The region around Mulhouse : the charm of southern Alsace

Yann Cohignac - 03 March 2014

A green and pleasant land offering quality living conditions and proximity to the borders with Germany and Switzerland, the area around Mulhouse offers lots of persuasive arguments. Especially as property prices here are rather appealing.

Less than 5 km north of Mulhouse, one comes across Kingersheim, a go-ahead commune with almost 15,000 inhabitants proposing a pleasant residential setting. It is here that Nicolas Ferrari is based, manager of Ferrari l’Agence Immobilière, which he opened five years ago with his father Didier in the former premises of the family business (a general building firm founded after the war). “Fond of bricks and mortar in the region around Mulhouse,” Nicolas Ferrari covers the northern ring around the town. He describes a wide array of offerings in an equally wide price range : “For old apartments, prices range from 1,200 to 1,500 € per sq. metre. For those in more recent residences, one can expect to pay around 2,000 € per sq. metre. Brand new apartments are pegged at about 3,000 €. As for houses, a standard “pavillon” all on one floor with a garden of 500 sqm. can be found for 200,000-240,000 €”. His last two transactions in fact consisted of this type of home : the first, of 80 m2 with a garden of over 400 sqm. but in need of renovation, sold for 192,000 €. The second, of 95 m2 in perfect condition with a garden of 550 sqm., found a taker at 240,000 €. Finally, building plots cost from 20,000 to 22,000 € per 100 sqm. “Our clientele is extremely diverse. We even get enquiries from Swiss and German buyers.”

Daniela Sanso, manageress of AS Immo, can be found on the commune of Sausheim (about 5,500 residents), also less than 5 km from Mulhouse. She, however, covers a different market : this multilingual native of Basel who “loves her work” specializes in exclusive properties, the high end of the market and unusual homes. She thus offers “quality service giving priority to relationships with clients and real consideration of their requirements”. Covering Mulhouse and the area 20 km beyond (as far as the heart of Le Sundgau), she portrays a market which is managing to develop despite the tough economic climate. “Even so, a property now has to be pegged, more than ever before, at the right price if it is to sell within an acceptable period of time.” Her favourite area is the triangle formed by the middle-class neighbourhood of Le Rebberg in Mulhouse and the highly-prized communes of Brunstatt and Riedisheim. “Here, renovated apartments change hands for about 2,600 € per sq. metre, while new ones cost close on 3,500 € per sqm. Prices for houses are pretty much the same, though one has to add on the value of the grounds.” One exemple of a recent sale : a house of 170 m2 in Le Rebberg, benefiting from a good location, quiet and without any direct neighbours, priced at 560,000 €. A former executive in a Swiss bank specializing in mortgages, Daniela Sanso is well-known for her accurate estimates. The rare or outstanding properties on her files, whose price per sq. metre is calculated differently, are of interest to a privileged clientele (usually foreign or working on the far side of the borders).