COVID-19 hit France slightly ahead of the United States and, while the dynamics of the two countries are vastly different, the former actually has a targeted date to re-open: May 11. The date has got real estate activity picking back up, according to Laurent Demeure, founder and CEO of Coldwell Banker France and Monaco.

Laurent Demeure | Photo credit: Coldwell Banker France and Monaco

France and much of Europe has been on total lockdown for the past month due to the spread of COVID-19 and real estate activity has completely ceased to exist. Buyers and sellers could not go outside for any reason and France has an old-fashioned real estate market that relies heavily on in-person interactions.

For the first weeks, we didn’t have any closings,” Demeure said. “It was very tough for agents, it was impossible to make any closings.”

About three weeks into the lockdown, the country’s government passed legislation to allow digital closings, but that didn’t help activity much, according to Demeure, because people can’t go outside for any non-professional reasons. 

“At the moment, we don’t have a market because we are not able to organize viewings and property showings,” Demeure said. “There are very very few deals on the market.”

Now, with the May 11 date on the horizon, things are turning around and that pent-up demand is turning into action.

“In the beginning of the lockdown, the number of leads and website consultations dropped dramatically,”  Demeure said. “But this week, because we know the lockdown will end May 11, the number of leads and website consultations increased and is quite near regular times, minus 3 to 5 percent.”

“Now people know they will go out in May and restart the process and look at real estate portals.”

“People are happy because they can talk about themselves,” Demeure said. “They are happy that someone called them.”

“Now we know the information before all of the competition if we do that.”

Email Patrick Kearns

Coldwell Banker
Show Comments Hide Comments
Sign up for Inman’s Morning Headlines
What you need to know to start your day with all the latest industry developments
By submitting your email address, you agree to receive marketing emails from Inman.
Success!
Thank you for subscribing to Morning Headlines.
Back to top
Only 3 days left to register for Inman Connect Las Vegas before prices go up! Don't miss the premier event for real estate pros.Register Now ×
Limited Time Offer: Get 1 year of Inman Select for $199SUBSCRIBE×
Log in
If you created your account with Google or Facebook
Don't have an account?
Forgot your password?
No Problem

Simply enter the email address you used to create your account and click "Reset Password". You will receive additional instructions via email.

Forgot your username? If so please contact customer support at (510) 658-9252

Password Reset Confirmation

Password Reset Instructions have been sent to

Subscribe to The Weekender
Get the week's leading headlines delivered straight to your inbox.
Top headlines from around the real estate industry. Breaking news as it happens.
15 stories covering tech, special reports, video and opinion.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
Unique features from hacker profiles to portal watch and video interviews.
It looks like you’re already a Select Member!
To subscribe to exclusive newsletters, visit your email preferences in the account settings.
Up-to-the-minute news and interviews in your inbox, ticket discounts for Inman events and more
1-Step CheckoutPay with a credit card
By continuing, you agree to Inman’s Terms of Use and Privacy Policy.

You will be charged . Your subscription will automatically renew for on . For more details on our payment terms and how to cancel, click here.

Interested in a group subscription?
Finish setting up your subscription
×