populaire” (roughly translated as “lower-income multicultural urban area”), it is also an area that experienced a 20.6% increase Continue reading ‘A Paris property investment where and what to buy’

The other day I was chatting to an acquaintance who has travelled to some 70-odd countries in the world. For him, Paris is the second most beautiful city in the world, after Cartagena in Colombia. Now, take that into account along with the statistic that France is the top tourist destination in the world and Paris is in the top five city destinations. Visitors come to experience the style, haute couture, romance and culture so it’s hardly surprising that the French & Parisian property markets have experienced a huge growth in recent years – over 70% since the last “trough” of 1997.

Yet according to the conclusions of a June 2005 report by the French Economic Situation Observatory, this growth is not related to a “speculative phenomenon” and thus not a classic property bubble as seen in the early nineties and currently in many world markets.  Whilst prices have certainly been buoyed by foreign buyers, the property market has essentially been driven by private households.  For the Observatory this means that these households, willing to indebt themselves to acquire a property, will have committed to monthly payments and fixed interest rates. A shift in prices and a rise in ECB bank rates (as is beginning to happen) will not compromise their solvability as lead to a sales rush with buyers taking a long-term approach. As these buyers did not buy to realise a short-term capital gain, they will not sell, even if the market drops.  According to a Banque de France report, for buyer interest to decline to the same extent as 1991, there would have to be an increase of mortgage rates by 300 base points and an 30% increase in house prices. So apparently no big bust and yet the forums are buzzing with theories from those predicting one and those who forecast a gentle landing.

Even so, banks, which are the most at risk, are starting to protect themselves more and more.  Increasingly we are seeing the scenario of a property being put back on the market again as a result of lack of bank mortgage approval for the hopeful buyers. The time-to-sale is taking longer and some apartment prices have even been lowered – sellers can no longer overvalue Continue reading ‘The future of immobilier in the Paris property market’