The countryside behind Cannes
Mougins, Opio, Le Rouret, Roquefort-les-Pins, Grasse and Le Bar-sur-Loup all cast their spell on nature-lovers and fans of rural villages or authentic old stone... Picture-postcard images in sharp contrast to the densely built-up coastal areas of the Côte d’Azur.
Renowned for its splendid villas, art-galleries and restaurants, Mougins, home to 20,000 residents, has won international acclaim. The science and technology park of Sophia-Antipolis covers part of the territory of this aptly-named “garden-town”, close to the A8 motorway. With Cannes, Mandelieu-La-Napoule, Théoule-sur-Mer and Le Cannet, it forms the community known as “Les Pays de Lérins”. Opio is 17 km from the Croisette, 40 km from the skiing resort of Gréolières-les-Neiges. Surrounded by olive-groves, it also hosts a shopping centre, sports park, nursery and primary schools, as well as the second residence of the Grand Duchess of Luxembourg... Equidistant from Grasse and the Festival City, Le Rouret boasts a château listed as one of France’s Historic Monuments. Like its neighbours, Le Bar-sur-Loup, which owes its name to the river running down to the coast, offers a peaceful setting with a Provençal accent. At the top of a hill, the village spreads over into the surrounding area and the plateau of Pré-du-Lac.
“Mostly offering accommodation in the form of houses, villages in the hinterland have witnessed the appearance of small apartment residences over the past decade, harmoniously set into the natural scenery,” says Jeanne-Chantal Brun-Signoret of Opio-Rouret Immobilier. The area’s numerous clubs and associations appeal to retirees and young employees working in Sophia, Carros, the region around Cannes and the perfume factories in Grasse and Le Bar-sur-Loup. The agency makes 90 % of its turnover from the sale and rental management of houses of about 150 m2 with gardens of 1,500-2,000 m2, worth 500,000 to 700,000 €. 50 and 60 year-olds usually spend from 800,000 to 1.2 million euros on substantial villas of 250 m2 in grounds of 2,000-3,000 m2. The price grid for the entire area is homogeneous, though Opio is the most popular address, followed by Le Rouret, Châteauneuf and Roquefort-les-Pins. The agency’s most recent transactions include four houses priced at 710,000, 875,000, 1 million and 1.1 million euros, and a flat, wooded and serviced building plot of 2,000 m2, at 350,000 €.
“Clients interested in the back-country are looking for privacy, quietness and authenticity, a holiday home where different generations of the family can enjoy the summer far from the crowds of tourists down on the coast,” says Bertrand Bocris of Michaël Zingraf. Their acquisitions in fact reflect the quest for a particular life-style. Mills, country “bastides”, châteaux, riding or vineyard estates (the latter located in the Var), in other words, properties of character, are high on their lists. The choice is often synonymous with generous living space and extensive grounds. Properties proposed by the agency based in the back-country (Opio) range from 1 to 40 million euros, with the majority of clients targeting the 2 to 7 million € bracket. In 2012, demand for properties priced from 1 to 2.5 million euros has seen a slowdown. The clientele concerned is sceptical on the subject of new tax regulations. As a result, the number of sales in this segment has fallen by 50 % and the stocks available have risen in the same proportion. On the other hand, villas of 400-500 m2 in good condition with grounds of 2.5 to 5 acres of land, pegged between 3 and 4 million euros, sell more easily, and a property priced at 20 million euros could well find a taker in a matter of weeks.
”Mougins occupies a special place on the tour of these villages,” comments Fredrik Lilloe of Estate Net Prestige-Knight Frank. “It owes its popularity to its closeness to Cannes, the sea, golf-courses and tennis clubs. The presence of an international school is also a persuasive argument in the case of English, Scandinavian and Russian buyers.” Le Chemin de Castellaras and Le Redon are undoubtedly the most highly-prized addresses, with properties on offer from 5 to 20 million euros. 15 million euros will bring a main residence of 600-700 m2, renovated throughout, a guest or guardians’ cottage, a landscaped park of 3.75 to 7.5 acres, two swimming pools, a spa, pool-house and an outlook facing south/south-west. The immediate outskirts of the village are also in high demand. Potential purchasers sacrifice spaciousness and tranquillity in exchange for views of the sea and being within walking distance of the medieval centre. Over the past few months, 60 % of the transactions concluded by this agency ranged from 3 to 5 million euros ; the remaining 20 % were above 5 million euros, 20 % under 3 million euros. The notion of a acquiring a sound long-term asset is always an underlying motivation.
By Laetitia Rossi
