A tale of two cities

"It was the best of times, it was the worst of times, it was the age of wisdom, it was the age of foolishness, it was the epoch of belief, it was the epoch of incredulity, it was the season of Light, it was the season of Darkness, it was the spring of hope, it was the winter of despair...."

Here in London it has certainly been the epoch of incredulity and the age of foolishness, but what about Paris?

House prices in the French capital are up about 100 percent since 1992. It is an impressive gain, but pales into insignificance when compared to the fuel injected housing bubble in London.

Like London, Paris went through a post-financial crisis housing correction, but the price falls were mild compared to those in London. Over the last year or so, prices in Paris have recovered and have surpassed the pre-crisis peak. In the 12 months up to September 2010, Parisien house prices have increased by 11.5 percent. What is French for housing bubble? La bulle immobilière, je crois.

London prices have also recovered, but more recently the capital's property market has started to falter.

Just in case I have any french readers, here is my pathetic attempt at a francophone post....

A Londres, il a été l'époque de l'incrédulité et l'âge de la folie, mais ce qui s'est passé à Paris?

Depuis 1992, le prix de l'immobilier dans la capitale française sont en hausse d'environ 100 pour cent depuis 1992. L'augmentation a été impressionnante, mais semblent misérable en comparaison à Londres.

Comme à Londres, Paris a connu une correction après la crise financière, mais les chutes de prix étaient faibles par rapport à ceux de Londres. L'année dernière, les prix à Paris ont récupéré et ont dépassé le sommet d'avant la crise. En Septembre 2010, le prix de l'immobilier de Paris ont augmenté de 11,5 pour cent par an. Quel est le mot anglais pour bulle immobilière? Housing bubble.

Les prix de Londres ont aussi récupéré, mais, plus récemment, le marché immobilier a commencé à tomber.