Since last year, two major trends can be observed according to the Chamber: on the one hand the sales volume is declining and on the other hand the price increase is gradually diminishing. However, real estate prices keep on rising and demand for apartments remains strong.
As it accounts for about 50% of the transactions, the market of “unoccupied old apartments” is the most important single segment. During the first half of the year the notaries registered an increase of 1.6% p.a. and 18 823 sold units in Paris. During the same period only 237 newly built apartments were sold. Each year since 2001, about 7% of the buyers have been foreigners.
It is interesting to analyze the developments in the most popular districts. For many years the 6th arrondissement around “Saint Germain-des- Prés” with its cosmopolitan flair and countless fashion boutiques and cafes has been the most expensive. Surprisingly, this has now changed by a very narrow margin.
