For the first time in 2019, the number of annual real estate transactions in France has exceeded the symbolic mark of one million. This is an increase of 10.4% compared to 2018, according to the Notaries of France. An increase that does not echo the jump made by real estate prices over the same period: apartments are bought on average 4% more expensive than a year ago. One of the reasons that could explain this discrepancy is that for many French people, real estate is a way to ensure retirement.
Another "grandfather's clause"
This is in fact the principle of funded retirement: everyone sets aside, capitalizes for his old age. Of course, given the price of stone, not everyone can afford it. In Lyon, prices rose by 10%, in Paris by 6%. In the capital, another symbolic threshold has been crossed in 2019: the vertiginous, 10,000 euros per square meter on average.
In real estate, we face another "clause of the grandfather" - the one demanded by railway workers for the pension reform - implying that only newcomers are affected by future changes. In short, you had to buy before, when it was cheaper. The new generation is finding it increasingly difficult to become a homeowner in the big cities. Or, she puts herself at risk financially, with a disproportionate effort rate.
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A quarter of new buyers spend more than 35% of their income on repaying their loan. This is called being "clipped" financially. And there are those who can not buy at all. In France, 42% of the inhabitants are tenants. A situation most often suffered. Faced with worry about the future of our pensions, everyone tinkers with his, those who can by investing in real estate. Of course, this generates inequalities with those who bought at the right time, in the right place, and the others, who pay rents always more expensive.