Real estate: before buying as a couple, the majority of French people prefer to wait two years

Romain Rouillard (with Christophe Bordet) 3:44 p.m., February 09, 2023

A few days before Valentine's Day, the polling company Yougov and Meilleurs Agents, the leader in property valuation, have delivered the results of a study carried out among 60% of French people living as a couple in order to find out more about their joint real estate projects.

If nearly 7 out of 10 French people say they are ready to live with their spouse less than two years after the start of their relationship, most of them prefer to temporize before taking the step of buying.

According to the results of the survey, 55% of our fellow citizens believe that it is necessary to wait at least two years before acquiring a property with their other half.

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For 63% of French people, this approach is in the top 3 of the most engaging events for a couple alongside marriage and the first child.

In two-thirds of French cities, a real estate purchase is accompanied by a gain in space compared to that offered by the rental of two properties for an identical monthly budget.

A reality that is also true for couples who would consider investing in stone, since the purchase allows them to benefit from a larger surface area in 33 of the 51 largest French cities. 

A variable amortization period depending on the city

Economist at Meilleurs Agents, Alexandra Verlhac validates this observation but nevertheless exposes a limit: "In certain cities like Paris or Lyon where real estate prices remain much higher than rents, the transition to purchase does not allow you to gain in area, even in a context of falling real estate prices".

The study illustrates this reality by taking the example of Paris where the transformation of two rents into monthly loan payments would generate a loss of 19m². 

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Moreover, the amortization of a purchase project naturally requires more time in large cities.

Thus, this period is on average 13 years and 1 month in Paris against only 6 years and 6 months in Lille.

"These differences in the amortization period can be explained by the variation in the amount of the charges but also and above all because we do not find the same rent/price ratio from one metropolis to another. Indeed, in a city like Lille where the real estate prices are low compared to the rents, the expenses related to the purchase will be amortized more quickly than in a city where the rents are low compared to the price (La Rochelle)", explains Alexandra Verlhac.

And to also underline the non-negligible role played by inflation and the rise in interest rates in the overall lengthening of the amortization period.

Despite everything, the study underlines that a third of French people see in the purchase of a property the opportunity to reduce their expenses related to housing, while 4 out of 10 French people mention the desire to build up a heritage.