Valbonne, the countryside within easy reach of the towns
If this “chequerboard” village with 11,900 inhabitants, 12 km from Cannes, 14 km from Antibes and 31 km from Nice, has offered a blend of charm and authenticity since the 16th century, it is to the creation of the Sophia-Antipolis science park in 1969 that it owes its development. Our experts fill in the details...
Laid out around the Chalaisian Abbey built in 1199, the village, restored and perfectly maintained, is sheltered by a ring of “rampart-houses”. Attractive restaurants are dotted around the elegant Place des Arcades, an esplanade in Renaissance style. All glass and concrete, the architecture of Sophia-Antipolis, Europe’s N°1 technology park, directly inspired by the American concept of Silicon Valley, is in stark contrast to the old village, full of charm and character. Focusing on information technology and communications, multimedia, biochemistry and sustainable development, Sophia is set in a pine forest of about 5,930 acres, straddling Valbonne, Biot, Vallauris and Mougins, hosting 1,414 companies, 5,000 students, 4,000 researchers and 30,000 employees, more than half of whom enjoy executive status. “2008 will be remembered by estate-agents as a difficult year,” says Cubby Wolf of Riviera Realty. “Signs of a recovery wafted over the summer of 2009, a trend confirmed in early 2010. Demand today is relatively strong ; prices, adjusted 10 % at most below their previous level, appear to be stable ; yet activity is still hesitant and flinches at the slightest fluctuation on the stock market.” Absent for 18 months, the British seem to be returning to their old love, taking advantage of the recent drop in the euro. Together with Belgians, Scandinavians and French, they are looking for holiday homes, appreciate the area’s Provençal charm, the quiet setting away from the bustle down on the coast, and its proximity to the international airport. Prepared to pay up to 2 million euros, the majority would be interested, for example, in this village house of 200 m2, without a garden, a rare commodity intra-muros, priced at 599,000 €, or a stone building of the same size in grounds of 2,400 m2, at 1,390,000 €. Some, with much fatter wallets, are looking at properties which would suit either occasional or year-round use.Cubby Wolf mentions two properties, within walking distance of the village, bearing price-tags of over 10 million euros : one dating back to the “Belle Epoque”, with two houses for guests plus guardians’ accommodation, giving total living space of 1,300 m2 on about 3.75 acres of land with three swimming pools, priced at 14.5 million euros, and a property of 1,250 m2 consisting of five separate buildings on approx. 6.2 acres of flat land, pegged at 12.5 million euros.
“While it is not appropriate to talk of a collapse, negotiations can attain 20 % of the price displayed, 10 % for properties under one million euros as long as they have been fairly estimated,” says Chantal Agier of the Agence de l’Olivier, which has covered the area since 1982. “In any event, it is still too early to draw general conclusions. Only one thing is certain : Valbonne owes its resilience to the crisis to the various motives on the part of its fans.” Apart from those seeking the classic holiday home, our estate-agent points to about 20 % of foreign clients intending to settle in the area, often Dutch or Norwegian, with the head of the family making trips back and forth for his work or else involved in tele-commuting. The college, secondary school and preparatory classes at the CIV are an undeniable asset for Valbonne, only slightly less renowned than Saint-Paul or Mougins which, in people’s minds, still remains the rural outpost of Cannes. “In Valbonne, a quieter address than Mougins, one gets better value for money. Its authenticity can be experienced every Friday morning on the market stalls. The Grape Festival and numerous other events strengthen relationships between the residents. As for the municipality, it continues to encourage home-ownership for local workers, who are hardly able to pay 800,000 to 2 million euros, like other buyers.” Among her latest transactions, the manageress of the Agence de l'Olivier mentions a few exam-
ples around 4 million euros, an investment bringing a “mas” of 280 m2 on 22.25 acres of land with further building rights, and a residence of 500 m2 on almost 3 acres of grounds with swimming pool at 4.5 million euros. Proving that the market obeys no rules, the agency has even just sold a property for 5.9 million euros, with living space of 400 m2 in a park of 19,000 m2.
“The share of year-round residences is increasing,” notes Nathalie Chalion of the Arthur Amilton agency. Thanks to falling interest rates and the correction, however slight, in prices, executives at Sophia-Antipolis are interested in Valbonne, a village prized as much for the quality of its schools as for its environment. Capable of paying 300,000 to 600,000 € for a home, they target estates with semi-detached houses or “pavillons” with living space of 60 to 100 m2, on the Chemin de Peidessalle, 2 km from the town centre. Apartments, marketed at 5,000 €/m2 on average, are cruelly lacking, despite real demand. Detached houses start at 500,000 €. Unfortunately, properties up to 600,000 €, or even in the bracket up to 900,000 €, which currently attracts the most demand, are not thick on the ground, whereas there are plenty of homes available in the 1 to 1.5 million euro range.
