People looking for second homes are largely blamed for the extraordinary rise in the cost of housing in the Provençal département of the Var, where prices have almost doubled in six years. More than 85% of the purchasers are French nationals, and of the remainder, only 4-5% are British. Most of the buyers are aged 50 or more, increasing the tendency in the Var to have an above-average number of people likely to need medical and social services in the future.