Villas north of Montpellier

Delightfully wooded and undulating, the area just north of Montpellier is dotted with several villages offering a pleasant and practical setting for the actively employed and senior citizens from within the urban area. Its population has risen over the past decade, testifying to the popularity of this chic and countrified suburb of the prefecture of L’Hérault.

Home to 8,660 people, Saint-Gély-du-Fesc is less than10 km north of Montpellier on the road to Ganges, in a valley surrounded by hills and crossed by the river Pezouillet. In parallel to rising population figures recorded since the turn of the century, property prices have followed an upward trend. A compromise between town and country, the village, which organizes fêtes, cultural and sports events, proposes housing estates such as the Domaine des Vautes or Beauregard. Saint-Clément-de-Rivière with 5,100 residents has two distinct sectors. The south, bordering on the capital of “département 34”, is shared out between comfortable villas and apartment buildings. It also hosts one of the largest hypermarkets in Montpellier’s entire urban area. To the north, an area accommodating amongst other things an intermediate and secondary school, wooded hillsides rub shoulders with vineyards running along the river Lez. Montferrier-sur-Lez is home to 3,400 people. 7 km from Montpellier, this locality is set around an ancient volcano 150 metres high. Its fortifications and village houses are in fact built of basaltic stone. Quiet and residential, the site has retained its character. The international campus has 500 scientists and, in collaboration with the Regional Council of Languedoc-Roussillon and the General Council of L’Hérault, the CNRS is creating Ecotron. Line 5 of the tramway could be extended to reach this address, as well as the universities and schools along the way. The opening of the Pont du Languedoc in 2008 enabled the A750 motorway to cross the river and gave the 5,165 residents of Gignac easier access. The more affordable prices posted by this commune naturally draw first-time buyers with a fondness for the countryside.

Frédéric Gasser of Dupin Immobilier manages three agencies between Montpellier and Cévennes. “Up to 20 km from Montpellier, the majority of clients, working in the city, dispose of budgets between 350,000 and 450,000 €, bringing respectively a detached 3-bedroom house opening out to a small garden or a house of 140 m2 with a garden of 1,000 m2 and a pool.” Today, prices are always up for bargaining, but the market is active. There is more land available around Saint-Clément and Montferrier, while Saint-Gély and Grabels offer a mixed kind of scenery. These communes owe their popularity to the quality of their infrastructures. Around Ganges, the proportion of secondary residents, now about 40 %, is rising significantly. The French, comprising the majority, rub shoulders with north Europeans, who fall for the charm of stone, local character and peacefulness. Very often, they opt for a move just before retiring, or even a professional venture in a B&B activity. Depending on their tastes, some set their sights on village houses of 100 m2, starting from 120,000 €, others are looking for stone properties on several acres of land, priced at around 400,000 €.

Bruno Pascal of Caractère Sud Square Habitat specializes in “properties of character”, whether architect designed with lofty volumes or authentic old residences, at prices ranging from 750,000 to 1.5 million euros. Interested parties give priority to the location, grounds of at least 1,300 m2, high-quality appointments and a sweeping view. This clientele consists of company directors, self-employed professionals and senior executives from within the region, but also young retirees, both French and foreign, or buyers of holiday homes from Belgium and Luxembourg, all drawn by the attractions offered by Montpellier, the short distance from the Mediterranean and the competitive prices compared to those on the Côte d’Azur or in the Basque country. Whatever the price bracket, any property whose value has been fairly estimated is likely to find a buyer without any difficulty. By way of example, a contemporary villa of 280 m2 in grounds of 1,400 m2, currently on offer at 970,000 €, will probably be snapped up withinin one month of being on the market. The northern part of the area offers larger grounds than the southern part, which compensates by opening out to the sea.

“Gignac has a wide choice of properties, suiting first-time buyers who can’t afford the first ring aroung the city,” says Christophe Joullié of Saint-Benoît Immobilier, an agency opened in 1998. Village houses of 90 m2 without gardens cost 120,000-150,000 €, with gardens 160,000-180,000 €, building plots of 500-700 m2 with a construction ratio of 0.2-0.3 from 100,000 to 120,000 €, villas of 90 m2 with gardens of 500 m2 from 230,000 to 260,000 €, 120 m2 with gardens of 800-1,000 m2 from 270,000 to 300,000 €, and up to 330,000 € if they also offer a pool. The 120,000-250,000 € bracket is by far the most sought-after. Buyers usually work 15 minutes from home, a drive shortened by the motorway, in the north and north-western areas of Montpellier. The Parc Euromédecine and Sanofi-Aventis laboratories provide lots of jobs. There is also a sizeable clientele comprised of senior citizens from Paris and Lyon. Very often, they pay cash for properties ranging from 350,000 to 450,000 €, whereas foreign clients, previously present if only marginal, have virtually disappeared.