Hideaways with garden in Paris
Whether it prolongs an apartment or surrounds a house, a garden is a source of enchantment for city-dwellers. The ultimate dream of Parisians, these properties with areas of natural greenery are rare and change hands at high prices in the capital. Even so, they they are drawing growing interest. From apartments to small town houses and majestic private mansions, a survey of these highly desirable homes…
On the Parisian property scene, we are familiar with demands for stone masonry Haussmann buildings with balconies running their entire length, mouded ceilings with cornices etc. Yet, when stepping inside some of these buildings or peeping into private drives, we discover real gems of properties with gardens that cannot be guessed at from the street. As Nathalie Garcin of the Agence Garcin explains : “Properties with gardens in Paris are rare, but can be found in all arrondissements and even in Haussmann buildings where ground-floor apartments sometimes offer the pleasant surprise of private outdoor areas. These properties are highly sought-after and demand is strong for houses of 150 to 200 m2 in quiet spots set back from main avenues. This type of property is to be found more particularly in the 14th, 16th, 8th and 9th arrondissements, especially on the charming Avenue Frochot, and also in Neuilly, where small private roads are lined with pretty town houses. In the hyper-luxury sector, handsome Parisian mansions also often boast enchanting gardens. French clients are in the majority on this market, they are very keen on this type of property. We recently sold a garden-level apartment of 150 m2 to a French family, with a garden of the same surface area, in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, priced at 2.2 M €. When looking for second homes in Paris, foreign buyers focus more on houses or mansions than garden-level apartments which can be overlooked and where the risk of break-ins is higher during their absence. Condition, landscaping, noise, whether they are overlooked or not are all fundamental factors to be taken into account for gardens, and each property needs an individual assessment, exactly as for a home with a terrace”.
A garden is a patch of nature which is highly appreciated by city-dwellers. These properties are targetted by buyers of various profiles, self-employed professionals, active families, retirees, but above all Parisians, as stressed by Benoit Vitu of the Terrasses et Jardins agency : “We mainly deal with Parisians or foreigners who have become Parisians, who benefit on a daily basis from their outdoor areas. It happens much more rarely that we sell a property with a garden to foreign clients looking for a pied-à-terre in Paris. I have made properties with private outdoor areas my speciality, and sales are in constant progression. They correspond to current needs, as Parisians are much less prepared to drive out of town than previously, and many have parted with their second residences in order to acquire houses with gardens in the capital. Intense professional activities do not allow people to leave as often as they once did for weekends or trips, and a garden offers the luxury of being able to be outside year-round while still being at home. In fact, in all the models for new developments I happen to see today, each apartment has its own private outdoor area. A garden is an advantage for which one has to pay, and which is evaluated on a case-by-case basis, though Parisian clients are prepared to make concessions by sacrificing a guest-room, for example, or an additional parking place in order to benefit from a spot of nature”.
Meeting today’s needs and mood, one’s very own garden raises the purchase price and addresses buyers with very comfortable budgets : “The presence of a garden will bring on average a rise of 20 to 30% in the price, and one would need a budget of 2 M € to acquire such an apartment or house with quality appointments in Paris. When we have a property with a garden up for sale in our agencies, it always sparks excitement among our clients. We in fact have very few, four a year on average. Such opportunities are rare but immediately draw interest, especially if they are houses or mansions in quiet spots, sheltered from view”, says François-Régis Moussion of the Agence Villaret. In the centre of Paris, the agency’s core target, it is more often a matter of ground-floor apartments where the possibility of being overlooked makes buyers hesitate : “The most attractive ground-floor properties are not directly overlooked, thanks to their layout. This was the case for a very lovely duplex of 140 m2 on Rue Debelleyme, benefiting from a leafy garden of 150 m2, which we recently sold for 2.6 M € to a French family. It was on the ground and first floors of the building, and thus allowed for a certain amount of privacy”. François Régis Moussion also notes high demand which tends to rise when the weather improves : “We receive over 50 % of our enquiries for properties with gardens in spring and summer. Evenings are longer and rising temperatures make buyers dream of outdoor areas”.
