If you're buying mainly as an investment...

• Products must be well placed and of excellent quality. Fine renovated 1960's apartments are a good bet.

• It's also often a good idea to invest in a detached house or a village house, especially if it has a patio or internal courtyard. These products are highly sought-after in large cities.

• Renting a large apartment provides a proportionally lower income than a studio or two-room apartment, but tenants stay for longer.

• Take into account the social structure of the commune where you are buying a property (demand varies depending on things like whether it is a university town, for example), and find out how common renting is there.

A second home: listen to your heart as well as your head when assessing a "fair price"

In the case of a second home, you can afford to listen to your heart more than when buying your main residence. However, do not buy at any price because the property is less likely to have appreciated in value than other types of dwellings when you come to sell it.

• Your first priority should be location; choose a second home which is near facilities for the sports and leisure activities you enjoy, and bear in mind how you are planning to use it. Depending on how much time you are planning on spending there, you might be prepared to accept a less comfortable - and therefore a cheaper - second home.

• Try to choose a dwelling that you can easily rent out for weekends or for the summer, should money become tight one day...

Old houses: a few tips on checking for major problems

• Ask to see the loft so that you can check the roof frame. If the beams are damp, they may have a fungal infection or termite infestation. Also, check to see how hard the wood is using a punch: it should not go in more than a few millimetres.

• If possible, do this on a rainy day so that you can check that the roof doesn't leak: roof repairs can be very expensive.

• Also go and have a look in the cellar to check for signs of dampness penetrating (and any necessary drainage work).

• Beware of ceilings with large cracks, especially if the ceiling each side is at different levels: this probably means that joists or laths need replacing.

• Walls should not show any trace of dampness and should not have a loose surface. If they do, this means that water has penetrated. Another bad sign is the presence of vertical and transverse cracks on external walls.

• Check the state of the electrics (plugs, switches, meters).

• Check the state of the central heating boiler. Find out when it was installed and ask if has been the subject of a maintenance contract with a heating specialist.

For more information...

Quality of the construction, legal status of the property, market survey… to find out exactly what is included in a property appraisal or get the address of an expert near to you, contact the Chambre des experts immobiliers de France, an association of more than 600 professionals, 129 rue du Faubourg Saint-Honoré, F-75008 Paris. Phone: 01 53 76 03 52.. Property assessor fees are unregulated (generally between F300 and F500 an hour). Outside Paris, allow around F3,000 for an appraisal of a small dwelling or 80 m2. To have a technical appraisal carried out, you can also contact the ADIA (Association pour le diagnostic immobilier par l'architecte) on 02 47 42 19 92..