February 2025 marked a month of stability for the French real estate market after a dynamic January, which had seen rising prices across much of the country. According to the latest figures from SeLoger and Meilleurs Agents, there were no average price variations noted across France's ten largest cities, excluding Paris, and rural areas. Paris, along with cities within the Top 50, did see slight increases of +0.2% and +0.1%, respectively.
This stability is, surprisingly, good news considering the downward trend observed during the same months last year. For perspective, February 2023 showed price drops across most segments apart from rural areas, so the continued holding of prices this year is viewed positively. Over the first two months of 2025, slight price increases were recorded: +0.4% for Paris, +0.1% for the Top 10 and Top 50 cities, and 0% change for rural regions, indicating healthier market conditions compared to last year.
Focusing on large metropolitan areas reveals a similar narrative of improvement over 2024. February 2025 saw only five major cities report price decreases compared to ten such cities experiencing declines the previous year. Highlights include Rennes and Bordeaux, which saw price reductions of -0.4% and -0.5% respectively, contrasted by positive momentum for cities such as Montpellier and Toulouse, which reported increases of +0.6% and +0.4%. Notably, Lyon's prices have continued their upward trend since September 2024, demonstrating resilience after suffering significant reductions earlier.
Interestingly, Toulouse is shining as the city with the shortest average sale times, currently around 67 days—a decrease of 17 days from the previous year. This rapid turnover suggests heightened buyer interest likely fueled by greater purchasing power and market corrections. Conversely, Paris has maintained longer selling times averaging 76 days, with city averages reflecting 82 days overall. Such dynamics indicate variable conditions across different locales and the temptation for buyers and sellers to act cautiously, especially outside major urban centers.
Notably, the negotiation margin has also seen changes. A significant 77% of real estate transactions in February were completed post-negotiation, but this reflects only minor gains from earlier years, particularly as negotiability declined slightly in Paris, where the power dynamics favor sellers more than before. This shift has resulted from falling interest rates and price corrections since 2020. At the same time, the average price reduction sellers were willing to accept has shrunk, now averaging approximately -4.4% versus -5.2% last January.
The situation looks more complex for Nantes, where prices have continued to decline with a notable drop of 0.7% this February alone—while it remains unique among major metros across France, highlighting concern about its future outlook. Alexander Giraud, local real estate agent, notes, "Nantes is the only big city continuing to suffer from price drops," expressing the sentiment many locals feel about the current market difficulties. Contrastingly, across France, many larger cities exhibited higher buyer interest with minor price rebounds noted.
Overall, real estate indications are leaning toward optimization with renewed activity as buyers adjust to market conditions. January statistics hinted toward recovery, bringing with it optimism for 2025. Charles Marinakis from Century 21 expressed confidence, stating, "the drop of real estate prices will be finished by 2025 with potential increases of approximately 2-3% expected over the entire country." This indicates favorable conditions for sellers and newfound enthusiasm among buyers willing to navigate this upwardly mobile market.
Looking back at the shifts from January to February reveals patterns of stabilization not previously anticipated. This shift reaffirms previous assertions about the market's recovery indicating perhaps the worst is over after significant downturns observed until recently, especially with more than half of the top 50 cities reporting rising prices last month. Collectively, these indications suggest brighter days lie ahead for the French real estate market as long-standing issuances around buyer capacity and rate of negotiation continue to evolve.