Heatwaves changing where people want to buy property in France, say estate agencies

French estate agencies have said that the long-term impact of heatwaves is changing where people are choosing to buy property.   

The Connexion spoke to two French estate agency networks to ask them to what extent heatwaves are now being factored in by buyers in France, in terms of choice of regions or types of properties.

Joanna Leggett, marketing director at Leggett Immobilier, said while this factor has yet to have a “huge impact” it is increasing in importance each year.

She has heard some clients say “we were going to go to the south of France, but we're thinking of cooler temperatures now”.

The trend is, however, most obvious as soon as temperatures peak in a heatwave – people stop looking in the hottest areas but then a year later they are back again.

Buyers drawn to the Grande Ouest

She said Leggett Immobilier first highlighted the issue in 2022 when a research report by students at Sciences Po named Brittany as a destination likely to see an influx of ‘climate migrants’.

Since then, Europe has seen two significant heatwaves and buyers mention this frequently as a factor in moving to the Grande Ouest.

She said they enjoy the area’s temperate climate, spectacular coastline and value for money. It is popular both with those looking for a permanent move, and those only seeking a holiday home.

Brittany in particular, is “extremely popular” for its coastline – and she said even in the central countryside you are never too far from beaches both to the north and south. Indeed, the region topped a recent survey of the most desirable places to retire to in France. 

Normandy meanwhile has beautiful national parks and ‘traditional’ countryside.

Normandy also appeals to those interested in horse riding, as it has an ideal climate for the horses and an ecosystem of trails and cool forests, vets, suppliers, riding centres etc.

She said some retirees who had moved to the south are also now thinking of going to the Brittany coast or coastal Charente-Maritime, as temperatures are cooler at the coast.

“That said, the fact we’ve had wildfires in western France – is that going to change the trends again? The weather conditions are just so unpredictable,” Ms Leggett said.

Asked if it is better for those who want to live in the south to choose the Riviera rather than inland Provence, due to cooling sea breezes, she said: “I would say coastal areas are generally better, but more expensive, than inland. However, in Provence the Mistral wind helps cool the area down, but at the same time it spreads fires, so there are all kinds of issues now.”

France compared to southern neighbours

At the same time, she said, rising temperatures are sometimes improving France’s attractiveness compared to neighbouring countries.

“We did the France Show in Birmingham and had 1,500 clients who came to that, all for France. A lot of them said they had been determined to go to Spain, but now they can't, because of the heat.

“We've also had some Italians looking for holiday homes in France, and other clients that were going to go to Italy, but instead are coming to France.”

In terms of the properties themselves, DPE energy efficiency certificates are now one of the most important aspects for buyers, she said.

“If it's a G or an F and it's badly insulated, sometimes buyers won't even look at it. The English don't seem to mind so much, but the French definitely do. So, if you are selling a property and the rating is really low, the best thing to do would be to try to get the rating up.”

Good insulation will help to keep the property cool in summer as well as warm in winter, she said. Roof insulation in particular, “makes a massive difference”.

“If you’re here on holiday, you might not care if it's 40 degrees, but when you live and work here it’s really hard if it’s too hot.”

Growing demand for air conditioning

She added: “It's well documented that the last few years have seen a huge influx of buyers from the USA and the fact that so few French properties have air-conditioning is bewildering to them – they put it on their criteria lists: ‘must have air con’.” 

Eric Allouche, CEO of the ERA Immobilier France network, said: “This factor is starting to sink in, but hasn’t really taken hold yet because it’s quite a recent phenomenon. And France does have a tradition, after all, where air conditioning isn’t really the norm.

“But this is slowly gaining ground. And I do think that, even today, having air conditioning is a bonus.

“However, houses built in France with fairly thick walls have what’s known as a lot of thermal inertia. It takes a while to cool down and it takes a while to warm up. And so, that helps keep a house cool.

He went on: “The difficulty lies in big cities such as Paris, for example, where you have a lot of building restrictions – meaning you can’t install visible air-conditioning units on the outside. There are restrictions regarding listed buildings and so on.

“There are lots of Haussmann-style buildings in Paris with façades that can’t be altered.”

Modern homes built to withstand heat

While old stone buildings with thick walls are well-suited to cope with this factor, he said some modern buildings with high DPE ratings are also built with this in mind, especially those built to be rated A or B.

“Nowadays, there are even houses known as bioclimatic homes that are actually adapted to climates that swing one way or the other, which are a bit extreme – either too hot or too cold.”

He said generally speaking, with both houses and flats, if a property is well-insulated to retain heat in winter it will also retain coolness in summer. “Except when there are large windows that let in quite a lot of heat – though you can now get ‘athermic panes’ that reflect a lot of the heat.”

Mr Allouche said the confort d’été element that is shown on DPE checks with a smiley is likely to be something that would-be buyers will be looking more closely at.

“It’s likely to become more commonplace, as it’s a rating that can add value to a building today, given the circumstances we’re currently facing.”