Crest and Le Diois, a paradise of authenticity

A natural and historic region, Le Diois forms part of the Préalpes Occidentales and covers the southern part of the Massif du Vercors and the northern part of the Massif du Diois, in the Drôme Provençale. Thanks to its location on the borderline between the Alps and Provence, it offers a wide diversity of scenery and undeniable charm.

Here, the landscapes are superb, the light inspires artists and the climate is very pleasant. When you learn that the property market also offers appealing prices, you easily understand that the region is drawing more and more town-dwellers wanting to get back to nature or benefit fully from their retirement.

“The boom in the Internet has been very positive for us,” say Michèle Bompare and Cyrille Bouvet of Diois Immobilier. “Criteria now have to be very precise, and our properties finally have a chance of getting on the screens. What attracts the future home-owner ? Fabulous settings and real authenticity.” While seeing something of an exodus, the upper part of Le Diois offers picturesque villages dating back to medieval times, such as Châtillon-en Diois and Luc-en-Diois. Village houses, many of which require renovation, are popular among locals prepared to undertake the work. Depending on the surface area, this type of home costs from 80,000 € to 140,000 € and will need more or less serious rehabilitation. The elderly are forsaking this type of housing on two or three floors, preferring suburban houses all at ground level. On the rental market, 2 bedroom apartments of 70 m2 can be found in villages for 450-500 € per month. Another area where prices are very affordable is in the Drôme Provençale, in La Motte-Chalançon, a 45-minute drive from Le Diois and 40 minutes from Nions. Those who opt for living here had better be nature-lovers ! A farmhouse of 70 m2 to renovate with a large attic, about 2.5 acres of land and a superb view of the village, is priced at 200,000 €. Actively employed locals with slightly higher buying power look towards Saillans. They want to be closer to main roads and the valley of the Rhône. Saillans is the realm of neat suburban “pavillons”, houses built of stone and lovely larger properties. For 230,000 €, you can move into a “pavillon” of 100 m2 with a garage and garden of 600 m2. The same house in Die, on an estate, would be put up for sale at 200,000 €. Surrounded by ramparts and home to 4,500 people, Die has posted the same population figures for the past 100 years. Here, there are less than 100 births per year and life seems to roll on, peaceful and serene. No vandalism, no red traffic lights either for this commune which regularly witnesses the arrival of young retirees from the towns, as well as buyers from Lyon, Grenoble and Paris, keen to invest in a secure country setting. Foreign clients are thin on the ground ; a few from Belgium and Holland looking for their dream homes and ready to live, or at least spend their holidays, here. They pay on average 450,000 €. “Le Diois was a land of protestants,” explains Cyrille Bouvet. “Young generations are following in the footsteps of their ancestors.” Those who decide to build their own homes can find land at 60 € per sq. metre in the upper Diois, from 110 to 115 € per sq. metre over towards Saillans.

“Here in the region, we’ve noticed a growing number of people who were thinking of buying in the Luberon but finally opt for the Drôme,” says Francis Fugeirol of Muthuon Immobilier, an agency specializing in old houses and enviable properties. “Composed of hills, mountains and “garrigue”, the environment offers genuine appeal, and prices are more affordable.” The clientele is 90 % French (mostly from Paris and Lyon) with a few Belgians and Swiss who have very precise criteria in terms of architecture and the surroundings. By TGV, Paris is 2 hrs 30 away, Lyon 1 hr 15 and Geneva 3 hrs. Prices vary depending on addresses. In Allex, for example, an L-shaped house comprising the main accommodation of 120 m2, a “gîte” of 60 m2 for paying guests and 180 m2 of outbuildings, in enclosed grounds of 5,000 m2 with a swimming pool, offering potential, is on offer at 485,000 €. On the same commune, the Château of Les Ramières is waiting for a buyer willing to pay 1,280,000 € for 1,000 m2 of history, almost 12.5 acres of land, and renovation to look forward to. In Grane, a house of 350 m2 in need of a revamp in grounds of 7,000 m2 is available for 663,000 €. In Mirmande, another residence of 320 m2 with lots of charm (and the possibility of B&B activity) is priced at 780,000 €. In 2011, an 18th-C. mill with 2 “gîtes”, on about 2.5 acres of land in Crest, sold for 760,000 €. “Most clients want to invest in a family home, in a place where they can all spend time together, organize get-togethers and recreate the spirit that used to exist but somehow got lost.” They are also influenced by the fact that 90 % of these larger properties are year-round residences and thus come with a guarantee of security and authenticity. Moreover, at the time of purchase, most of the buyers intend to move in permanently within five years. This high-end, or very high-end, sector does not really suffer from the hesitancy of banks to grant mortgages ; in some cases, increasingly tiresome red tape is more inclined to hold up the completion of a sale. In the middle range of the market, 2011 - and especially the fourth quarter - largely proved to be positive. And if January 2012 was traditionally quiet, the market bounced back as from early March. The crisis and presidential elections are evidently not weighing unduly on the property market, which remains a safe haven come hell or high water.

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