The regional nature park of the Luberon
77 communes, 51 in the Vaucluse and 26 in the Alpes-de-Haute-Provence, comprise the Luberon, straddled by the mountain range of the same name. It stretches over 75 km, from Cavaillon to Forcalquier, encompassing the Monts du Vaucluse. 176,500 people live here year-round.
Fortified castles, ancient villages and traditional homes evoke eleven centuries of history, while agricultural land flourishes in the plain. Between villages and farm estates, little hamlets of Alpine influence began to appear here in the 16th century. Natural springs, roads and markets are never far away. Each stone tells the tale of a family, an era. Medieval village houses, “bastides”, farmhouses, “cabanons” or “mas”, a commodity both authentic and sought-after, are all dotted around this picture-postcard scenery.
“Since the beginning of 2018, we have had lots of requests for visits with budgets usually ranging from 600,000 to 1.6 million euros,” says Marie-Madeleine Nelson of Un Mas en Provence. The lower end of the price bracket corresponds to a recent house offering modern amenities with 3 or 4 bedrooms, living space of 150-200 m2 in grounds of 3,000 m2 at most with a pool. The upper end allows a buyer to aim for a restored “mas” of 250-300 m2 (4/5 bedrooms) in grounds of 5,000 m2, enjoying a sweeping view and a real pool area with a pool-house and outdoor kitchen. Spikes over and above 3 million euros are less frequent, and often involve foreign buyers, British, Belgian or American. This threshold implies generous reception rooms, studies, bedrooms systematically prolonged by en-suite bathrooms, and lock-up garages. Marie-Madeleine Nelson defines two kinds of buyers. “Pro-Golden Triangle” clients appreciate flagship addresses and partying with friends. Fans of wide open spaces, genuine domains, go further than Apt or Bonnieux, benefiting from prices 10-15 % lower for equivalent properties. They are the “back-to-nature” type, in search of privacy and discretion. Not forgetting mixing with the locals. A study of the past three years shows steadier prices, with a decline of 2%. 2017 saw a 14% rise in the number of sales in the Vaucluse. Interest rates are still low, indicators flash green for go, and the threat of Brexit seems more distant than ever before. The up-turn witnessed last year is being confirmed in 2018.
“Activity is constant, homogeneous, and flowing smoothly, all over the regional nature park,” say Alice and François Sanchez of Pierres & Tradition, managers of three agencies in Apt, Céreste, 18 km from the sub-prefecture, and Roussillon, 10 km away. Among the agency’s latest transactions, they mention a recent house of 200 m2 in grounds of 2,000 m2 in a quiet spot in the highly touristic village of Roussillon. After renting for a year in Ménerbes, a couple of Scottish retirees set their sights on the property, acquiring it for 600,000 €. Australian clients, wanting to spend six months a year in Provence, then treated themselves to a stone property with view over the village of Gordes : living space of 200 m2 in need of modernization on 3.46 acres of land, priced at 950,000 €. “They fell in love at first sight with the view taken by drone, enchanted by the drystone building as much as the sweeping view,” recalls Alice Sanchez. Local buyers with an agricultural project then acquired a 19th-C. farmhouse of 260 m2 on 17.3 acres of land, in need of total renovation at the foot of the Luberon. Beautiful building plots are rare. One authorizing construction of a property of 250 m2, in Roussillon, just found a taker at 175,000 €.
“Views, peacefulness, privacy, and closeness to amenities are recurrent criteria,” comments Joy Masson of Joys of Provence. Roussillon, Goult, Saint-Saturnin, Gordes, Ménerbes and Bonnieux top the bill. 70% of buyers insist on the Luberon, and even certain villages in particular. 30% aim more widely for Provence, often ready to consider different addresses. Like one visitor who just settled for the Drôme Provençale. The Luberon’s main competitor is usually, however, Les Alpilles. Villages and the atmosphere here bear close resemblance to the Luberon. While their prestige sectors are pretty much equal, the Luberon claims to be less windy, and less seasonal. Mostly aged from 45 to 60, 20 % of buyers are locals, 20 % from the Lille-Paris-Lyon corridor, 60 % international. Interest for the top end of the market is as keen as ever. This month alone, four potential buyers turned up with budgets over 5 million euros. Enough to set their sights on a property renovated throughout to meet contemporary specifications and hotel standards, with an elevator and cutting-edge interior decor, on 17.3 acres of land in Ménerbes, up for sale at close on 7 million euros.
