Apt and the nearby region
By Laetitia Rossi - 08 July 2011
Situated 33 km from Cavaillon, 40 km from Manosque, 53 km from Avignon and 62 km from Aix-en-Provence, this commune in the valley of Le Calavon is home to 11,150 residents. Between the Massif du Luberon and the Monts du Vaucluse, it is a junction for five different rivers. 80 % of its housing is comprised of main residences. And three-quarters of its homes were built before 1975.
The “Aptois” are currently seeing the restoration and commercial revitalisation of their old town centre. In the surrounding area, one comes across hamlets and small localities scattered across a rural landscape. Local architecture gives priority to authentic old buildings, so-called “tall” houses which once sheltered animals at ground level, with earthen floors. The region makes its living from tourism, the production of candied fruit, earthenware, clay and ochre quarries, agriculture and the manufacturing of surgical implants. Well-known for illuminat-ing the Eiffel Tower on the occasion of the third millennium, Blachère Illumination enjoys a reputation at European level, while the Delta Plus Group, specializing in protection, is a major source of employment.
“Depending on the property’s condition, locals pay from 200,000 to 250,000 € for individual homes of 90-100 m2 on estates, with gardens of 600-700 m2,” says Véronique Lloubié of Maisons de Rêves. Apartments are often the solution adopted by first-time buyers. The typical client, preared to pay 120,000-130,000 € for a 2-bedroom apartment, targets secure residences in the centre. The almost systematic absence of elevators doesn’t put them off, as these residences rarely exceed two upper floors. The existence of a terrace, usually “tropézienne”, can make a real difference. Investors are rare : only a few acquire apartment buildings in need of total rehabilitation. When not on an estate, villas with an attractive view and generous outdoor space generally range from 300,000 to 900,000 €. One such example of 90 m2 with a garden of 4,600 m2 recently found a taker at 315,000 €. The French, Belgians and Dutch looking for holiday homes are drawn by the region. While they tend to be divided between old stones with character and ultra-contemporary houses with picture windows, they all place importance on a panoramic view. A traditional clientele from Marseille, in search of an easily accessible “countryside” still show an interest, especially on the eastern side of Apt, offering relatively reasonable prices. Here, the starting-price for an unpretentious house with a small garden is 150,000 € : on the other hand, large properties bear high price-tags justified by appointments worthy of the Golden Triangle in the Luberon.
“Around 300,000-350,000 €, demand is hard to meet due to the lack of available properties,” comment Mireille Ziegelbaum and Patrick Gatinet of the agency Immobilier en Luberon, covering Le Pays d’Apt from Lourmarin and Gordes. “Eight out of every ten clients are looking for holiday homes. Mainly close to retirement, they want to be near shops and amenities. They prefer little villages like Saint-Saturnin, for example, to Apt. Some of them are willing to look closer to Roussillon or Goult, a 20-minute drive away.” Among their latest sales, these estate-agents mention a villa of 140 m2 in grounds of 1,200 m2 over towards Saint-Saturnin, at 500,000 € ; a property close to the highly-prized Roussillon, famous for its ochre production, offering 8 bedrooms in grounds of 8,000 m2 in the plain facing the Luberon, at 950,000 € ; and an old building of 250 m2 on almost 6.25 acres of land, acquired by Swiss clients for 1,050,000 €. Properties without terraces or gardens are hard to sell, even at prices under 200,000 €. Highly appreciated, the market for old properties to restore is nevertheless expensive. A Renaissance village house of 180 m2 in Saint-Martin-de-Castillon, requiring total restructuring, will fetch 300,000 €, the floor-price demanded for such a property of character, clearly benefitting from high potential. Despite a quality location and/or appointments, properties on offer at over 2 million euros are hard to shift, recalling that the region around Apt and the triangle composed by Gordes-Ménerbes-Bonnieux are indeed two distinct entities.