"
INLAND
With the arrival of more
affl uent buyers, prices have
been rising.
With the arrival of more
affl uent buyers, prices have
west connections, a quality rail infrastructure and, of
course, easy access to the great port of Marseille".
Trevor Smith runs the Leggett team that cover this area
of Provence. He agrees entirely that this is a region
that offers both a terrific quality of life and some
excellent opportunities for healthy rental returns. His
advice is to head for the national parks:
"Buyers here are after authenticity and it's the old stone
Mas that are most popular, although anything rural is
selling well. Personally, I'm seeing a huge demand for
property in national parks such as the Parc naturel régional
de Luberon, the Parc naturel régional du Mont-Ventoux
and the Parc national des Cévennes. This demand means
that buyers of a second home are able to offset costs by
renting the property out when they are not using it. With
prices rising they should also be able to see capital gains
in the medium and long terms. Indeed, I have just bought
a property in my home town of Bedoin, with two gîtes,
which surely reflects my confidence in the market. This is
a beautiful town in its own right but the fact that it also
the gateway to the mythical Mont Ventoux means that
rental demand is high from both French and International
tourists.
Whilst we are seeing less buyers from the UK, the Belgian
market is huge - they bomb down the A7 autoroute and
are a major factor in the second home market here."