As the saying goes, “after the rain, comes the sunshine.” And it seems that after a few years of scarcity and plenty of tears shed, the time has come for smiles and expressions of optimism.
The industry professionals gathered within the Real Estate Observatory of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry all share the same sentiment: while 2014 was not a good year, the last quarter is encouraging, the present is already better, and there is confidence in the future.
If we consider that morale carries significant weight in success, we can at least say that the prevailing pessimism is no longer appropriate.
For Jean-Marie Ebel, who shows great confidence in the real estate operations in the Plaine du Var, which according to his forecasts, will have a leveraging effect for the entire area, “the housing issue is undoubtedly one of the major reasons for the reduced activity in our department, far less dynamic than in the past. It is high time that awareness transforms into concrete decisions and actions.”
But what if we let the numbers speak?
In 2011 (source INSEE), 736,451 constructions made up the real estate stock, of which 61,880 (equivalent to 8%) were vacant!
Regarding new real estate sales, the 2,422 transactions represent a low point compared to the situation over the last decade, and in any case, a decrease of 19% compared to the previous year.
Looking at the other aspect, the price, it must be noted that prices are holding steady despite a still fragile market: €5,394 per square meter with a slight increase of 1% over 2013.
As for resales, the volume holds steady (9,344 transactions, -7% 2014/2013) while the average prices remain stable (€3,963 per square meter).
