It is easy to enthuse about the Var’s 300 km of coastline and welcoming seaside resorts. The uniqueness of St Tropez is often evoked. But the second most-densely forested department in France is more than just a coastline. There’s the hinterland, too…

The assets that originally led to Draguignan's development are still valid : its geographic position, the university, a strong service sector and affordable prices.
Inland regions in the Var are conducive to a different type of tourism to that observed on the coast, but still deserve to be explored. This is the Provence of hills and plains, of scrubland and pine groves, of vineyards and flowers. The landscape is a succession of forests, rivers, lakes, churches, chapels and chateaux. The Draguignan region and the canton of Fayence are dotted with delightful villages, drawing a clientele attracted to wide open spaces and quality of life.
The commune is said to be a garrison town ; the Canjuers Base is located twenty kilometres away. The sea is half an hour away and the nearest ski resort (La Foux d’Allos) 90 minutes. Draguignan is home to an artillery school, a law university and a teacher-training centre. The service sector prevails over industry and property is cheaper than on the coast… “Hence its growth,” explains Jean-Jacques Valverdé of Laforêt Immobilier. “It’s easy to settle or invest here. The market is reassuringly linear.” Apartments account for 55 % of the market with a significant majority of 3- and 2-bedroom apartments. Individual housing accounts for 42 %. Located 800 metres from the centre, Le Malmont stands out as a privileged neighbourhood with unimpaired views. Slightly lower down, La Vaugine is perfect for lovers of town houses and small houses with gardens. Recent apartment complexes are to be found downtown in the Jardins de la Gare. The average price per square metre for an apartment is 2,500-2,700 €, or 3,000 € for a house or new building. 86.25 % of property in Draguignan is owned by the local working population ; holiday homes account for only 4 %. Property developers Nexity, Kaufman & Broad and Cogedim are showing increasing interest in this mid-Var town. Private investors can expect good returns from rental property.
In and around Draguignan, the data and prices above apply to Arcs-sur-Argens, Flayosc and Figanières, only here there is more individual housing and more village houses. Another difference resides in the British and a few Dutch looking for holiday homes. They opt for Bargemon, Callas or Lorgues and want 150-200 m2 on 5,000 m2 of land with an open outlook. For such a property they will readily spend 600-650,000 €.

Benefitting from easy access, the site attracts both buyers of holiday homes and people who work at Sophia-Antipolis or on the coast.
A TGV station and proximity with Sophia-Antipolis bestow quite an aura upon Les Arcs. “From this pleasant small town, it takes only thirty minutes to get to Sophia-Antipolis, the Alpes-Maritimes’ dynamic pool of employment,” explains Catherine Cantat-Sauvage of Immobilière TransArc. “The English and the Dutch love this area. And workers from the coast, scared off by the high prices, are returning to the hinterland.” A studio costs between 50,000 € and 90,000 €, a one-bedroom apartment goes for 95,000-150,000 €, and a two-bedroom for 150,000-200,000 €. 3-bedroom apartments suffer competition from houses, whereas smaller units generate good rental yield. The shortage of property to rent explains its success. A village house can range between 150,000 and 400,000 €. A semi-detached costs at least 200,000 € and a detached house starts at 250,000 €. This is a lead-in price for buyers of holiday homes (i.e. 50 % of buyers) who often have a soft spot for old buildings. At the top of the range, prices start at 500,000 € (150 m2 on 6,000 m2) and exceed one million euros (a magnificent bastide on a hectare of land). Land is rare and it is hard to obtain a 600-m2 plot for under 150,000 €. 2,000-4,000 m2 with a view are worth 250,000 €. Property is often priced above market level although that trend has dipped over the pat six months. Summer was quiet ; business got fired up again in September.

The distance separating its villages from the motorway determines two types of clients : people working in the Var and Alpes-Maritimes, and the retired looking for peace and quiet.
It is easy to fall in love with the area presented by Michel Bursachi of L’Olivado. It is located behind the Estérel massif and equidistant from Cannes and Fréjus (a half-hour drive to either one). The canton includes Le Tanneron, Montauroux, Caillan, Saint-Paul-en-Forêt, Tourrettes-de-Fayence, Fayence, Seillans and Mons, totalling 18,127 inhabitants. It boasts several tourism high-spots : St Cassien Lake, the Fayence glider centre – one of Europe’s biggest, plus a superb golf resort offering eighteen holes and a Four Seasons hotel : golf aficionados salivate when they hear the name Terre Blanche. Easy access (located near exit 39 Les Adrets on the motorway) is just another of its many plus points. There are two types of offering : villages near the motorway and destined for workers in the Var and the Alpes-Maritimes (Montauroux, Caillan, Tourrettes and Fayence), and the bucolic communes sought after by the retired or for a future retirement (Mons, Saint-Paul-en-Forêt and Seillans). The French rarely have a budget over 600,000 €. The budget of a North European varies between 400,000 and 1 m €. Prices in the canton are homogenous. For 200,000 €, one can buy 150 m2 in need of renovation in the centre of a village. With 500,000 €, one can expect 200 m2, also in a medieval village, with a terrace and view. A garden bumps up the price, as does easy parking. There are three categories of house : those constructed in the ‘70s and in need of renovation (80 m2 on 1,500 m2 for 350,000 €) ; post-90s houses (150 m2 on 5,000 m2 with a pool for 530,000 €) ; and recent houses (a semi or terraced house of 130 m2 on 1,000 m2 for 500,000 € or a 165-m2 detached house on 4,000 m2 for 700,000 €). There are a few new developments, notably Cap Fayence, which has priced a two-bedroom unit with tiny garden at 359,000 €. But they have difficulty finding their place on the market and standing out from the more attractively priced range of old buildings. Demand comes from the working population. Lacking the necessary funds, they abandon the coast. The Draguignan region offers a pleasant compromise between town and countryside. Less built-up than the sea front, it boasts all the commodities of the city without the drawbacks. Sadly, however, there is no hospital or high school.

Sunny locations, elevated views, a classified site and closeness to amenities are all assured by Les Adrets...
“The French word ‘adret’ means the sunny side of a hill, and Les Adrets does indeed enjoy a dominant and sunny position. One can see the Bay of Cannes located fifteen minutes away by car, and the protected area of the Estérel. The motorway is close at hand but cannot be seen or heard. Property consists mainly of houses and is organised around villages boasting all basic commodities.” The attraction of a village in the Var is clear once Pascal Voghi of Centrale d’Etudes Immobilières has set the scene. 85 % of buyers live there all year round, working in Cannes, at Aérospatiale in Mandelieu-La-Napoule, or in Sophia-Antipolis. Then there are Scandinavian and British holiday homes. The market starts at 300,000 €, which buys 100 m2 on 1,500 m2 with a good view. Most properties offer 200 m2 on 1,500 m2 of land and sell for between 600,000 € and 800,000 €. An outstanding property (a particularly smart 350-m2 house on 5,000 m2 facing the Mediterranean and the Estérel) will range between 2 and 3 million ?. Demand is the same as in the past, but supply is greater. This combination logically leads to a price adjustment. In this sector, new buildings are not the stuff of property developers, but of private individuals. A few plots still remain starting from between 250,000 € and 300,000 € for 1,500 m2. Clients adore the ‘enclosed estate’ configuration. Séguret can be reached by foot from the village and Le Parc Résidentiel de l’Estérel, with its bigger plots, is a definite hit.