FNAIM, the French national association of estate agents, recently reported that within the French property market, apartment prices increased by 1.8% and house prices by 1.3% in 2010 overall.

The increase last year comes after two successive years when, on average, property prices fell (down by -3.1% in 2008 and down by -4.9% in 2009).

Within France, the regions with the strongest price increases were the Ile de France, Nord Pas de Calais, and Provence-Alpes-Cotes-d’Azur, and property prices increased by between 3% and 9% in these three regions.

By contrast, in Languedoc-Roussillon, Limousin, Basse Normandie and Lorraine, prices continued to fall by between -3% and -7%.

However, the authenticity of some of the data produced by FNAIM is reported to be under review by the French government which is keen to bring a greater degree of transparency to the French property market and over the next few months the French notaires will also be presenting their review of the market for 2010, which may give a clearer picture as to price movements.

According to FNAIM, a clear sign of recovery in the French property market last year was the large increase in transactions. In 2009, the number of transactions fell to its lowest level since 1997, with a total number of sales of around 580,000, however, in 2010 total sales are expected to have reached 700,000.