The countryside behind Cannes : the promise of a quality life-style
Far from the bustle of the Riviera’s large towns, the crowded shoreline and prestigious Croisette, one comes across communes of rural charm, little villages, enchanting places offering peace and quiet, all benefitting from easy access and well-endowed with basic infrastructures.
Valbonne, for instance, gives a place of honour to the forest, while being one of the addresses playing host to the now famous science and technology park of Sophia-Antipolis, where 1,276 firms employ close on 26,000 people. The “Pays grassois”, or area around Grasse, also offers the charm of untamed nature. The town itself, known as the world capital of perfume-manufacturing, is home to 51,600 residents who enjoy all the amenities necessary to everyday life. Surrounded by woods, Opio is 17 km from Cannes and 40 km from the family skiing resort of Greolières-les-Neiges. One of the roads connecting Grasse to Nice runs through the village of Le Rouret. Finally, Roquefort-les-Pins is virtually equidistant from Grasse and the capital of the Côte d’Azur, with the international airport only 17 km away.
“Michaël Zingraf Christie’s International Real Estate is very active in this part of the region, within a perimeter requiring a 40-minute drive from the coastline in Cannes, with wide and logical coverage of the Var, a département which is even more generous in terms of vast grounds,” says Bertrand Bocris. “There is an ample choice of properties with an equally wide range of prices, from 1 to 30 million euros, though the core of the market has focused over the past year on the 1 to 4 million euro bracket.” An investment bringing an 18th-C. property with a guest cottage, guardians’ apartment, even a tennis court or a spa in 5 to 7.5 acres of grounds with a view of the Med. No ostentatious luxury, but a preference for authenticity and quietness, within easy reach of the region’s loveliest golf-courses. The contemporary style does not exceed 5 % of the properties available. A proportion which perfectly meets demand. Foreigners looking for holiday homes or retirement in the sun are very fond of the back-country behind Cannes. Others even move in before ceasing their professional activities, ready to make the necessary round-trips, especially if their children attend one of the international schools in the area.
The starting price for estates is 1.7 million euros. Michaël Zingraf’s affiliation to Christie’s broadens, among other things, the clientele looking for vineyard and oil-producing properties. It’s hard, however, to deny recent clenched teeth among foreigners due to tax regulations applied in France, even if it is not the strictest European country in this particular field. “Completions are both time and energy consuming, but our turnover is stable,” notes Bertrand Bocris, no doubt thanks to his 37 years working in the sector, his resulting dense coverage of the territory and the 2,000 references in his portfolio. Not forgetting that the South of France ranks N°1 worldwide for investments in second residences.
“Over the past few years, the area defined by Roquefort, Opio, Le Rouret and Châteauneuf has proven to be really homogeneous, thanks especially to efforts undertaken by Le Rouret and Roquefort, whose urban planning has evolved favourably to reach a good balance between houses and apartments. Furthermore, Opio is pursuing the same approach in its current developments,” says Jeanne-Chantal Brun-Signoret of L’Adresse Opio Rouret Immobilier, based here for the past 32 years. Since 2013, most of the buyers have brought budgets under 650,000 € to the table, with another good showing at around 1 million euros and a symbolic barrier at 2 million. The clientele, of whom 85 % are looking for year-round homes, 10 % holiday homes, and 5 % retirement investments, aim for stone houses of character and local construction. Despite a setback in demand for holiday homes, activity is still steady.
Chantal Agier and Samy Ammar of L’Agence de l’Olivier have three decades of experience in the hinterland behind Cannes. With a strategic location at the very heart of Valbonne, they agree with their colleague’s analysis : “Unlike previous years when we saw sales at 6 million euros, budgets now seem to top out at 2.5 million. On the other hand, buyers are more serious and determined to carry their acquisition through to its end”. Following the downturn in prices, the market is more evenly balanced with supply and demand really in line. Chantal Agier’s two most recent sales concerned a house of 400 m2 set towards the sea and priced at 2,350,000 €, that its new British owner will occupy year-round despite still being employed in the UK, and an old “mas” in need of renovation priced at 1.9 million euros, acquired by a client from northern Europe as a holiday home. To sum up : buyers usually prefer properties ready to move in. The share of French buyers falls as prices rise. Foreigners are particularly fond of the back-country, the countryside and historic residences. And the “Pays grassois”, boasting the century-old tradition of perfume-making, is especially rich in these commodities.
