There may be more high-paying jobs in Asia and better property prospects in Oz – but Spain and France remain as alluring to the British expat as ever. A new poll by investment experts the deVere Group places Spain and France in the top five sought-after destinations for UK citizens seeking a new life abroad, alongside Thailand, the US and Australia.
Since the 1970s, there has been a British exodus to Spanish and French shores and this sees no sign of stopping any time soon. It’s not just sunshine they are after, either – it’s quality of life and investment opportunities. The pounds strong position against the euro makes everything better value, from property to a loaf of bread (or a baguette, I suppose…).
DeVere advise more than 80,000 expats worldwide on their investment options. DeVere Group founder and chief executive, Nigel Green, said: “Financial factors are the main motivators. The combination of the UK’s burgeoning pensions crisis, the looming care crisis, the UK’s cost of living, high taxes, low interest rates, and the scrapping of some age-related benefits are, say our respondents, the main ‘push factors.’
“Other reasons included standard of care for the elderly, quality of life, crime concerns and the weather. It seems that Britain’s baby-boomers judge that they might need to move overseas to maintain a comparable lifestyle throughout their retirement.”
Reduced property prices in the past two years are also tempting for Brits who have a home to sell at home – and equity to spare. I must say Spain currently edges it for me, thanks to a great choice of new builds.
“There are numerous reasons why Spain still ranks top of the list for property buyers,” said Marc Pritchard, Sales and Marketing Manager at Taylor Wimpey España, who have a number of new builds for sale.
“For Brits the easy to reach, reliable good weather plays a big part, swapping grey clouds for blue skies and the strength of the pound against the euro – means that visitors can get more for their money
which has no doubt aided the increase in people snapping up attractive deals.”