France's Poitou Charentes was named as the only region in the country to see foreign property investment rise last year, propertywire.com reports.
Many investors have exercised caution in the French property market, with the number of non-residents making a purchase falling by 29 per cent overall in 2012, a newly-published report by international bank BNP Paribas has claimed. This average figure belied large geographical swings, however, with Aquitaine witnessing a 48 per cent drop, whilst that of the Ile de France around Paris was just four per cent.
Poitou Charentes, meanwhile, bucked the trend entirely by posting a four per cent increase. Much of this, it is thought, can be attributed to the region's popularity among the British and Belgian markets.
Overall, British acquisitions in the French market were down by 31 per cent, whilst Belgian and Italian investors saw sales volumes drop by 24 and 46 per cent respectively.
When looking ahead, many overseas property investors claimed that they would be interested in boosting their French portfolio, but said they would not be doing it right away.
This trend may already have been reversed, however, with local estate agents already noting an upswing in enquiries following capital gains tax changes, eubankers.net reports.
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David Howells