One in Four People Influenced by Films When Buying Property Overseas

Choosing where to buy a home overseas is a big decision, but according to new research one in four people (25%) are influenced by television and films.

When it comes to buying abroad, it’s sensible to think through the decision carefully, weighing up all the different options and working out what’s best from you. But the latest research from Foreign Currency Direct, a provider of currency for foreign property purchases, has suggested that some buyers aren’t doing that and may be following their heart, rather than their head. The FDC research has revealed that Britons are in fact following the dream depicted by their favourite scenes from films and television series.

It may sound unlikely, but the researchers identified the 10 most popular films that have inspired foreign property buys. The film that’s had the biggest influence in recent years is Tolkien’s famous Lord of the Rings trilogy, which influenced the most people to head to New Zealand to buy property. Especially so, it seems, for those living in the West Country, as they accounted for 12% of British buyers in the New Zealand.

More than one in 10 people over the age of 45 admitted to falling in love with the sunny South of France and buying a house there after watching the TV series, Life in Provence, based on the book A Year in Provence. Other films and programmes that have inspired property moves are Australian soaps Neighbours and Home and Away, the Leonardo DiCaprio film, The Beach, which was filmed in beautiful Thailand, Captain Corelli’s Mandolin, which was set in Italy and Greece, and various James Bond films, which have been filmed on location in the Caribbean.

The complete rundown of top 10 films and TV series found to have influenced foreign home purchases are:

1. New Zealand - The Lord of the Rings
2. France - Life in Provence / A Year in Provence
3. Australia - Neighbours / Home and Away
4. Thailand - The Beach
5. Scotland - Monarch of the Glen
6. Caribbean - James Bond films
7. Ireland - Ballykissangel
8. Italy - The Talented Mr Ripley
9. Greece - Captain Corelli’s Mandolin
10. America - The Motorcycle Diaries

If this trend continues, perhaps the films nominated for the Oscar awards this year may inspire people to buy in Mexico (No Country for Old Men), Texas (There Will be Blood) or maybe even some day in Iraq (The Valley of Elah)?