Barnes, founded in London in 1992 to provide houses for French exiles, has been growing in the last five years to accomodate our many customers. US cities are attractive to French buyers, particularly Miami, a still booming economic hub in a safe and pleasant environment, just an eight-hour direct flight away from Paris. Buying in Miami is a good mid-term investment: real estate prices, which quadrupled between 1985 and 2005, have since gone down 10, 30 and sometimes 50%. Luxury flats sell for €4,000/sq m, regular ones for as low as €1,500/sq m. The only downside are the inflated service charges ($1,200 monthly for a 100-sq m flat) and property tax. We will also open offices in New York next year.

Thibault de Saint-Vincent - Barnes International Property Consultant, 22, rue de l’Hôtelde- Ville, 92200 Neuilly-sur-Seine. Tél. : 01 55 61 92 82. http://www.barnes-miami.com