HONORARY PACA
There are three departments outside the official PACA
region that are often seen by locals, tourists and property
buyers as being "honorary members" of Provence. These
are the Drôme and the Ardèche (both officially in the
Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes) and the Gard (In Occitanie). As
Tim Forster, one of our agents in the Gard, says "Please
don't exclude the Gard, after all Nîmes was the capital of
Roman Provincia and we own half the Camargue, we also
come under Provence in the Michelin Green Guide".
Tim explains that the Gard is the lesser known
cousin of the Vaucluse, which means that property
is exceptional value and the department is less
developed, with plenty of opportunities:
"There are many French buyers coming from outside the
area. They have seen their properties rise in value in cities
Three departments outside the
region are still considered part of
Provence
Current sales trends
Valence 2,240 euros per m²
Privas 1,500 euros per m²
Nîmes 2,460 euros per m²
Alès 1,760 euros per m²
Montélimar 2,060 euros per m²
*source Notaires de France, median price of all apartment
sales between October - December 2021
such as Paris or Lyon and are coming here in increasing
numbers looking for high end properties. We also see
buyers from a mix of European countries where the Gard
has long been a favourite due to the climate and easy
access. Add in a healthy number of clients from the UK
and USA and overall demand is extremely high, whilst the
pool of available character properties is alarmingly small
- clients with budgets of less than 300,000 euros are often
disappointed. If you are selling an authentic stone family
house, close to a village with a 1,000m+ garden then
buyers are queuing up and you will get a premium price.
One up and coming area I would flag is the approach to
the Cevennes, north and west of Uzès - the charming
villages give the feel of traditional Provence."
The Drôme and the Ardèche join the north-west tip of
PACA and property in both departments can also offer
excellent value for money (see box-out for average sale
prices).
Marieke van Bezeij is an agent in the Drôme and
explains that the property market within the
department is extremely diversified:
"The issue here is that the same kind of property is in
demand from different types of buyers. Young working
couples, retirees and people seeking holiday homes are all
looking for good condition property between 80-120m2,
close to a town (and not more than 40 minutes from the
motorway or TGV) and with a manageable garden.