Diverse offerings in Aix-les-Bains
By Cécile Olivéro - 16 April 2012
A tourist and industrial town, Aix-les-Bains is seeing a boom. Its go-ahead approach and pleasant environment explain the constant rise in its population figures.
There was Aix-les-Bains in the “Belle Epoque”, a magnet for royal families, the nobility and those endowed with private fortunes. Then there was Aix-les-Bains the spa, known and acclaimed for its thermal cures. In the 21st century, Aix-les-Bains certainly does not disown its past, but lives very much in the present. And the present means renewal, launched a few years ago and still on-going. The town is a neighbour to the “technopôle” of Savoie Technolac and some of France’s major firms : Alstom, Léon Grosse, ABB Cellier, Aixam… Nowadays, Aix-les-Bains is showcasing all its advantages as a large town proposing a quality life-style. Four main areas can be sketched out : the lake, the area between lake and town, the centre and the first level of hills.
The lake offers lots of recent apartments, new developments which have sprung up over the past 15 years. Their assets : the views, terraces and garages, all bonuses which convince buyers capable of investing about 4,000 €/m2, or more if the apartment is on the top floor. Also in demand, the area between the lake and town ; here, one mostly finds 1930’s houses requiring a budget ranging from 350,000 to 500,000 €. One example of 130 m2 with a small garden is currently for sale at 428,000 €. The town centre traditionally draws the interest of retirees wanting to benefit from all amenities within a reasonable radius. Younger clients also like the centre. If their finances permit, seniors opt for new apartments (4,500 €/m2) while younger buyers often fall back on older properties, with neither lifts nor garages, but more affordable, from 2,300 €/m2. “In Aix-les-Bains, we have a lot of old apartments,” comments Karine Thomasset of Atlas Immobilier. “Actively employed younger buyers are keen to acquire apartments in old buildings, even on 3rd floors without elevators. We have steady demand for this type of home.” Recently, a 2-bedroom apartment in need of rehabilitation in the town centre, in a building with a certain degree of stylishness, was on offer at 2,500 €/m2. Finally, the area on the first level of hills : Clinique Herbert, Boncelin and Chantemerle. A residential at-mosphere dominates here, with houses and a few co-owned residences. It’s here that one also finds the former palatial hotels of the 1930’s, whose guest-rooms have been converted into apartments. For a house, one can pay from 300,000 € to 1 million euros. Parisian clients just paid 800,000 € for a home of 180 m2 with a view of the lake and a swimming pool. “It’s always hard to speak in generalities, because the properties are varied and diverse. That’s one of the characteristics of Aix-les-Bains,” explains Yves Clerc-Renaud. There are not many apartment buildings. The English, in a delicate position due to the exchange rate, have recently been rather thin on the ground. Belgians, Dutch and north Europeans are usually drawn by the pleasant way of life and easy transport placing Paris 3 hours away by TGV, with Grenoble and Geneva enjoying equally easy access. The mild climate and the golf-course are other factors explaining the enthusiasm of foreign investors. Then there’s the industrial scene, clearly visible around Aix-les-Bains, generating an ebb and flow of transferred employees. Those who have a career plan and know they will be “on the move” usually rent : if they buy, it’s to come back on holiday or for their retirement. In Aix-les-Bains, a studio rents for 400 € per month, a 1-bedroom apartment from 550 to 600 €, a 2-bedroom apartment from 750 to 800 €, and a house from 1,000 €. The average is around 11 €/m2, a stable price which, if anything, is even tending to fall.
Slightly apart, the market for people coming to Aix-les-Bains for thermal cures is as healthy as ever, with an occupancy rate of 72 % over ten months of the year, from February to November. These clients expect quality appointments and the Villa Les Géraniums, managed by Laforêt Immobilier, prop-oses 3-week cure packages for accommodation ranging from studios to chalets. The starting price is 570 € for a studio in the low season, rising to 1,520 € for a chalet in the high season. 2012 being an election year - presidential at that -, our estate agents attest to a wait-and-see attitude. Which should not obscure the positive results chalked up in 2011. “Aix-les-Bains is as appealing as ever,” says Eric Belliot of Laforêt Immobilier. “A few years ago, its market was a fall-back solution for people from Annecy. Today, people buy for Aix-les Bains itself, its environment on a human scale, its economic dynamism and pleasant life-style.” In fact, the market in Aix is doing rather well.