Romain Rouillard 06:00, March 15, 2023

Exclusively for Europe 1, the Se Loger group unveils a new study on first-time buyers and their assessment of the real estate market.

While a large majority of tenants dream of being homeowners, only 22% of them consider that the time is right to take the plunge.

If prices tend to fall everywhere in France in terms of real estate (-0.2% on March 1), the rise in interest rates which led to a 30% drop in loans granted in 2022 can make us think about two times when accessing the property.

A study conducted by Se Loger* and revealed exclusively by Europe 1 also underlines the mistrust of future first-time buyers, many of whom consider that the time is inappropriate to buy. 

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Most of the tenants questioned (67%) however consider that real estate represents a safe bet in terms of financial investment and 90% of them would dream of becoming landlords.

They are also 67% to believe that this would reassure them given the current geopolitical and economic situation.

But when discussing the possibility of a short-term property purchase, enthusiasm suddenly wanes.

Only 22% of tenants surveyed consider it relevant to buy now.

77% of them say they anticipate a further rise in interest rates. 

“Wait-and-see is not necessarily the best option”

A plausible scenario, according to Barbara Castillo-Risco, head of economic studies at Se Loger, which should encourage first-time buyers to decide quickly.

"Wait-and-see is not necessarily the best option for first-time buyers. The reason? In parallel with this drop in prices, interest rates should continue to rise. Real estate prices should know a drastic drop to compensate for this rise in rates, which will not happen in the short term”, she analyzes. 

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Especially since, according to the study conducted by Se Loger, becoming a landlord in ten of the 51 largest cities in France allows you to gain space compared to renting.

A situation observable in Mulhouse, Saint-Étienne, Bourges, Roubaix, Calais and even Tourcoing.

With regard to Mulhouse, the surface gain even reaches 38%.

Thus, for an identical monthly payment, whether it concerns the payment of the rent or the repayment of the loan, becoming an owner allows you to occupy a dwelling of 94m² against 56m² for the rental.

However, the opposite trend also exists, especially in La Rochelle where renting your accommodation allows a gain of 37% in living space compared to buying.

The same goes for Aix-en-Provence (32%), Nantes (31%), Mérignac and Antibes (30%).

A situation which results directly from the consequent increase in purchase prices in France.

Over the last five years, they have increased by 28.7% and the downward cycle that we have recently observed does not make it possible to compensate for this surge.