The charm of the “Pays grassois”
The first cartularies mentioning Grasse, now considered as the fourth largest town in the Alpes-Maritimes, date back to the 11th century. First focusing on leather tanning, Grasse became one of the capitals of perfume-making in the late 18th century. Together with villages on its immediate outskirts, it offers a peaceful world at the gateway to large towns on the Côte d’Azur.
The scenery is as rural as one could wish. From their lofty perches, Cabris and Gourdon survey the Mediterranean, while the sub-prefecture of the Alpes-Maritimes offers its 50,250 inhabitants a setting for a pleasant life-style, 20 km from Cannes and 37 km from Nice’s International Airport, at an altitude of 100 to 1,000 metres. In the town centre, an area currently undergoing renovation and characterized by narrow streets, 17th- and 18th-century buildings share the limelight with 19th-century mansions. Many villages and neighbourhoods, more or less popular, such as Le Plan, Magagnosc, Plascassier, Saint-Jean, Saint-François, Saint-Jacques, Saint-Mathieu and Saint-Antoine, are dotted around the surrounding area. Then come old addresses, full of charm and character.
“Just a 40-minute drive from the first ski resorts, Opio, Châteauneuf, Roquefort-les-Pins and Le Rouret enjoy a natural environment of real quality with magnificent views of the hills, olive-groves and the sea. Permanent residents, working in Cannes and Sophia-Antipolis, appreciate the level of facilities, while holiday-makers head for the luxuriant greens of the golf-courses,” says Jeanne-Chantal Brun-Signoret of the agency Opio-Rouret Immobilier. Most of the locally-based buyers are looking for houses priced from 550,000 to 800,000 €, a sum bringing living space of 130-150 m2 in need of modernization, in grounds of 1,000-1,500 m2. In the 700,000-1 million euro bracket, buyers are naturally more demanding. The corresponding properties generally offer 165-250 m2 in grounds of 1,500-3,000 m2. Armed with a budget of 1 million euros or more, they can set their sights on a home of 200-300 m2 with a garden of 2,500-5,000 m2 in a quiet location with a sweeping view. Overall, prices range from a weighted 3,500 to 5,800 €/m2, with the top-end reaching 7,000 €/m2. Building land, a scarce com-modity in the region around Grasse, sells very quickly, as long as it is not over-priced. An acceptable price is 340,000 € for a plot of 2,000-2,500, with utilities installed, depending on the quality of the lot, 480,000-520,000 € for 5,000 m2. In 2010, the manageress of Opio-Rouret Immobilier noticed the arrival of East Europeans on the market. A Russian client, for example, has just acquired a house of 220 m2 to renovate with 7,000 m2 of grounds in Roquefort, facing the sea, for 260,000 €, a surface area he intends to double.
Jean-Claude Caputo of Riviera Estates, the exclusive representative on the Riviera of the British real-estate consulting group Savills, cites Grasse, Opio, Châteauneuf, Mouans-Sartoux and Valbonne as customer choices, ranked in order of importance, over the past year. For comparable properties, the capital of the perfume industry offers prices 30 % lower than those observed in Mougins, the chic and authentic suburb of the Festival City. The British, always fond of old buildings, appreciate charming neighbourhoods around the historic part of town, while golfers head for Opio, struck by a dearth of availabilities. Castellaras and the Chemin de Pigranel, in Mouans-Sartoux, are also highly-prized. Meanwhile, the “international” village of Valbonne is a pleasant address benefitting from easy access. “Comparable to Mougins, it attracts - and this is new - Russian buyers, despite its distance from the coast,” says Jean-Claude Caputo, who also notes considerable interest on the part of the French and the return of the Brits. Recent sales concern properties ranging from 1 to 6 million euros, averaging around 2 million, the sum required for 250 m2 in good condition in grounds of 2,500-3,000 m2 with a swimming pool. The market is active, reflecting the enthusiasm of clients for villages of character far from the bustling Mediterranean coast. As long as a property hides no particular defects and offers a flawless finish, it will have maintained its value. On the other hand, prices of homes in need of renovation or affected by some kind of nuisance have dropped considerably when compared to the levels of 2007.
Specializing in the luxury market, the Michaël Zingraf group and its branch in Opio handle properties in the hinterland ranging from 1 to 15 million euros. “The boundary extends from the east - Saint-Jean, Saint-Mathieu and Plascassier, linked to the airport by the D2085, Magagnosc, Le Pré-du-Lac and Châteauneuf, in the direction of Vence, and, further out, Opio and Le Rouret - to the west - Saint-Jacques, Saint-Antoine, the valleys of Saint-François as far as Peymeinade and Le Tignet towards the Var, not forgetting Spéracèdes and Cabris to the north. Mouans-Sartoux marks the southern boundary of the “Pays grassois”,” explains Martine Vérots, Head of Communication and press attaché. On the subject of life-style, a few excellent restaurants should be mentioned, including the star-rated Bastide Saint-Antoine, Lou Fassum and Le Clos Saint-Pierre. Naturally less well-known than towns and villages down on the coast, these communes offer the promise of tranquillity and authenticity while providing a varied range of services needed by their residents for everyday life. Set on the hillsides and facing the Mediterranean, more affordable areas known as “balconies”, such as Magagnosc, Le Pré-du-Lac and the northern part of Grasse, propose houses ranging from 800,000 to 2 million euros. In the same price bracket, Saint-Jacques and Saint-Antoine, near the “pénétrante” or main road, attract buyers wanting to be close to Cannes and Sophia Antipolis. Fans of “eagles’ nests” prefer Spéracèdes and Cabris. Building plots pegged at 2 million euros in Mougins and 5 million euros in Cannes range here from 1.3 to 1.45 million euros. Exceptional properties - ie. houses several centuries old which have been perfectly restored on estates of several acres - rarely exceed 15 million euros. Until the end of the 20th century, the region around Grasse was the favourite haunt of perfume-makers and residents of Cannes and Nice wanting to escape to the country. Since the introduction of an efficient road network, the hinterland of yesterday has now become part and parcel of the Côte d’Azur. Faced with growing success, the various localities are careful to maintain the balance between country areas and built-up zones. Representing a migratory flow from the coastal area to Grasse, buyers here are cultivated, from northern Europe, entrepreneurs or senior executives. Conversely, parents of teenagers are returning to the more lively towns on the sea. All potential clients are looking for “bergeries” (sheep-farms), “mas” and “bastides” surrounded by luxuriant vegetation. Among her latest sales, Martine Vérots describes a villa comprised of six suites, three reception rooms and a self-contained studio, in grounds of 5,000 m2 opening out to the countryside, the mountains and the sea, acquired by a South African and British couple for 750,000 €. French expatriates invested 2 million euros in a “Belle Epoque” residence in Saint-Jacques - living space of 280 m2 plus a barn of 120 m2 to be restored - and adjoining land, ultimately allowing for a total surface area of 750 m2.
By Laetitia Rossi
