Villeneuve-lez-Avignon and Les Angles, highly-prized addresses

How lovely to live in one of these two villages facing the town of Avignon, on a plateau overlooking the Rhône ! Families, transferred employees, the retired and vacationing Parisians all fall for the charm of these towns with an admirable array of facilities, hosting 12,100 and 7,750 people respectively.

Ideally located, the two communes benefit from fast access to roads and motorways, as well as the TGV station.Villeneuve, belonging to the Agglomeration Community of Greater Avignon, prides itself on its cultural heritage, including the Philippe le Bel Tower, Pierre de Luxembourg Museum, the Church of Notre-Dame and the Chartreuse du Val de Bénédiction, which often plays host to writers. The commune also boasts listed sites such as the Plaine de l’Abbaye, the hill of Mourgues and the old town centre. Thanks to its woodland areas and a long list of local events, it draws the interest of active families, reassured by the presence of a secondary school, clinic, swimming pool and horse-riding club. In fact, over the past 15 years, the population has risen by over 20 %. Les Angles, divided into two parts, old and modern, hosts a very active industrial zone. The Parc du Soleil et du Cosmos attracts many visitors, while others come to discover pleasant walking trails on the themes of botany and painters.

“The buyer benefits here from a practical address, the guarantee of a good neighbourhood and the assurance of a long-term investment,” says Stéphanie Michel of the Agence du Centre. The two communes are comparable, except that the historic heart of Les Angles, although very cosy, has no shops, unlike its charming neighbour. In the apartment segment, Villeneuve is as highly-prized as Avignon intra-muros. It posts average prices of around 3,100 €/m2, a figure to be adjusted depending on appointments, whereas Les Angles can offer 2,800 €/m2. A shortage of properties accounts for prices higher than those applying to houses. Developers are currently designing luxury residences over towards Bellevue at 3,500 €/m2 to meet steady demand, particularly on the part of seniors. Fans of villas are very keen on this peaceful address. Recently, one example of 120 m2 with a garden of 600 m2, benefitting from a small pool, changed hands at 330,000 €, and a terraced house of 90 m2 in need of some attention, with a garden of 200 m2, found a taker at 193,000 €. Large properties can cost as much as 1.5 million euros. One of them is owned by racing-driver Jean Alesi. Most high-end transactions range, however, from 500,000 to 700,000 €, a bracket corresponding to homes of 250 m2 with ultra-modern appointments in beautifully landscaped grounds of 1,500 m2.

“In the fall of 2008, the 700,000 to 1.5 million euro bracket came to a grinding halt. Some agencies focusing exclusively on the prestige sector closed their doors. But last August, calls and visits began to pick up,” says Lucie Clap-Botton of Côté Sud-Côté Rêve. Senior executives transferred to the region require living space of 150 m2 minimum in grounds of at least 1,000 m2, but above all, highly contemporary architecture and layout. Retirees even dare to opt for building land, very scarce on the ground, to build a single-storey villa meeting their specific requirements. Parisians, setting their hearts on retirement in the sun, like the centre of Villeneuve, more picturesque and lively than Les Angles. Finally, among this estate-agent’s clients with this type of budget, 25 to 30 % are occasional residents, mostly French, determined to get a central location, be it a village house or an apartment.

“Villeneuve is undoubtedly the Neuilly of Avignon. It has retained a village atmosphere without giving up the amenities worthy of a large town,” add Sébastien Petit and Laurent Mottet of Guy Hoquet L’Immobilier. All upper-crust residents of the capital of the Vaucluse hope to settle here sooner or later. Some leafy areas enjoying magnificent views of the Popes’ Palace attain 4,000 €/m2. The 18 Guy Hoquet agencies between Villeneuve and Les Angles nevertheless transact 80 % of their sales in the 200,000 to 300,000 € range, seriously affected by the shortage. Especially as the starting-price for turnkey homes in the most popular of the two addresses is close on 250,000 €. First-time buyers are obliged to retreat to Rochefort-du-Gard, Aramon and Pujaut. “We are witnessing a positive turning-point in the market. While there are still as many buyers as in January 2010, they are becoming more assertive and eventually get what they want, even in the segment formerly hit by the crisis, from 400,000 to one million euros. For now, prices are stable, interest rates low, banks more flexible in the granting of loans, and estate-agents genuinely enthusiastic.”