Lac du Bourget : a highly desirable area between Aix and Chambéry

Formed in the Ice Age, France’s largest natural lake after Lake Geneva came into being some 19,000 years ago. From the 19th century onwards, it was enlisted as a tourist destination. Its west bank remains wild due to its natural layout, whilst the urbanized east bank plays host to restaurants, shops, a few businesses and especially houses or apartments facing the lake.

Le Bourget has a surface area of 44.5 km2, 18 km long and 1.5 to 3.5 km wide. The chain of L’Epine and the famous Dent du Chat, rising to 1390 metres above sea level, stand to the west. The Massif des Bauges, including Mont Revard, lies to the east, like Aix-les-Bains ; Chambéry is located 15 miles south. A real reserve for fish and birds, the site is of ecological importance. Aix-les-Bains, Bourdeau, Brison-Saint-Innocent, Le Bourget-du-Lac, Châtillon, Conjux, Tresserve and Viviers-du-Lac all have harbour areas and leisure centres. Renowned for its “Belle Epoque” heritage, the second largest spa town in the country offers 1,500 boat moorings, a figure placing it at the top of the list of France’s fresh-water harbours. Swimming, sailing, water-skiing and diving are on the agenda, together with events such as the Boat Show, the Musilac pop-rock festival and Navig’Aix. Some visitors prefer to relax on the beaches of Le Lido, L’Ile aux Cygnes, Les Mottets, Rowing, Châtillon, La Pointe de l’Ardre or La Chatière. It was also here that Lamartine wrote his finest poetry united, in fact, in a collection entitled “Le Lac” : “Oh time, suspend your flight, and you, propitious hours, suspend your race : let us savour the fleeting delights of our most blissful days”.

“Le Bourget has a very diverse housing market,” warns at the outset Cécile Dardaine of the Perle du Lac - Sotheby’s International Realty agency. “The hill of Tresserve, Brison-Saint-Innocent and Bourdeau benefit, for example, from closeness to Aix, elevated positions and views of this vast expanse of blue. Pugny-Chatenod and Grésy-sur-Aix are further from the shore, but still enjoy magnificent panoramic views. The distance between La Chautagne - eight villages including Conjux and Chindrieux - and urban amenities has to be taken into account, but does not detract from the charm of this address, much less expensive than the immediate outskirts of Aix.” A manorhouse of 350 m2 in about 8.75 acres of land, on the commune of Grésy, costs about 900,000 €, with major renovation work on the programme. A house of 140 m2 less than 30 years old in grounds of 2,300 m2 facing the water is priced at 450,000 €, whereas new homes are offered at 4,000 €/m2 on average, as soon as they offer a terrace with a view of Le Bourget and living space of 100 m2 minimum. The majority of purchasers are looking for main residences, though the holiday home sector is quite active. The agency selects properties depending on the quality of their appointments and unusual, even historic, character. The high end of the market starts at 320,000 € for apartments, 800,000 € for houses. During the crisis, this upper bracket of the market was very sluggish. Since February, our estate-agent has noted the first signs of recovery.

“Fans of houses are ready to pay around 400,000 € for 120-130 m2 with grounds of 1,000 m2 near the spa. For a lake view, one has to add another 50,000 €. Over and above 200 m2, one needs a budget of 500,000 to 600,000 €. As for 2-bedroom apartments with terraces or small gardens, they cost about 300,000 €,” says Marie-Odile Audio of the Agence des Bains. Curiously, Le Bourget is not the most dynamic part of the region due to a lack of shops, amenities and available properties, with the exception of new developments. The centre and hills of Aix, Mouxy, Pugny, Grésy and Drumettaz attract, for example, more interest. Unlike in Annecy, it is forbidden to build waterfront properties, especially since the road does not always run alongside the lake. These features help to restrain prices and limit any spectacular booms. Motivated by asset appreciation and Scellier tax advantages, investors buy small apartments which they rent out furnished.

“30 % of buyers use their properties only on a come-and-go basis. From Lyon, Grenoble or large ski resorts in Savoy or Upper Savoy, they are looking for new pieds-à-terre situated between Petit and Grand Port, priced from 100,000 to 200,000 €,” adds José Malla of La Cible Immobilière. “Les Rives du Lac”, an HQE development built by Constructa, thus proved to be a resounding success in 2009. Seasonal workers employed six months a year in Courchevel and Megève sometimes consider spending the rest of the year in this pleasant area, peaceful, safe and benefitting from a micro-climate. They appreciate the contrasting scenery and sublime views of the lake. With this idea in mind, a couple recently visited an apartment of 126 m2, combining the charm of a former palace and the comfort of modern restoration, costing 360,000 €. Hesitant during the crisis, some occasional residents already staged a comeback in the summer of 2009.

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