North Vaucluse : between vineyards and architectural heritage

A luxuriant tourist area steeped in history, the northern part of the Vaucluse is a N°1 destination in Provence. Especially for foreigners, and Belgians in particular. Spotlight on the areas around Vaison-la-Romaine and Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes.

A commune with over 6,000 inhabitants surrounded by hills covered by woods and vines, Vaison-la-Romaine and its remarkably pleasant Mediterranean climate offer living conditions of outstanding quality. Just like its heritage : this address in Provence with a very lively cultural scene in fact plays host to the vestiges of over 2,000 years of history, including the famous and particularly well-preserved Roman bridge (1st century A.D.), the Roman site and its thermal spa (Ist and 2nd centuries A.D.), and many medieval monuments (castle of the Counts of Toulouse, Cathedral of Notre-Dame-de-Nazareth, cloisters…). Vaison also produces wines bearing the AOC Côtes-du-Rhône and Ventoux labels. Benefiting from several schools, a hospital centre and a dense concentration of shops, it is 10 km from the foot of Mount Ventoux, 27 km from Orange and 50 km from Avignon (and the TGV station).

“Despite its vocation as a popular tourist attraction, Vaison-la-Romaine is lively all year round,” says Jean-Pierre Garcia, manager-director of CTI L’Immobilier en Provence, an agency opened in Vaison in 1989 covering a radius of up to 30 km around the town, sometimes further in the case of properties of real charm. On this market dominated by houses rather than apartments, “a village house costs from 250,000 to 300,000 €. For a farmhouse in need of restoration with almost 2.5 acres of land, prices start from 300,000 €. As for villas, they range from 250,000 to 350,000 € and more”. A villa of 130 m2, for example, in perfect condition with 1,800 m2 of grounds, a pool and panoramic view recently found a taker at 360,000 €. “As for apartments, a new high-end development will also be rising from the ground in Vaison in just over a year’s time : 1 km from the town centre, it will offer apartments of 130 m2 with clear views of Vaison and parking facilities in the basement, priced from 380,000 to 450,000 €.” Mentioning a fall in prices of about 10 %, Jean-Pierre Garcia chalks up around 60 % of his sales in holiday homes, mainly acquired by clients from Paris and Belgium.

For Antoine Mattar of L’Immobilière du Ventoux, holiday homes account for 80 % of the business. Specializing for over 20 years in stone houses up to 50 km around Vaison (further out in the case of outstanding properties), he confirms the region’s popularity among foreign clients : “They are mainly from Belgium, followed by a few from Switzerland and Great Britain, the latter now making a comeback”. Also noting prices declines of 5 to 15 % for both houses and apartments, he talks about a “healthier” market where properties are now rarely over-estimated : “Today, demand is mostly for homes priced between 350,000 and 500,000 €. Those proposed from 700,000 to 1.2 M €, no longer find takers. Though according to our initial observations, 2015 looks promising and much better than 2014”. For instance, a stone house of 200 m2 surounded by vineyards, in 3,000 m2 of grounds, priced at 390,000 € recently sold for 340,000 € (with some interior refurbishment required). What about building land ? “For a plot of 800 m2, one can expect to pay from 140,000 to150,000 €.”

15 km west of Vaison-la-Romaine (a 20-minute drive), one comes across Sainte-Cécile-les-Vignes, a charming village with less than 2,500 residents, widely appreciated for its pleasant life-style and its wines : AOC Côtes-du-Rhône, for which Sainte-Cécile’s vineyards account for 10 % of the total production, Côtes-du-Rhône Villages and the label “Vin de Pays de la Principauté d’Orange”. Wine-related tourism has been widely developed here, together with hiking and biking excursions.

Here again, the property market has undergone some adjustment : “In the old days, the highest sales price of the year attained 600,000 €. In 2014, it was under 450,000 € and the majority of transactions ranged from 90,000 to 220,000 €,” explain Nelly Piaget and Blandine Dalla Costa, co-manageresses of Dapia Immobilier, an agency in Sainte-Cécile which opened its doors in 2010 and covers a 10-km radius around the town (a second branch was opened last summer in Suze-la-Rousse, in the Drôme). By way of example, they cite among their most recent sales a partly restored old house of almost 140 m2 in 2,700 m2 of grounds, priced at 190,000 €. “As for apartments, which are limited here, studios cost about 60,000 €, 1- and 2-bedroomed apartments from 90,000 to 110,000 €.” Another new trend : “Demand for building land has declined in favour of properties in need of renovation - farmhouses and “mas” -, due to new building standards which are stricter and more costly. Otherwise, a serviced building plot costs over 120 € per sqm. in Sainte-Cécile, from 90 to 100 € in the nearby area”. In addition to a clientele looking for year-round homes, which constitutes the larger share of their transactions, numerous Belgian and Parisian buyers contact Nelly Piaget and Blandine Dalla Costa

for holiday homes.

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