There are signs overseas buyers are getting ready to move forward with their second-home plans in France as the country gradually opens its borders, according to a Knight Frank analysis released Friday.
Demands are increasing outside of Paris—in peripheral areas such as Versailles and Saint-Germain-en-Laye, Neuilly-sur-Seine and Boulogne-Billancourt, according to Knight Frank.
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In Provence, a popular vacation-home destination in southeastern France bordering Italy and the Mediterranean Sea, Knight Frank saw 20% more inquiries in the first four months of 2020 than during the same period of last year.
The department of Var, which includes St. Tropez and Saint-Maxime, has seen an increase in the number of inquiries from Swiss, German and Belgian buyers, many requesting virtual tours and making subsequent offers, according to the report.
France plans to open its borders with Switzerland, Germany, Austria and Belgium on June 15, allowing citizens from those countries to move back and forth.
“For northern Europeans, including U.K. buyers, the fact that France can be reached via road, rail and ferry is being cited as an appealing prospect,” Kate Everett-Allen, head of international residential research at Knight Frank, wrote in the report.
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Currently, only “essential travel” is permitted between the U.K. and France, with travelers having to either self isolate for 14 days or present a health certificate confirming they have tested negative for Covid-19.
Real estate agents in France were allowed to resume business—conducting viewings and transactions—starting May 11.
France has had more than 180,000 confirmed coronavirus cases and 28,218 deaths as of May 22, according to John Hopkins University Coronavirus Resource Center.