The northern Vaucluse, an authentic address
Not far from large towns in the valley of the Rhône, at the foot of Mont-Ventoux, Vaison-la-Romaine, one of the urban areas in the northern part of the Vaucluse, is surrounded by exuberant nature crossed by the River Ouvèze. The region proposes high-end properties of quality, yet not very widely known…
The town lies at the heart of a project launched by two regional parks : Les Baronnies Provençales and Mont-Ventoux. Renowned for its medieval churches, Vaison-la Romaine is one of the most beautiful detours in France. Its old squares are adorned by fountains, while the ruins of the Vasio Vocontiorum recall the Age of Antiquity. Festivals and other events attract an ever-growing public.
“Whether you are closer to the Pays Voconce, Mont-Ventoux, the Comtat Venaissin or Les Dentelles de Montmirail, the region gives pride of place to vines, olives and truffles,” says Martial Brethenoux of the Michaël Zingraf group. “Hill-top villages, most of them lively year-round, are dotted around this secret and well-preserved part of Provence, composed of a series of different landscapes. These villages are a 20-25-minute drive from the motorway, 30-45 minutes from the TGV station in Avignon.” Here, farmers rarely sell their properties. And newcomers, visibly charmed by the region, are not in any hurry to resell their acquisitions. Whence the low rotation of homes in the area. Rare on the market, properties of quality easily find takers, as long as they conform to a certain logic in terms of pricing. The so-called “prestige” category is of interest to both French and foreign clients (English, Belgian and Swiss), benefitting from an advantageous exchange rate. Sharing the holiday home segment in equal ratios, these “neo-rural” buyers in search of authenticity are fond of old “mas” surrounded by several acres of land. They often intend to settle here permanently once they retire. Others hope to develop a B&B activity. A Swiss couple, for example, have just paid 600,000 € for a property in need of refurbishment near Mazan, which they plan to run as a guest-house once it has been revamped. A few celebrities such as Mimi Mathy and English actress Keira Knightley have treated themselves to a pied-à-terre. There are three main price brackets. The first, ranging from 600,000 to 900,000 €, characterized by a scarcity of opportunities, consists of old farm buildings, either requiring total rehabilitation or already benefitting from a makeover. The 1-2 million euro bracket saw a lot of activity in 2008, was calmer in 2009 and 2010, and is now beginning to draw interest again in these troubled times when bricks and mortar, more than ever before, are regarded as a financial haven. These prices bring living space of 300-500 m2 in a quiet area, near a village with shops. Clients are keen to benefit from sweeping views, a demand hard to meet as the loveliest properties are to be found down in the plain. Over and above 2.5 million euros, properties tend to be vineyard estates. A house of 620 m2 on about ten acres of land in the Pays Voconce is currently on offer at 3.2 million euros, while one would need a budget of 6 million euros for a Venetian palace of 1,600 m2 on around 34.5 acres in the Drôme Provençale.
Arnaud Bercker of Accord Immobilier operates within a radius of about a dozen kilometres around Vaison, a homogeneous world studded with Provençal villages, though he also covers areas further afield whenever he comes across properties of real charm. The market here is mixed, characterized by a wide price range, from a simple building plot of 700 m2 costing from 90,000 € to residences estimated at several million euros. A restored old mill of 470 m2 in 12,000 m2 of walled and landscaped grounds, offering a pond and swimming pool, is currently pegged at over 2 million euros. Over the past five years, Arnaud Bercker has noticed a rise in the number of clients capable of investing such amounts. At the end of August, one such buyer paid 1,360,000 € for luxurious appointments in a unique setting, offering very reasonable surface areas both indoors and out. People’s dem-ands naturally rise in the same proportions as the price. Little by little, Vaison is becoming to the northern Vaucluse what Gordes represents in the Luberon, and Saint-Rémy in the Alpilles. It sometimes inherits clients from the last two towns, delighted to escape the wintertime blues of the nature reserves and prices which are sometimes dissuasive. For equivalent properties, differences can in fact attain 30 % or more.
Stéphanie and Jean-Marc Goubert of G. Immobilier de Prestige do not represent properties under 600,000 €. A business plan that takes them over a wide area, from Caderousse to Sault. At 1 million euros or more, one finds “mas”, “bastides” and “bergeries” offering living space of 300-350 m2, recently revamped. Over and above 4 million euros, buyers can set their sights on medieval châteaux or vineyard estates. The first have an aura of stone nurtured by the passing centuries, the second benefit from generous living space and vineyards in activity. One seller, for instance, is asking somewhere between 4 and 5 million euros for a fortress of 600 m2, boasting ultra-contemporary interior decor with a garden of 3,000 m2. A blend of old and new is very fashionable. This type of home draws the same type of clientele as that seen in the Luberon or Alpilles, often weary of the seasonal aspect of the most sought-after addresses in the Vaucluse and Bouches-du-Rhône, and aware of the intrinsic value of these exceptional properties. Apart from that, the authentic north does not attract the same flows of population. One can still find properties to renovate and others with real development potential, such as a master residence of 1,500 m2 only 2 km from Vaison, on offer at 1.2 M €. It should, however, be pointed out that the majority of transactions concluded in the so-called luxury sector range from 800,000 to 1 million euros, and over 1.5 million euros.
By Laetitia Rossi
