Mougins : luxury in the hills of the hinterland

Johnny Iticsohn - 12 September 2016

This breath of fresh air within easy reach of Cannes is a small commune on the hills of the Côte d’Azur. Mougins offers an extraordinary backcloth, and very easy access. On its property market comprised of second residences, one mainly finds offerings in the mid to upper range.

Pretty Provençal villas, an elevated position with views of the Mediterranean, a delightful village… Mougins is far from lacking in either charm or advantages. The commune nestles in the hills beyond Cannes and is looked upon as its “green lung”. Buyers are drawn by this lovely setting comprised of nature, golf-courses, gastronomic venues, and benefiting from fast access to main roads, the motorway and Nice Airport. As explained by Michel Brevier, manager of the Label Properties agencies (one in the old village, another in the commercial zone) : “We have lots of people working in Cannes and the surrounding area who want to move into this area. In some ways, Mougins is the Neuilly of the Riviera, attracting both French and foreign clients thanks, among other things, to the International Mougins School. The local market is almost exclusively comprised of villas. For a property of 200 m2 in good condition, in 1,500 m2 of grounds, protected from noise, the starting-price is around 1 million euros.” At this kind of price, there are few first-time buyers, except for those acquiring an apartment. The majority of clients are still actively employed, in the upper echelons of the Socio-Professional Categories, self-employed professionals and company directors. In addition to these buyers, one also finds French retirees set on enjoying the warm, sunny climate of the Côte d’Azur. “Proximity to the sea and mountains usually ends up by convincing potential buyers to opt for the area,” concludes Michel Brevier.

According to Carole Senac, negotiator with Marly Privilège, a garden and a natural environment are the top criteria sought by clients focusing on Mougins. “A few years ago, the local market consisted almost exclusively of Provençal properties. Today, however, we are seeing strong demand for contemporary homes, more modern, especially from Scandinavian clients. The problem is that there are few recent properties in this area, so buyers usually opt for villas which have been tastefully renovated.” While offerings in Mougins are rather old, most of its properties are of good quality, well-maintained, and often modernized. Which in fact creates opportunities for purchase/ resale operations. The Marly Privilège agency recently sold a contemporary villa with all the required appointments, for 1,310,000 €. With living space of about 250 m2, it proposed a mirror-style infinity pool and pretty grounds of 1,700 m2. Very light and airy, it is built on two floors and also benefits from a vast basement. “Demand mainly ranges from 800,000 to 3 million euros,” adds Carole Senac, “though it is not rare for outstanding properties in Mougins to attain several million euros. While the contemporary style is popular at the moment, properties of character, built of stone, are still highly appreciated in this area”.