Terraces in the limelight !
More than ever before, so-called “terrace apartments” are polishing their image and brightening the lives of Parisians who dearly miss nature. Rare in the capital, these delightful cocoons allowing owners to benefit from fine weather are often worth their weight in gold. Spotlight on a highly-coveted market which is not affected by the crunch...
An apartment with a terrace in Paris is a luxury in itself. First for the enjoyment and well-being it procures, but also because such properties are rare. Celebrating the Haussmann style, the centre of Paris has very few. You have to head for the 15th and 16th arrondissements, even the near outskirts of the city, to find this particular kind of asset, as confirmed by Laetitia Ducoudré, sales agent for the Terrasses et Jardins agency : “Terrace apartments are to be found in residences built from the 1960’s onwards and in contemporary developments. At the heart of Paris, that’s to say, all the central arrondissements from the 1st to the 8th, this type of property is very rare. Offerings are concentrated in the 15th, 16th, 17th and 19th arrondissements, and in the first ring around Paris, in Neuilly, Boulogne, Levallois, Suresnes, Montreuil and also around Vincennes. In our agency, which specializes in this type of property, we currently have 200 properties for sale, 116 apartments with terraces in Paris and its first ring. It’s important to remember that the 2-bedroomed apartment of 100 m2 with a lounge leading out to a terrace is the most sought-after property and that, throughout the crisis, these appealing homes have never fallen in price ; quite the contrary, they are worth even more. Spread the message, you can’t bargain over the price of apartments with terraces in Paris !”…
An intimate window on the town, a little haven of greenery, but above all a living area, a terrace worthy of the name can be compared to an extra room in which to spend time and share meals, unlike a balcony where no-one stays for long. As explained by Otto Weijsenfeld de Grave, negotiator with Christie’s Belles Demeures de France : “If you want to sum up the appeal and value of a terrace, you can ask yourself two questions : Can you have lunch there ? Or dine there ? These two questions imply the following points : is the terrace sunny, sheltered from the wind, not overlooked, well-fitted and does it offer a view ? To which another aspect can be added : is it on the same level as the apartment, or do you have to climb stairs to reach it ? All these factors will determine the price of a terrace, which is generally evaluated at a third of the price of the apartment itself. Though this percentage only applies if the terrace benefits from all the advantages mentioned above, which is very rare, though true for certain exceptional properties in Paris. In this case, the price of the terrace can be calculated based on the apartment’s price per square metre. Otherwise, a terrace where it is impossible to dine because there’s too much wind, for example, even if it is very large and well-appointed, will be valued at a lower price”.
Delightful to live in, terraces in Parisian apartments pull out all the stops, their fixtures and fittings have never received so much attention and allow for remarkable creativity. “Over the past ten years or so, many firms specializing in fittings for terraces have seen the light of day,” says Patrick Savignac of the Vaneau Bac Saint Germain agency. “Which goes hand-in-hand with the authorization to transform certain terraces in Parisian apartments into loggias, to isolate them from the exterior when they are not blessed with a favourable outlook. But that’s not all… Nowadays, thanks to new materials and the expertise of landscapers, it is possible to gloss over certain negative aspects, make the most of tiny spaces, reduce the area overlooked, or heat a terrace to benefit from it in winter... A terrace with a sunny orientation, neatly fitted out and on the same level as the living rooms, has become the Ferrari of Parisian real estate ! It is precisely what we propose in the “Montsouris Park”, where all the apartments with 2 to 6 main rooms give onto terraces with heating and lighting, not overlooked, and with views of the Parc Montsouris. This type of property is especially attractive for Parisians who can’t spend their weekends in the country. For these clients, the choice of an apartment with a terrace or a house with a garden is the best way of living in Paris and dealing with the constraints imposed by their professional activities. They are slightly less appealing to foreign buyers, who want to spend more time enjoying the city’s bustling atmosphere.”
