Le Comtat Venaissin : more affordable than the Luberon
Yann Cohignac - 10 February 2014
Listed as a “region of Art and History”, Le Comtat Venaissin is a pleasant part of the Vaucluse sandwiched between Mount Ventoux and the Rhône and Durance Rivers. Its property market is more affordable than that of the Luberon, just close by.
A former pontifical state created in the late 13th century which became part of France in 1791, Le Comtat Venaissin encompasses the towns of Carpentras (formerly its capital), Cavaillon and Vaison-la-Romaine, as well as Ménerbes, Séguret and Venasque, three of the “Plus Beaux Villages de France”. It is a part of Provence which benefits from a Mediterranean climate and a very appealing life-style. Its lovely scenery and rich agricultural activity explain its nickname, “The Garden of France”, producing apples, cherrries, tomatoes, melons and wine (Châteauneuf-du-Pape, Côtes-du-Rhône-Villages…).
“Le Comtat Venaissin is as pleasant to live in as the Luberon, though in comparison, it is lively year round, quieter in summer, and offers more attractive prices. Particularly appealing arguments for the local clientele,” notes Chistiane Auquier, manager of Côté Sud Provence which has two agencies in the villages of Velleron, 5 km from L’Isle-sur-la-Sorgue, and Saint-Didier, 4 km from Venasque and 15 km from Gordes. “In fact, prices are 15 to 20 % lower here. A house on offer at 1 million euros in the Luberon would cost, for instance, about 800,000 € in Le Comtat Venaissin.” Chistiane Auquier’s latest sales include a “mas” on about 6.25 acres of land, priced at 560,000 €, a village house with a small garden at 260,000 €, and a similar property with a garden of 90 m2 at 316,000 €. “In this area, prices can however double depending on the property’s condition, location and distance from amenities.” Building land costs from 250 to 300 € per sq. metre. The agency’s clientele ranges from “first-time buyers to investors in long-term assets”.
Stéphanie Duée is sales manageress for Provence Vakantiehuizen, an agency in Mazan set up by a Dutch couple, Jacques and Swanja Planken, “which initially owed its development to client recommendations”. Its clients are thus shared out between French buyers “from all over France” and foreigners mostly from northern Europe. “The Netherlands, of course, but also England, Belgium, and even Canada”. Most demand is for properties under 250,000 €. “From 300,000 to 500,000 € and more, negotiations now take considerably longer : transactions which would usually take one week now require several months to complete”. One villa, for example, recently sold for 900,000 € after almost a year of wrangling. Another sale completed just recently concerned a town house of 170 m2 with a garden large enough to take a pool, priced at 270,000 €. “Which is, in fact, the price one can expect to pay for a detached house of about 90 m2 with
a garden of 600 m2.”