Biot and Valbonne : the draw of Sophia Antipolis

For centuries both rural and isolated, the villages of Biot and Valbonne underwent drastic transformation with the dev­elopment of Sophia Antipolis which began in the late 1970’s. Today, the area is in constant demand, despite its high property prices.

With 9,500 and 12,500 inhabitants respectively, the communes of Biot and Valbonne on the Côte d’Azur share a common destiny : two villages built in the Middle Ages to farm the land, which remained unchanged until halfway through the 20th century before being radically transformed as from 1969, the year when Sophia Antipolis was launched. Partly built on the communes of Biot and Valbonne (as well as those of Antibes, Vallauris and Mougins), what has become the largest technopolis in France now hosts 1,400 companies prov­iding around 34,000 highly qualified jobs. Dynamism which acts as a magnet, especially as the area is wooded, residential and picturesque.

“The economic activities of Sophia Antipolis and its international schools - the colleges of L’Eganaude (Biot), Niki de Saint Phalle (Valbonne) and the Centre International de Valbonne - attract an active population,” explains Marie-Jo Battesti, manageress of Octantimmo. “Though the area’s quality life-style also draws people looking for second residences.” Another asset to the area’s credit : “Even though property prices are high, there is a wide choice of homes. We can thus propose properties for all kinds of budgets : from studios at 235,000 € to apartments with 3 or 4 main rooms at around 600,000 €, village houses at 400,000 € and villas at 2 million euros or more.” However, most of the demand is for two types of detached houses : those between 500,000 and 700,000 €, and those priced from 1 to 1.2 million euros. The agency’s last three transactions confirm the trend for the second bracket : a villa of 220 m2 in Biot requiring renovation with lovely grounds which sold for 1.1 million euros, another villa of 160 m2 in the same village, offering a panoramic view of the sea and Cap d’Antibes, sold for the same amount, and a beautifully renovated villa of 200 m2 in Valbonne, priced at 1.2 million euros. According to Marie-Jo Battesti, the area is rivalled by that of Roquefort-les-Pins, “which also benefits from the presence of an intermediate school with an international section (the Collège César) where prices are more appealing”.

Martine Mariacci, manageress of Lucke Immobilier, an agency located at the very heart of Sophia Antipolis, gives an even wider price range : “From 120,000 to 700,000 € for apartments, and from 250,000 to 2.5 million euros for houses. This last figure corresponds to desirable properties in good condition with swimming pools and views”. Examples of this type can notably be found on the highly-prized Domaine de Bois Fleuri and Domaine des Clausonnes in Biot, for which the agency has become a specialist. Most of its sales in fact consist of properties over and above 700,000 €. As for its clients, they are young executives working in Sophia Antipolis, pre-retirees or retirees with substantial budgets. As exemplified by the agency’s most recent transaction : a Provençal villa of over 200 m2 in grounds of 1,800 m2 with a pool, acquired for 840,000 € by a couple of doctors in their sixties, still in activity. “Two years ago, foreigners, mainly English and Scandinavian, represented 50 % of our clientele,” adds Martine Mariacci. “Today, they only account for one-third and are increasingly becoming sellers. A phenomenon explained by tax considerations.” In any event, first-time buyers are very few and far between.