Joie de vivre

New reports reveal that the quality of life is better in France and that residents and expats living in France are happier than those living in the UK. Property agents exhibiting at The France Show at Olympia on 25-27th January 2019, explain why residents love the country so much and why UK enquiries for French properties are booming.

The quality of family life in France is one of the reasons why expats rate the country so highly, according to the HSBC Expat Explorer study which surveyed 22,318 expats. This year France ranked 11th place as opposed to the UK in 22nd place for overall family life, quality of childcare and lifestyle and its schools.

Expats are also feeling more welcome than ever in France, according to a new study by InterNations. The survey ranks France as one of the best destinations for expats in 2018, with 24% of expats in France saying their social circle consists mainly of locals, while another 50% say their social circles are a mix of expats and locals.

With an impending Brexit, French agents have commented on the recent rush of Brits to secure a French property before the country leaves the EU. Visitors to the website FrancePropertyShop.com looking for French property this year has almost doubled over the same period in 2016.

'We have around 13,000 enquiries a month coming in to our sales support team', explains Trevor Leggett, Chairman of Leggett Immobilier, who are exhibiting at the show. 'There was a three month blip immediately after Brexit was announced when the phone stopped ringing but demand has returned and 2018 is another record year for us. All of our research shows that the driving factors for UK buyers are climate and lifestyle, neither of which can be messed up by the politicians!'

Julie Savill, spokesperson from the exhibitor Beaux Villages Immobilier, an estate agency which specialises in southern France, also observed an increase in demand, which she attributes to the better quality of life.

'There are many things in France that make life so enjoyable. Firstly, we enjoy a lot more space thanks to the lower population density. People here also care about food -there's a real satisfaction to be had from eating in a decent local restaurant, and life steps into line with the seasons: you eat strawberries when the smell hits you before you even see the stall at the market, not when they are watery and tasteless straight from the chilled lorry!'

Exhibition Director Debbie Macleod explains: “For those looking to make the move to France themselves, The France Show provides an opportunity to learn more about the country, the process of moving there, and finding a property. Visitors can view a wide range of property on sale, listen to people who have gone through the process themselves, and get tips from experts.”