French property prices drop two per cent

The cost of buying property in France has only fallen by about two per cent, according to recent figures.

Data released by Century 21, the country's largest network of estate agents, revealed that over the 20,500 transactions in the last six months, there was only an average decline in prices of 2.12 per cent compared to the same period the year before.

While the number of transactions in the second half of 2008 fell by more than one-quarter, during the first six months of 2009, the number of purchases rose by 23 per cent, reports French Property News.

Laurent Vimont, president of Century 21, attributed the renewed activity in the sector to the low interest rates available in the country, claiming they had "breathed new life into the market".

The findings are consistent with the trends identified by the Federation Nationale de l'Immoblilier (FNAIM), which said prices in the country are remaining relatively steady despite the economic downturn.

This could be encouraging news for those considering buying property in France in the near future as their purchases are unlikely to depreciate significantly in value.

According to the FNAIM, there is likely to be a "soft landing" rather than a massive crash in the French property market.

Homes Overseas recently claimed that the resilience of France's residential property market is due to the long-term lending policies in the country.

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Belize Property: Great Holiday Home or Investment

An industry expert has stated that properties in Belize -- like several other Latin American countries -- continued to grow in value rapidly through the beginning of the credit-crunch, and are holding their value now as the credit-crunch continues to become more severe.

Les Calvert, director of overseas property portal Property Abroad said:

"While Belize never really became massive news as an emerging market, its emergence, if largely silent was one of the quickest and most profitable of all overseas property markets. A luxury 2 bedroom apartment in Belize is now almost £200,000 to buy. We are advertising several 1 bedroom houses, none of them under £200,000 -- in fact one of them is over half a million pounds. But I certainly wouldn't advise anyone to wait and see if prices drop; they won't! And before you know it prices will begin rising rapidly again."

The luxury apartments Les referred to are in the Bella Maya Resort apartments. Bella Maya is 6 acres of beautifully landscaped beach and lagoon-front land; a luxury hideaway with over 400 feet of private Caribbean beachfront on the Placentia Peninsula. Belize is home to the world’s second largest barrier reef and a lush tropical rainforest. It also has a rich diversity of wildlife and a large concentration of Mayan ruins, all of which are making Belize increasingly popular with international tourists .

The apartments won the Home Overseas award of best Caribbean apartments in 2007. On top of that there is significant national & local investment in tourism; the international airport has been upgraded to receive flights from Europe & the main Placentia road is being re-built.

All in all Belize is a fantastic place to buy a property, whether you are buying a holiday home or an investment property. Holiday home buyers will love diving from a cliff astride a waterfall into a tropical ocean before snorkelling the reefs. While investors will enjoy the moderate rental yields made possible by Belize's rising tourism, while they wait for prices to begin their rapid growth anew.

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