There were clear signs from the A Place in the Sun property exhibition last month of the continuing thaw in the French property market.

Our one-stop shop property exhibition in London showed that demand for property in France is picking up, reflecting the statistics we have observed on our web-site since the last quarter of 2013.

It was a show that attracted our highest ever number of exhibitors, with estate agents from across France, and experts offering advice and information on tax, health, property purchase, currency management, running a business, building construction and property rentals.

The French Village area was busy by 11am on the first day of opening and the footfall continued to be strong throughout the weekend.

There was also strong attendance at most of the seminars, with standing room only for many seminars.

"After bumping along near the bottom for a couple of years, the signs were clearly present the French market is finding its feet again", said Pat Monk, Managing Director of French-Property.com. "There was a real buzz and sense of optimism amongst visitors and exhibitors", she stated.

Joanna Leggett of Leggett Immobilier concurred. "Over the past few years people in the industry have been reticent about saying how busy they were because they knew others who were not. But everybody seems comfortable now with admitting that things are looking better", she said.

Many exhibitors agreed that much of the renewed confidence was due to the improvement in the UK economy and the increased strength of Sterling against the Euro.

Nevertheless, despite the optimism, most buyers remained cautious about the prospective level of their investment, with the vast majority expressing interest in property towards the lower end of the market, under €250,000.

The appetite for second homes was also less strong than for permanent relocation, perhaps reflecting the toughening in capital gains tax in France in recent years.

Most interest was also for property south of the Loire, but with many visitors still trying to make their mind up precisely where they would like to buy.

Demand for ski destinations, a previously strong market for British buyers, remained weak, in part due to the continuing strength of property prices in the Alps

"The buzzword at the exhibition was 'encouraging' – encouraging numbers and encouraging signs from potential buyers", said Joanna Leggett.

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