Villages north of Montpellier : a highly-prized area

Saint-Clément-de-Rivière, Saint-Gély-du-Fesc and Grabels share a rural environment at the gateway to Montpellier and a good choice of quality housing. Our professionals point to the similarities and divergences of these three localities situated between the urban area and the community of communes of Le Pic Saint-Loup.

Home to 5,050 residents, Saint-Clément offers two main areas. To the south, the smaller of the two shares a borderline with the capital of the Hérault. It is composed of forests, villas, student residences and council housing. It is also here that one finds the largest hyper-market in the urban area. To the north, make way for wooded hillsides, with intermediate and secondary schools, while vines flourish to the east, not far from Le Lez. Saint-Gély stands on the road to Ganges, less than 10 km from Montpellier, in a valley surrounded by hills and crossed by Le Pezouillet. It offers a harmonious compromise between town and country. An explosion in the population has led to rising prices. Estates sought by a wealthy clientele are being built, such as “Beauregard” and “Les Vautes”. Locals appreciate the town's calendar of events, including “Objectif Image”, “Les 15 km”, “Connaissance du Monde”, fairs and the fête-day of Saint-Gilles, which celebrates the bull-running tradition every summer. Grabels with 6,030 inhabitants rubs shoulders with both Saint-Clément and Saint-Gély. The left bank of the Mosson is less urbanized, whereas development of the right bank got going back in the 1950’s. The creation of the Euromédecine park has acted as a spur on the town’s overall development. La Goule-de-Laval and La Valsière fit perfectly into the surrounding nature.

“Notables from Montpellier wishing to acquire villas head north in general, and to Saint- Clément in particular,” says Frédéric Gasser of Dupin Immobilier. For the most part executives or employees of the CHU (University Hospital Centre), they are looking for wooded areas, vast grounds and lower property taxes as compared to those charged in Montpellier’s urban area. Buyers often arrive from another part of France, with a budget obtained from the recent sale of their property, ranging from 350,000 to 550,000 €. For 450,000 €, they get a house of about 150 m2 in good condition with grounds of 1,000 m2 complete with a pool. After months of stagnation and a drop in prices of around 10-15 %, the market is picking up again, as are building plots, costing from 250,000 to 350,000 €. Only the top end of the market, which can exceed 1 million euros, remains sluggish. Increasingly, contemporary properties are proving to be more popular than the “neo-Languedocienne” type of house.

“Currently undergoing a population census, Saint-Gély could pass the barrier of 10,000 residents, very happy to enjoy on-site facilities for everyday living,” resumes Philippe Le Vilain of Caractère Sud. They are, in fact, waiting impatiently for the creation of a cinema. Saint-Gély belongs to the community of communes of Le Pic Saint-Loup, and benefits from lower taxes than Grabels. Offering the same prices as Saint-Clément, it has a young, dynamic image, more recent housing, and thus considerable popularity. For the same cost, it regularly wins the client’s favour. 20 to 30 % of buyers are approaching retirement age and dream of spending it in the sun. They prospect from Nice to Perpignan and make their choice depending on their budgets, communication routes, and the rail and air connections proposed. The reputation of the Hérault’s Prefecture, the richness of its cultural life, the proximity of the Mediterranean and the lovely natural surroundings are all weighty arguments.

“Close to Montpellier, Grabels has managed to keep an authentic village centre with a good number of shops, connected to the tram station by a shuttle system,” adds Frédéric Natera of L’Adresse Natera Immobilier. If some people regret the occasional view of the rooftops of La Paillade, the properties concerned only constitute a minority. Spared from rampant urbanization, the very convenient Grabels really seems to be on the point of catching up on its poor reputation and its discrepancy, in terms of both ratings and prices, as compared with Saint-Clément and Saint-Gély. Newly-transferred employees and senior citizens are contributing to its success, together with people working at Euromédecine and Sanofi-Aventis. Prices start at around 200,000 € for a house in the village and 300,000 € for villas. “The range most frequently targetted lies between 350,000 and 600,000 €,” says this estate-agent, relatively satisfied with the results he obtained in 2009, and optimistic with regard to the current year.