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As the south-west market town of St Antonin Noble Val celebrates Easter, new life seems to be hatching in the French property market

For the seventh Easter running, the F�te du n’Oeuf took over the 13th-century market town of St Antonin Noble Val.

In the centrepiece of the celebration, massive eggs made out of plaster of Paris are hand-painted or individually fashioned by 100 local people. They are displayed for three days and visitors are invited to vote for their favourites. Prizes are then awarded and the eggs are auctioned.

Charles Smallwood, of estate agency Agence l’Union, says: “This year the public voted best choice to one of our purchasing clients who, only in March, completed and moved into a riverside property in St Antonin.”

Charles goes on to say that, after a slow 18 months, there are definite signs of recovery in the property market of south-west France. They have sold several properties recently. “Fortunately the signs of an uplift in the market continues,” says Charles, “as the Easter and apr�s Easter periods are bringing more and more serious buyers with higher budgets in the €350,000 – €500,000 region.”

www.agencelunion.com