Especially in Paris this summer, due to the sudden temperature spike, apartments built in the second half of the 19th century in Paris according to the plan of Baron Georges-Eugène Haussmann became real “ovens” with their elegant, symmetrical, and uniform architecture and tin roofs.
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“The heat on the top floor of a Haussmann-style building can become truly unbearable,” said Joseph Denke, an agent at the Paris real estate agency “FredeLion”.
He noted that buyers’ priorities have changed in recent months. They have become more cautious when choosing housing, especially if the apartment windows face south.
A study conducted by “Pouget Consultants” and IGNES showed that every second home in France is essentially a heat trap. Of 1750 users surveyed in June on the “Leboncoin” classifieds platform, eight out of ten said they felt discomfort during extreme heat, and a third indicated they would consider moving if heat waves became more intense.
Experts warned that due to climate change, there may be more heat waves. The French national meteorological agency stated on Monday, as the country prepared for the fifth heat wave of the season, that “in the future, summers will generally be hotter than before.”
Sophie Bourg, marketing director at “Leboncoin,” says that heat waves are now definitely considered a structural factor when choosing housing in France.
“Coolness and comfort in summer have become a separate real estate criterion,” she said.
Shutters and trees
The direction of apartment windows, floor level, pools, air conditioning, shutters, the possibility of creating a cross breeze, outdoor space, covered terraces, and even the presence of trees in the neighborhood – these are now questions increasingly raised by buyers or tenants.
“Buyers no longer just look at the property itself but also at whether it is comfortable to live in,” said Yann Jehanno, president of the real estate agency network “Laforet.” “They ask real estate agents very practical questions about the temperature during the last heat wave, whether it is possible to ventilate the house at night, and whether one can sleep well in the bedrooms.”
This concern is already affecting the attractiveness of certain real estate properties.
Christian Tokoto, a real estate agent at “Guy Hoquet Paris 5 Maubert,” is trying to sell a “wonderful apartment with large windows” in the luxurious fifth arrondissement of Paris.
“Despite many viewings, clients tell us it is too hot because the windows are not on both sides. So for now, it is still for sale,” he said.
According to the agent, air conditioning, long scorned in France, “is no longer a taboo at all,” said Y. Jehanno.
If it is already installed, it is a “huge advantage for many buyers,” especially in apartment buildings where getting permission to install air conditioning can be difficult, said Laetitia Caron, CEO of the real estate media company PAP.
So far, no mass exodus
It is difficult to assess the impact of the recent heat wave on people’s decisions about where to live. “So far, we do not see a mass exodus,” said S. Bourg.
However, while previously people chose a place primarily for its attractiveness and offered opportunities, now they make decisions also based on climate comfort. According to her, this is a completely new phenomenon.
Y. Jehanno believes these trends reflect a long-term change in attitude.
“Climate change is clearly affecting the real estate market,” he said.
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