by FSBO 
There was a comprehensive study done recently on homeownership in Europe, the results of which are quite revealing. France is the best country for homeownership in Europe. You might find this interesting if you want to buy or sell a property in France online.
There was a total of 8 European countries covered in the study, the UK, Germany, France, Spain, Portugal, Netherlands, Poland and Italy. They make up 75 percent of Europe’s population.
The study found that 64 percent of the households in both France and the UK were homeowners. In Spain, the number was 79 percent, in Italy, 73 percent, and in Germany, just 54 percent. Poland had the highest homeownership at 84 percent.
What was interesting was that in France, people spent a much smaller percentage of their income on purchasing a home. A French citizen spent 18.3 percent of their income on their homes, while in the UK, the number was much higher, at 25.1 percent.
Italians spent just 17.1 percent, while in the Netherlands, homes are much more expensive, with an average citizen required to spend 29.4 of their income on housing.
Home prices in France have registered only a moderate increase from 2006 to 2015, having risen by just 2 percent. Compare this to the UK, where home prices have risen by 30 percent from 2006 to 2015, and Germany, where home prices have risen by 21 percent in the same period. This is staggering. But it is estimated property prices in 2023 will rise by up to 4% in France.
But to be fair, in Italy, Spain and the Netherlands, home prices have actually declined in this period.
Homes in France are usually more spacious than those in other European countries. No, you cannot expect an average apartment in Paris to be huge, as Paris is one of the most expensive cities in the world – but in the rest of France, an average home has about 2.3 people inside and a living space of 102 sq. metres.
In the UK, and the average home has 76 sq. metres and 2.3 people. In Poland, 2.7 people and 85 sq. metres. The biggest homes are in Netherlands, with a living space of 119 sq. metres.
French nationals generally took less time to pay off their mortgages than people in other European countries. An average French national took 19 years to pay off a home mortgage. In Spain, it takes 23 years, in Germany, 25 years and in the Netherlands, 30 years.
The interest rates for mortgages in Spain stood at 2.1 percent. Compare this to 2.6 percent in the UK, 2 percent in Germany and 3.4 percent in Poland.
In France, the average outstanding mortgage was €47,096. This compared well to the European average of €41,099. In the UK, homeowners have an average mortgage of €82,525 to be paid. In Poland, the average mortgage to be paid is the least, €7,567.
Also, home construction costs have shot up all over Europe, but not so much in France. In France, construction costs have risen by 18 percent over the last 10 years, compared to 27 percent in the rest of Europe. In Britain, home construction costs have risen by a staggering 41 percent in this period.
All of these stats show that France is the perfect place for homeownership in Europe, and the ideal overseas property destination. Are you still looking for a reason to buy a home in France?
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