Les Monts d’Or, a choice address

Located north-west of Lyon, this mountain range extends over roughly ten kilometres, with the River Saône flowing east. The site offers areas of national and regional interest, such as natural springs and quarries, already exploited during the Roman era. Rising to an altitude of 625 m, Mount Verdun is the highest point in the region.

Les Monts d’Or are home to the towns of Albigny-sur-Saône, Champagne-au-Mont-d’Or, Chasselay, Collonges-au-Mont-d’Or, Couzon-au-Mont-d’Or, Curis-au-Mont-d’Or, Limonest, Poleymieux-au-Mont-d’Or, Saint-Cyr-au-Mont-d’Or, Saint-Didier-au-Mont-d’Or, Saint-Germain-au-Mont-d’Or and Saint-Romain-au-Mont-d’Or. Only Chasselay is not part of the urban community of Lyon. The proximity of the prefecture of département 69, as well as a quality life-style, bring this address the favours of a well-heeled clientele.

Muriel Rambaldi of Murs et Tradition describes how “Les Monts d’Or, a very green environment, overlooks the city of Lyon. Limonest, Saint-Cyr and Saint-Didier benefit from magnificent views, while the four other towns enjoy fast and easy access to the banks of the Saône, a much-appreciated walking location for residents”. Currently, a budget of 560,000 € is required for a detached house of 140 m2 in need of modernization, in grounds of 800 m2, a property which would suit a working family. By way of example, a doctor with children paid 1,150,000 € for an early 20th-century bourgeois house of 250 m2 with a guardians’ house of 50 m2, at the heart of a 12,000 m2 park, oriented towards Fourvière, at the foot of Mount Cindre and in the vicinity of Saint-Cyr. Finally, a financial expert invested 1,350,000 € in a recent house of 220 m2 with full home automation, in grounds of 2,000 m2 with a pool. Demand is always steady, though completions are more complex and often take longer, which is a logical observation in today’s economic climate.

Active for over three decades in the Monts d’Or region, the Arlim agency set up an “Arlim Prestige” department in 2008 to cater for demand from clients from Lyon and employees transferred from other regions in search of a rural or village atmosphere on the doorstep of a dynamic employment pool. Vincent Ferrari explains : “The apartments available in our database range from 250,000 to 1.3 million euros”. As examples, 269,000 € are needed to acquire a 2-bedroom apartment of 71 m2 with a garage, terrace and parking place in Champagne, 375,000 € for a 3-bedroomed apartment of 84 m2 with an outdoor area and large double garage in Saint-Didier, 650,000 € for a home of 163 m2 with an outdoor area in an old building in Collonges, and 1,380,000 € for an apartment of 290 m2 in a luxury condominium with a pool and tennis court in Saint-Didier. The agency is currently proposing an 18th-C. building, also in Saint-Didier, rehabilitated and divided into nine units for conversion, ranging from 64 to 164 m2, and priced between 240,000 and 595,000 €. The majority of transactions here concern houses rather than apartments. A new example of 100 m2 with a garden of 500 m2 in Collonges is on offer at 390,000 €. 730,000 € are required for a house of 210 m2 in grounds of 1,000 m2 in Saint-Cyr. Finally, the owners of a 19th-C. residence of 450 m2 with outbuildings on 6,000 m2 of land are asking 2.5 million euros for the entire property.