Have a great and healthy 2022

Like its neighbours, France is dealing with the Omicron variant… it is highly transmissible but apparently nowhere near as aggressive in terms of sickness, but Covid-19 continues to impact the health service and public utilities in the same way as it does in the UK. However, the good news is that there have been no further lockdowns in France, unlike for example in the Netherlands, which entered the new year in full restriction.
We believe that later during January, the ‘pass sanitaire’ will transition to become the ‘pass vaccinal’ or vaccine passport as the Brits know it, limiting entrance to public events/places to those who have had two vaccinations and a booster jab.
Additionally, restrictions continue to exist including a limit of 5,000 people attending outdoor events, and no food consumption on trains or eating standing up at the bar.
Travelling within the European Union with the ‘pass sanitaire’ is still possible, but for those coming from the UK and other countries outside the EU, entry is increasingly difficult.
It is important therefore that you check the current state of restrictions before you make your journey to France and before you plan an itinerary of visits especially to some of the events that we mention in this edition of the newsletter.
Check out the map on the France4U home page, which shows the current state of entry requirements from countries around the world. (Ed: We update this regularly).
Although it is difficult right now for UK residents to visit the country, the interest in buying a home in France remains high, reflected in elevated sales completions during 2021. It’s a sellers’ market with property presented at reasonable valuations selling fast. In fact, last year represents one of the best years for property sales and pricing. This is particularly evident in rural areas, with people vacating cities and large towns to take advantage of the work from home changes brought about because of the pandemic. Rural property prices have seen an 11% hike, whereas town apartments only rose by 5%.
It is our view that property prices in the countryside will remain buoyant; money is cheap with exchange rates favouring the Brits, and mortgage interest payments remain low. As we have seen over the last few years, it is better to invest in bricks and mortar than it is to put money into a savings account, and this looks likely to continue for some time to come. The only difficulty that we see is product supply. Character homes in a countryside setting or village will sell quickly, and despite the market dynamic, demand outstrips supply, even for those properties that require renovation where there is a further challenge in terms of a shortage in building materials and artisans, some of it down to Covid-19, and some due to the sheer volume of renovation work currently being undertaken, hence the shortage of building materials.
So, our advice to buyers is to register their interest with us as early as possible, so that we can keep an eye open and let them know when properties come on the market that meet their specifications.
To kick off 2022, we also have some good news about our expanding influence in the French property sales market. We are pleased to announce that we are adding new agents and partners to our network. Over the coming months, we will introduce you to new agents in the Voges department, specifically around Vittel and Contrexéville areas, and in Picardie in the Aisne department near the Belgian border. For those who love skiing, we also have new partners in the Alps, and thanks to them we are now able to offer apartments for sale in the key resorts of Chamonix, Val Thorens, Courchevel amongst others.
It’s a great start to the year for France4U and we hope you will share in the excitement by visiting us sometime soon. Until then, we wish you a happy and healthy New Year - one that brings us all further freedom of movement and fewer social restrictions.

Be safe… and be well!