French top list of investors interested in South Florida properties: analysis

French buyers’ interest in South Florida properties is growing as the region continues to lure the most international real estate investment in the U.S., according to an analysis of activity on Miamire.com, a Miami Association of Realtors Web site.

France, perhaps surprising some, ranked as the top country searching for Miami properties on the site in April 2013, according to the association. The French language is twice as commonly spoken as Portuguese, and France has had a presence in the region since the 1600s.

Canada, Brazil and Venezuela were the top countries of origin for the majority of Florida buyers last year, Miami has been the Sunshine State’s biggest real estate magnet, where tens of thousands of pre-construction condos in the pipeline were paid 9 out of 10 times in cash. –Emily Schmall