# Investing in Real Estate in France?



## REInvestor

Hi everyone, 

I'm looking into investing in Real Estate in France, as I would love to stop throwing my salary into my rent, and rather have my own house. 
I have a CDI in France but I'm having the toughest time finding banks who will back me up. Any ideas?


----------



## Crabtree

You do not "invest" in "real estate" in France It never makes money as in some western countries Lending in France is strictly controlled 
You could try one of these by searching "Courtier du pret immobilier


----------



## Befuddled

Countless numbers of people have come to France thinking that property is the same money spinner it is in UK.
Eventually when they sell up they find it can take ages to sell and the valuation is based on a bedroom count and how close it is to work opportunities rather than fancy granite worktops.


----------



## Bevdeforges

Just to clarify - there are those in France who "invest in real estate" - but that generally refers to those who buy a couple apartments or a house or two to rent out. The idea is strictly to generate a regular cash flow as a side line to their salary or pension income and there are a few government tax programs meant to simplify the reporting of expenses and income for tax purposes.


----------



## BackinFrance

If you can't get a mortgage, it would normally be

(a) Because mortgage repayments are restricted to one third of your income

And/or

(b) Because the loan does not comply with the Taux d'usure as defined by the Banque de France (there are huge penalties for lenders who grant mortgages that do not comply).


----------



## LFBEUSTON

Crabtree said:


> You do not "invest" in "real estate" in France It never makes money as in some western countries Lending in France is strictly controlled
> You could try one of these by searching "Courtier du pret immobilier


Oddly enough house prices have exploded , at least here in the S.W. Had someone been looking for an investment, say 18 months ago then property would have been a good bet! Of course no one knew it was going to happen! Covid seems to be the culprit! Generally though property, for investment, isn't the best idea!!!


----------



## eairicbloodaxe

The price explosion in the countryside is also driven in part by the recent availability of fast fibre internet across huge swathes of otherwise rural French territory. Former city dwellers who can now WFH can now do it from a large house with a view, where the weather is "better".

Kind regards


Ian


----------



## Micb1905

I've looked at this but being british the LTV percentages were hard to make it stack. I own multiple investment properties in the UK which are purely that, investments. 

It sounds as though you're looking to get on the property ladder as opposed to an investment per se.

if you're struggling to secure lending from a french bank, another option is a "rent to buy" this is a private contract between you and the seller who will hold a charge over the property and will essentially be like a private mortgage.

This way they can demand a higher price for the property than they would get on the open market, but you wont be paying interest to a bank so there is mutual benefits. i believe there is also some benefit to the seller regarding tax but im not full versed on this side of things.


----------



## anpants

Thanks for your precious insight! I wanted to invest in real estate in France, but now I will think about it twice. Initially, I wanted to buy an apartment in Paris or Bordeaux and rent it out, but it was too expensive.


----------



## anpants

anpants said:


> Thanks for your precious insight! I wanted to invest in real estate in France, but now I will think about it twice. Initially, I wanted to buy an apartment in Paris or Bordeaux and rent it out, but it was too expensive.


Now I am thinking about choosing another country for real estate investments. The Czech Republic is a nice variant because the real estate prices in Prague are lower, but the revenue is still high. I will still discuss it with professionals on social trading platforms <snip>. They also can give important insights because they follow the market closely.


----------

