Mougins, a stable market
Just 10 minutes from the sea and the very go-ahead city of Cannes, 15 minutes from Grasse and 30 minutes from the Nice Côte d’Azur International Airport, the hinterland of the Alpes-Maritimes has many attractions, including easy accessibility, country settings and an enviable art of living.
In addition to charming hotels, golf-courses, a wide choice of art-galleries and museums, this commune with 19,700 inhabitants is known for its excellent tables : 40 restaurants in all, including the Moulin de Mougins and Mas Candille, with one star in the Michelin Guide. Each year in September, a festival is dedicated to gastronomy. The beautiful Mougins with its cypresses, pines and oaks also plays host to just under 20 % of the Sophia-Antipolis science and technology park within its boundaries. Half of its surface area is covered by natural greenery. In accordance with municipal policy, 62 % of the accommodation in this so-called “Garden City” consists of individual homes, often adhering to Provençal architecture. Long a subject for debate, a project for construction of a shopping centre of 33,000 m2, supposed to include Ikea, has not obtained the necessary permits. Between 1999 and 2006, the population increased by 22 %. Residents benefit from four clinics, four nursery schools, six primary schools and two colleges. Mougins School and the International Centre of Valbonne have long catered for the education of English pupils. In February 2008, the magazine “Challenges” distinguished the commune for the quality of its management.
If the number of transactions is lower than in the past, Michel Brévier has maintained the same turnover. “Urgent sellers agree to drop their prices ; others stick to their guns close on 5-10 %,” says the manager of Keops Immobilier. The floor-price of a villa of 200 m2 in satisfactory condition in grounds of 2,000 m2 with no noise or eye-sores (noise from the “Pénétrante” road and the presence of high-voltage lines constituting the main defects), is around 1 million euros. The top end of the market starts at 2 million. A property of 500 m2, consisting of two houses, just found a new owner at Fontmerle at around 3.5 million euros. Since the collapse of the stock markets, the Russians and British, particularly affected, are increasingly rare, now replaced by Scandinavian, Swiss and French clients seeking a retreat in the sun. Since January, acquisitions have mostly concerned year-round residences. Considered a safe bet, this chic outpost of Cannes compensates for fewer sea views by offering vast grounds. “The commune of Mougins boasts ten golf-clubs within a 30-minute radius by car. It is a 90-minute drive from 400 km of ski-slopes. Further back, there’s the Mercantour Valley, commonly known as “France’s little Switzerland,” says Coralie Vernhet of Les Pierres, an agency over 70 years old. Building permits are issued frugally and the shortage of properties for sale guarantees a steady market. Currently, a plot of 5,800 m2 in Le Redon, near the property of the Emir of Qatar, is worth 1,750,000 €. Houses in the village are still highly sought-after. In this little township, fortified in the Middle Ages, the typically small rooms on several floors still have a certain cachet. The lack of convenience, parking facilities and gardens constitute one of the constraints. “L’Hôtel de France”, an establishment on the central square where Napoleon once stayed, is being treated to rejuvenation. Ready to move in, with furnishings, home appliances and conciergerie, these apartments are of interest to foreign holiday-makers. A 2-roomed apartment of 59 m2 is priced at 500,000 €, the version of 66 m2 with 3 main rooms, 695,000 €. Also restored, a unit of 180 m2 is on offer at around 1,490,000 €, another of 65 m2 at 825,000 €.
“The various neighbourhoods have different characteristics, though prices largely depend on a property’s intrinsic attributes,” says Antoine Garcin of the Emile Garcin agency. Not subjected to any nuisances, Les Colles enjoys easy accessibility and scenic views of the Med. One would currently have to pay 2.9 million euros for a villa of 235 m2 with the possibility of doubling the living space in 5,000 m2 of grounds. The “pond” of Fontmerle covers about 12.5 acres, boasting Europe’s loveliest collection of lotus-flowers, close to the 1,067-acre Parc de la Valmasque. Quiet and residential, this area is very popular. Pibonson is for fans old countryhouses, or “mas”, while the select neighbourhood of Le Redon is characterized by spacious grounds. The gated and guarded “Parcs de Mougins” attracts buyers looking for high security, ready to pay from 2 to 10 million euros. Those with a fondness for elevated positions providing plunging views of the Mediterranean opt for the immediate surroundings of the old village. Since the road has been resurfaced, traffic on the “Pénétrante”, once a big drawback, is now less audible. 50 metres from the entrance to the village, on Avenue du Moulin de La Croix, a property of 150 m2, which can be extended by a further 100 m2, in grounds of 1,800 m2, is up for sale at 950,000 €. Finally, on Boulevard Courteline, a building plot of 7,000 m2 for a house of 500 m2 is looking for a taker at around 2.7 million euros.
By Laetitia Rossi.
