propertynews - Caroline Laurent

PROPERTYNEWS
on sale 22nd FebruarY
French Prcperty News, Archant House, Oriel Rd,
Cheltenham, GL50 1 BB
Tel: 0'1242 216050
To request a copy:020 8955 7066
www.french-ProPerty-news.com
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Christophe Dutertre
With extensive experience in conveyancing, Christophe advises
on French private law and estate planning He ioined Blake Lapthorn
in the IJK in 2001 after working in a large notaire's office in Normandy
Editor: Karen Tait
fel:01242264755
karen.tait@archant.co.uk
Deputy Editor: Andy Duncan
lel:01242 216083
andy.duncan6archant.co.uk
Editorial Assistant: VickY Leigh
Iel: Q1242216086
vicky.leigh@archant.co.uk
Sub Editor: Debbie Curtis
Editorial Designer: Craig Chiswell
for six years.
Christophe repotts on stamp duty ondVAT on p24
Vnnessa Couchntan
Vanessa is a freelance vtriter and iournalist who writes regularly for
magazines obout French life. She moved to rural south-west France in
in an 1 Bth-century farmhouse'
1 997, where she ond her husband live
She is fascinated by French customs ond traditions and enioys seeking
out the reality behind the mYths.
p46
Vanessa unravels the intricacies of French odministrotion on
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Sophia \,iose
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Managing Director Archant Specialist:
Miller Hogg
Event Director: Debbie Macleod
is o bilingual buyer\ agent in the south of France' She lives in
Aix-en-Provence and uses her experience as a corporate lavvyer and
her knowledge ofthe Provence property market to assist her clients
Sophia
from start to finish in the search for their dream property'
Sophia explores the Aix-en-Provence area on p/U
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ARcHAur) rirr
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Provenqal house and rural Iandscape
(o Andreas von Einsiedel/AlamY)
March 2012
www.french-p ro P ertY- n ews.co m
Aix-en-Provence
SOPHIA MOSE GETS UNDER THE SKIN OF PROVENCE
AND DISCOVERS THAT THERE
ARE MANY FACES TO THIS EVER-POPULAR PART OF
SOUTHERN
FRANCE
hen looking to buy a house in
provence, quite often the
difficult
question isn,t,,Which property?,,
but rather "lVhich provence?,' For some,
Provence is the hills of the Alpilies and the
Luberon; Peter Mayle's immortal landscape
of steep, wild slopes dotted with
picturesque villages. For others, it's the
Mediterranean with its fishing ports,
beaches and yacht harbours. Some are
drawn to the classic bouillabaisse and
excellent transport links of Marseille, while
others tend more towards the chic
boutiques of St-R6my-de-provence or the
stunning architecture of Avignon.
But for many Aix-en-provence stands out as
the best-of-all-possible-worlds option.
Nestled between the Luberon and the
Vediterranean coast, Aix has been a highly
desirable location ever since the Romani
founded it in 123BC. Once the capital of
44 French Property News March 2012
Provence and still the cultural capital, Aix
has it all. Basking ia the sun at the foot of
Mont Ste-Victoire (loved by paul C6zanne),
it is blessed rr-ith a n'onderful climate
similar to that of southem Califomia; a
seemingly endless supply of glorious
1 7thl1 Bth-cenlun' provenEal
architecture,
art galleries and museums, chic restaurants
and upscale shopping streets. Unlike the
Luberon, .{ir does not go quiet in winter.
BASKI\-G /A/ THE SUA/
AT THE FOOT OF
MO-\'r STE-VICTOIRE,
A1X 15 BIESSED WITH
_f r |Ol/D ERFUL
CI1-\!{7-E SIMILAR TO
TIl;: OF SOUZHERA/
CALIFORA/IA
AII year round there are music festivals,
ballet and opera performances, and the
40,000 students attending the excellent
universities and world-renowned art
schools create a lively and vibrant
atmosphere. Only haI an hour from
Marseille, three hours from paris via TGV,
an easy driving distance to the C6te d'Azur
and the Italian border, and a mere one and
a half hours from the ski slopes, Aix is one
of the most well-connected towns in France_
It therefore will come as no surprise that
the Aix property market has hardly been
affected by the economic crisis. Although
demand might have slowed down a bit, it
always outweighs supply. H6ldne Le Corre,
of Immobilier & Financement on the Cours
Mirabeau, tells me: ,,Very few people who
move to this incredible town ever want to
leavel" She explains that many parisians
choose Aix as their home while commuting
to Paris on the TGV and she even has
British clients who commute to London,
www.french-property-news.com
with their children happiiv ensconced in
one of the international schools at Luynes.
H6lbne did not see a drop in prices in
2011 and does not predict one for 2012
either as investment in property in Aix is
seen as a safe investment in this time of
recession. H6lbne has seen the British
returning after a short absence and
confirms that the French, Belgians, Dutch
and Americans have never stopped buying
properties in Aix.
For the wealthy, Aix is an embarrassment
of riches. Rural estates, chdteaux and mcs
provenqals dot the landscape around the
town, often glimpsed only at a distance
behind rows of tall cypresses Larger
estates, particulariy if they are in good
shape, command Prices weII into the
millions and a stunning 17th-century
chdteau in the north of Aix is currently on
the market for €6,900,000.
The statistlcs of FNAIM (French estate
agents association) and the Notaires de
France show that prices paid for such
properties reach almost €9,000 per square
metre. The other option for those with large
budgets is an apartment in the historic
centre. The old quarter includes the maze
of streets and squares clinging to the north
side of the wide, treelined boulevard of the
Cours Mirabeau.
It is a shopper's paradise and the Mus6e
Granet, antique shops and galleries are just
a few of its other attractions. Unsurprisingly'
it is not easy to find a property here.
Camilie Campana, of Caroline Laurent
Estate Agents, tells me that the Quartier
Mazarin remains the most sought-after part
of the old town and that for apartments
outside the centre, the Quartier de la Torse
is the most PoPuIar.
The elegant Quartier Mazarin is a
residential area south of the Cours
Mirabeau built in the late 17th century for
the city's gentry. Large and small
apartments in the area's h)tels particuliers
are scarce on the market, and the most
desirable properties are often snapped up
at prices ranging well over €5'000 per
square metre before even reaching estate
ageny websites.
For families with children, there are many
options, depending on the budget. Within
Aix itsetf, families with larger budgets tend
to congregate in north Aix, particularly in
the area near the hospital or the St-Donat
district, where 1960s villas with gardens
can be found for upwards of €700,000.
Likewise, parts of the city to the west and
south offer many opportunities for family
homes, with Luynes property commanding
higher prices due to its vicinity to the
international schools,
Better deals can be had either west
towards Les Milles or east to Meyreuil. In
general, prices are lower south of Aix,
where villages such as Bouc-Bel-Air,
Gardanne and Fuveau are essentially
commuter villages for Marseille, but there
are many micro-markets throughout the
Pays d'Aix and prices vary enormousiy,
Just to the north of Aix lies a constellation
www.f rench-ProPertY'news.<om
of smaller villages with attractrve
apartments, family houses, and larger
estates: Celony, Puyricard, Eguilles and
Venelles. These villages are surrounded
by countryside and vineyards and are ideal
for families. Ceiony and Puyricard are part
of the agglomeration of Aix and are
therefore slightly more expensive than the
other trvo and here it is hard to find a family
home lrith three bedrooms or more for less
than €500,000. SmaIIer houses start at
€350,000, at which price they tend to still
need some rvork,
Laurence Anjubault, of LC Gestion estate
agents in Puyricard, notes that there is
always a shortage of houses in the €350'000
to €700,000 range. Although Prices
increased quite a bit in 2010, she did not
see an increase in 2011 and notes that,
unless it concerns a very exceptional
property, houses do now seII siightly below
the asking price. She expects things to pick
up this spring and is hoping that more
properties will come onto the market to
satisty the high demand.
Most houses in these Aix neighbourhoods
were built after the 1970s and it is the
slightly older houses needing some
refurbishment where Prices can be
negotiated. The villages within the
agglomeration ate served by Aix public
transport, and Puyricard and Celony are
only a 15-minute bus ride away from the
Cours Mirabeau and Aix train station'
To the east of the citY, gorgeous Le
Tholonet huddles at the foot of Mont
St-Victoire and is the starting point for
the walking paths that criss-cross the
mountain's famous sloPes The
neighbourhoods here are very green and
the houses very expensive and Le Tholonet
feels more like a nature resetwe than a
quartier of Aix.
One of the great attractions of the Pays
d'Aix is its biend of rural charm with a
cosmopolitan population, and the city owes
much of that diversity to its universities.
Students make up nearly 30% of Aix's
population of 146,000, and naturally they
are accompanied by a diverse and highly
educated army of teachers and professors.
For investors, this means that small,
affordable rental apartments near university
facilities offer an almost guaranteed retum
on their investment. \Mhile properlies close
to the town centre are always in demand,
studios and one-bedroom apartments in the
Quartier des Facult6s to the south are idealiy
placed for both student and faculty rentals.
With an average square metre purchase
price f or houses al €4,245 and apartments
at €3,802, Aix is not a low-budget town But
with prices hoiding steady in spite of the
recession and its incredibly high standard
of living, Aix-en-Provence is hard to beat as
a place to invest, have a holiday house, or
start a nei,t- Iife.
,,r.1,:.iii1:
March 2012
45