Le Cannet : residential, authentic and lively

A town with almost 45,000 residents just north of Cannes, Le Cannet proposes residential neighbourhoods with wonderful sea views, an historic centre with lots of character, and a more affordable sector undergoing considerable development. Just 2 km from the beaches !

Writer Prosper Mérimée, artists Pierre Bonnard, Auguste Renoir and Henri Lebasque, and tragic actress Rachel all chose Le Cannet for their vacations. For good reason : sheltered by seven wooded hills, the town benefits from an exceptional climate and an admirable panoramic sea view stretching from the Lérins Islands to the Estérel hills, renowned since the 19th century. The residential neighbourhoods with their luxury villas, especia­lly in Le Haut Cannet, offer particularly attractive living conditions. As for the old part of Le Cannet, known as “Le Cannet Mairie”, an historic centre boasting a rich heritage both architectural (several listed monuments including the villa “Le Bosquet”) and cultural (artists on Rue Saint-Sauveur, Bonnard Museum…), it looks rather like a village in Provence. In sharp contrast to the western side of the commune, dominated by Le Cannet Rocheville, a more urban area with a go-ahead economy and well-developed infrastructures (multipurpose events facility “La Palestre”...).

“Le Cannet is clearly split by the Avenue du Campon between the historic centre edged by the residential areas, and Rocheville,” says Gérard Penna, sales manager for Damonte Immobilier, an agency launched in 1988, now comprised of 3 entities : the head office in Rocheville, L’Agence du Cannet in the town-hall neighbourhood, and Gersud in Valbonne. There are thus two levels of prices : “In Rocheville, 2-bedroomed apartments cost from 180,000 to 250,000 €, whereas for the same type of home in Le Cannet Mairie one can expect to pay from 400,000 to over 1 million euros”. The same is true for houses : “We handle properties ranging from 400,000 to 500,000 € in Rocheville which would be worth double that amount, or more, in the centre”. Two types of clients thus contact Damonte Immobilier and L’Agence du Cannet : “People working locally, including a few first-time buyers, and French or foreign clients (mainly from northern Europe) with high purchasing power”. According to Gérard Penna, prices “which have more than doubled since the introduction of the euro, must now undergo an adjustment in order to correspond more closely to market realities”.

Gilles Schwarz, manager of L'Agence Baxton Cannes Alsace, specializes in properties in Le Cannet Mairie/Cannet Résid­entiel and has a good number of clients from Alsace : “In the centre, large apartments priced from 2,800 to 4,500 € per sqm. are highly-prized by a clientele of retirees who often previously owned villas in areas further out”. Town houses with 4/5 main rooms and gardens of 300 to 500 m2 priced from 500,000 to 700,000 € (or 600,000 to 900,000 € on the hills) are sought by families wanting to be close to amen­ities (schools, extra-curricular activities...). “Both French and foreign clients looking for second residences tend to target Le Cannet Résidentiel for its panoramic views of the sea. On Avenue Victoria, we recently sold an apartment of 100 m2 with 3/4 main rooms, a terrace of 34 m2 and a sea view, for 6,000 € per sqm.” For villas in this prestigious neighbourhood, prices can attain 7,000-8,000 € per sqm. Gilles Schwarz also believes that prices need to be more well-balanced : “Sellers who follow our estimates find takers, unlike those who cling to price-levels applicable a year or two ago”.