The eastern Var, an enchanting region
The eastern Var, an enchanting region
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The eastern Var, an enchanting region

Its reputation is well-established : untamed nature, a unique view of the Estérel mountains, the sea or the red rocks of Le Trayas, hill-top villages of inimitable charm… Decidedly, the region which unfurls between Anthéor and Sainte-Maxime has no need to envy its neighbours. Interviews by Laetitia Rossi


Its reputation is well-established : untamed nature, a unique view of the Estérel mountains, the sea or the red rocks of Le Trayas, hill-top

villages of inimitable charm… Decidedly, the region which unfurls

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(1)Three main rooms for this apartment with terrace, in a new block on the seafront. Over 500,000 €. La Villa (04 94 83 22 45). (2)Facing the Bay of Saint-Tropez, this seafront property which has just been treated to a facelift extends an invitation to laze on its terraces and pontoon. 2.6 to 2.8 million €. Waterfront Property (04 92 99 09 01).
(1)Three main rooms for this apartment with terrace, in a new block on the seafront. Over 500,000 €. La Villa (04 94 83 22 45). (2)Facing the Bay of Saint-Tropez, this seafront property which has just been treated to a facelift extends an invitation to laze on its terraces and pontoon. 2.6 to 2.8 million €. Waterfront Property (04 92 99 09 01).
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Three bedrooms and a self-contained studio flat comprise this renovated property in the Canton de Fayence, set in grounds of 1,500 m2 on a little hill. 750,000 €. Eric Lecat (04 94 85 32 02).
Three bedrooms and a self-contained studio flat comprise this renovated property in the Canton de Fayence, set in grounds of 1,500 m2 on a little hill. 750,000 €. Eric Lecat (04 94 85 32 02).
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This new property of 382 m2 in grounds of 1,175 m2 faces the sea at Les Issambres. 2.1 million €. Sud Paradise (04 94 82 47 07).
This new property of 382 m2 in grounds of 1,175 m2 faces the sea at Les Issambres. 2.1 million €. Sud Paradise (04 94 82 47 07).

between Anthéor and Sainte-Maxime has no need to envy its neighbours.

The region near Saint-Raphaël

While 60 % of clients who contact the agency La Villa at Valescure are dreaming of a property near the greens, Bernard Guerrero and Yves Cohen propose a wider approach to the region.

The most highly-prized areas are either close to the sea or a stone’s throw from the golf courses : those of Santa Lucia and Valescure, where apartments cost from 5,500 to 6,500 € per m2. Detached houses are also available at around 850,000 €, a price that entitles the buyer to living space of 150 m2 in grounds of 1,000 m2. Some properties attain 1.5 million € : at this level, clients expect top-notch appointments but are often disappointed. Those with a budget of between 850,000 to 1 million € (representing the main market) are also demanding but not necessarily satisfied. They react in different ways : they abandon the project, adopt a “wait-and-see” attitude or try to negotiate a lower price. “The hardest part of our job,” says Yves Cohen, “is making owners understand that their properties will not sell if they are over-priced”. Boulouris is a long-established site. Rare new offerings have to deal with noisy roads. As for the rest of available properties, they often need a lick of paint, or even renovation. The villa cited above would cost the same price here, except that it’s a rare commodity : demand for villas is, on average, closer to 500,000 €. Furthermore, with a construction ratio of 0.25, the right to extend is an important consideration. Agay is popular for fans of the seafront, who are nevertheless confronted by a penury of properties. Few meet current taste and standards of comfort, and those that do post prices way above the market. The Saint-Raphaël region is popular among families with a fondness for nature. Living space of 300 m2 is extremely rare in this area, very different from the Côte d’Azur or the Saint-Tropez peninsula.

At the water’s edge

There are 1,957 properties at the edge of the Med between Menton and Saint-Tropez. Michel Chassagne of Waterfront Property, which currently offers about fifty for sale, has visited more than half...

Wilder than the western part of the county, the coast between Théoule-sur-Mer and Saint-Tropez is home to over half of these seafront properties. And while everyone thought the coastal strip was “frozen”, new buildings still rise from the ground. Like this house of 250 m2 with 5 acres of land and building authorization for a further 700 m2. Prices start at 290,000 € (a fisherman’s cabin of 38 m2 on the sand at Sainte-Maxime) and soar to 25 million € (500 m2 in 2.5 to 5 acres). A house of 100 m2 requiring renovation on a plot of 680 m2 at Les Issambres costs 870,000 €. 1,270,000 € will bring 120 m2 in excellent condition in grounds of 350 m2 at Saint-Aygulf. Except for Saint-Tropez, the average price swings from 2 to 3 million € : the typical budget is from 2 to 2.3 million €. Except for the four capes, prices are homogeneous. “Clients are 50 % French. The others are English, Dutch, Belgian, Swiss, Italian with a few Scandinavians. Proximity to the airport raises a property’s worth. Negative factors are main roads or railway lines nearby. Sand or rocks ? The ideal scenario is rocks to dissuade visitors with a sandy beach to lie on. 60 % of these properties need renovating. Many properties cannot be split up. And in the “water’s edge” category, inevitably rare and exclusive, the margin for negotiation is 10 % at most.

The Canton de Fayence

With an agency at Seillans and another in Fayence, Eric Lecat readily presents the area as a lively and authentic hinterland, both varied and appealing.

Fayence is the most well-known village in the “canton” which bears its name. Seillans, Caillan, Montauroux, Mons and Saint-Paul-en-Forêt all benefit from its reputation. Its tourist appeal is easily explained. The gliding centre, Saint-Cassien Lake, the Terre Blanche and Saint-Endréol golf-courses all attract many visitors. But over the past few years, people have started to live here all year round. Those who work, mostly in Cannes or Antibes, prefer communes close to the motorway, Caillan and Montauroux, even if they are still waiting for a main road to be built capable of distributing the traffic. The Canton owes its younger population to soaring prices down on the coast. English and Danish buyers, reassured by Nice’s very active airport, 50 minutes from Seillans, adore villages with a certain cachet such as Mons, perched at an altitude of 800 m. Some, in fact, opt for year-round living here. The Terre Blanche golf complex with its Four Seasons Hotel draws a discerning foreign clientele with budgets ranging from 850,000 to 1.5 million €. In general, cheap opportunities have disappeared and the most modest house requiring refurbishment costs 350,000 €. One soon finds oneself at 500,000 € and, over the past six months, negotiations have been getting tougher. Amongst the various communes, there is very little price disparity, the difference being more to do with the setting required. In the coming years, we should see development of Saint-Paul-en-Forêt, due to its plans for a golf-course. From the Canton de Fayence, the eastern part of the Var is looked upon as a natural haven, sought-after for its quality life-style as much as for its geographic location, 40 minutes from Cannes, 30 km from Saint-Raphaël, Draguignan and Grasse, and very close to the ski resort of Gréolières-les-Neiges.

Top end of the market

Dominique Kratz of Sud Paradise in Fréjus deals with a well-heeled clientele, fond of classy neighbourhoods and unusual properties. The eastern part of the Var fits the picture.

Dominique Kratz recently sold two properties and a villa at Saint-Raphaël, at 1.4, 1.1 million € and 600,000 € respectively, to German, Swiss and French clients. Buyers distinguish between neighbourhoods. From Notre-Dame with its bourgeois homes, you can walk to the centre and harbour of Saint-Raphaël. A 2-bedroomed flat facing the sea costs 450,000 € ; a house requiring a little freshening 600,000 to 1 million €. Outstanding villas range from 1.5 to 3 million €. Golf and horse-riding fans like Valescure, its open countryside, 9-hole and 18-hole courses. Others prefer the gated estates of Santa Lucia close to the creeks, or Port-Fréjus with its beach and Nature Base. Expect prices of 8,000 to 10,000 €/m2 in a new seafront development. The eastern Var offers diversity and heterogeneous prices : seafront properties share the limelight with farm estates at Puget-sur-Argens, Le Muy and Roquebrune-sur-Argens. A country residence requiring restoration with wine cellars and 10 acres of land costs 1.15 million €. A property composed of several buildings in good condition with 100 acres of land 5.3 million €. For this type of property, there is strong demand from Switzerland, Germany and Belgium. Finally, the lack of building land on the seafront means high prices and problems for the locals.

Interviews by Laetitia Rossi - photos : press