Cannes, exemplary stability

Radia Amar - 02 February 2023

Both effervescent and peaceful, glamorous and authentic, Cannes is full of paradoxes. Its beauty and fine art of living continue to inspire dreams - internationally.

Before the pandemic, many clients were looking for properties in the famous “Banane” in Cannes, a chic neighbourhood between the Croisette, the Palais des Festivals, Rue d’Antibes and palatial hotels. Allowing for a walk-everywhere lifestyle, this area, as prized as ever, is now joined by less central neighbourhoods, quieter and leafier, such as La Californie, Oxford and La Croix-des-Gardes, where substantial villas fetch from 3 to 4 million euros. The “Open Sesame” ? A property prolonged by a garden or a generous terrace offering a view of the sea.

A blue-chip investment, Cannes posts stable prices due to rare availabilities. Launched in 2002, the Franco-Scandinavian agency AAA Riviera, specializing in sales and exclusive search mandates all over the Côte d’Azur (from Menton to Saint-Tropez via Grasse), opened a new agency in 2018 a short walk from the Croisette, at 12 rue des Belges.

“Though our head office is in Sophia-Antipolis and we have a commercial office in Oslo in Norway, I have always been convinced of the importance of a classic agency in Cannes with an appealing window and strategic address. Human contact lies at the heart of our profession,”

says Markus Daae-Lyshaug,

Manager of AAA Riviera with his partners Véronique Rugland, Nina and Erik Fougner. The agency’s clientele ? “Currently, 75 % of our sellers are Scandinavian, and two-thirds of our buyers are French. They are either aiming for a year-round family home, or acquisition of a pleasant second residence. In the eyes of our international clientele, the French Riviera remains a sound value, a bubble of beauty, culture, and quality living conditions.

And Cannes is naturally in the top list of the most highly-prized addresses,” explains Markus Daae-Lyshaug who was right in wanting to be based in Cannes as, some time after the agency opened, the AAA Riviera team handled the sale of a superb villa, designed by an architect, on Avenue du Roi Albert 1er. Price ? Several million euros ! “We soon acquired wide renown in Cannes. Furthermore, we are especially keen to work in partnership with colleagues on a joint or co-agency basis. Our structure targets the long term and it is important for us to emphasize that we award exactly the same care, rigorousness and quality service to a property priced at 250,000 € as for one on offer at 5 million euros,” says this expert, who in fact sees Cannes as a micro-market.

“Most of our buyers are looking for a home for their personal enjoyment, and many of them do not need a mortgage. Our activity is therefore only seeing a slight impact with regard to rising interest rates. Our main assignment consists of unearthing available properties corresponding to the criteria, desires, lifestyles and budgets of those who place their trust in us, most often in the form of a “sole agent” mandate. Our special feature is reflected in our image : Franco-Scandinavian, ie. providing service for both French and Scandinavian clients with methodology characterized by rigour, seriousness and excellent services !”