• Business
• Features
• Property
• Regulars

property / languedoc

the next provence

words by Christopher Follett

Property in Languedoc-Roussillon, in France’s sunny southwest corner, is becoming increasingly popular with foreign buyers, now that real estate prices in more fashionable, neighbouring Provence have risen beyond the reach of average investors. As yet, there are not many.

Scandinavian residents in the area, but local estate agents detect growing Nordic interest. It’s a buyer’s market and that, coupled with low-cost flights to Languedoc’s four airports, is making the region extremely attractive to northern Europeans. Languedoc may not have the kudos of Provence, but property owners can expect a very similar lifestyle there, only more laid back and definitely more affordable. In general, property prices in this relatively unexploited region are lower yet poised to increase, so now could be the time to buy.

Admittedly price increases in Languedoc will be slower than in Provence and on the Côte d’Azur, so it’s definitely a long-term investment.“Lower property prices and the sunshine are the main draw for foreign house buyers and investors,” says Anne-Lise Lotthé-Marshall, owner of Lotthé-Marshall Immobilier, an international estate agency based near. Sauve, north west of Nîmes. “Currently, we have mainly British and Belgian residents in this part of Languedoc – the départements of Hérault and Gard. There are some scattered Swedes and Norwegians but still few Danes.“The difference with Scandinavians is that they tend to go for résidences secondaires.

They want to keep their main home in their own country, buying smaller, more modest properties as holiday homes in southwest. France. In that way they are very similar to the French, they don’t want to speculate much, all they want is a modest bolthole in the sunny south. The British are different, they want major primary homes in the region, keeping secondary bases back in the UK,” says Ms Lotthé-Marshall. “I think one of the main reasons for the growing Scandinavian interest in our region – apart from the weather, the nature and the cuisine – is its strong Protestant, antiantipapist tradition. Languedoc-Roussillon is unconventional with its own proud sense of being different, and this appeals to Lutheran Nordics. Also prices are very reasonable for Scandinavians.”

Traditional stone-built terraced houses in villages in the Aude, Hérault and Gard départements of southwest France can start from €100,000

According to Ms Lotthé-Marshall, the region’s Scandinavian property buyers tend to be in their fifties on average and show an interest in buying finished villas or small houses, at around the €250,000 mark. Several Nordic artists have set up studios and ateliers (workshops) in the region. Most Danes seem to cluster around Montpellier – the lively Languedoc capital – and the famed castle town of Carcassonne to the south en route to the Pyrenees and Spain. “The years 2005 to 2006 were golden for us,” says Sébastien Volpellière of the Century 21 S. Rouvière Immobilier agency in Sommières, a sleepy town on the Vidourle river immortalised by British author Lawrence Durrell, who lived there. “Property prices are flat or on the way down at the present time. In some cases they’ve probably dipped about 20% in the past two years, so it’s very much a buyer’s market and the volatile world economic situation means that bricks and mortar is an attractive investment.”

"Languedoc-Roussillon is an unconventional part of France with its own proud sense of being different and this appeals to Scandinavians. Also prices in the region are very reasonable for Nordic buyers"

Traditional stone-built terraced houses in villages in the Aude, Hérault and Gard départements of southwest France can start from ¤100,000* with basic, onebedroom apartments in coastal resorts such as Port Leucate and Saint Cyprien at €85,000.

Medliving Magazine (www.medlivingmagazine. com), a leading English-language property guide for the south of France deems city centre studio flats in Montpellier a sound buy-to-let investment, as are offplan apartments on the fringes of up-and-coming towns such as Béziers and Narbonne. These tend to start at about ¤110,000 for a two-bedroom flat. Naturally, prices often climb the closer you get to the Mediterranean. The magazine advises: “Fans of the simple life wanting real value for money should head for the poorer northernmost département of Lozère, where a farm with outbuildings and land can be found for about €175,000.” If you prefer to be closer to the coast, Medliving suggests taking a look at the medieval town of Pézenas, where a three-bedroom apartment sells for around €150,000.

It may not be as high profile as Provence but Languedoc has plenty to keep holidays interesting once you’ve bought your place – not least an average of 300 days of sunshine a year. Historically and gastronomically rich, the region is fascinating toexplore, from the Mediterranean coastal resorts with magnificent expanses of sandy beaches to peaceful villages nestling along the banks of the Canal du Midi or beside timeless, slow-motion rivers.

The Via Domitia, the 2,000-year-old Roman military road connecting Spain with Rome, runs through the region, crossing ancient bridges and popping up all over the garrigue (scrubland). Scenery and hiking is a big draw, with the majestic Pyrenees to the south and the dramatic Cévennes mountains to the north. Then there’s the city of Nîmes, with its Roman amphitheatre and nearby aqueduct at Pont du Gard, and Montpellier

with its dynamic university culture and arts festivals. As for sand and sea, the family-friendly coastline offers a string of resorts from the Petite Camargue all the way to the Spanish border. Wine production is the main industry in the area with Languedoc vintages vying for rankings among the best – perfect to wash down a cassoulet, the region’s hearty peasant bean, duck and sausage stew. Like the local dishes, Languedoc is rustic and unchanged. It’s good to uncover la France profonde.

Fly me there…
Sterling flies to Montpellier from Copenhagen and Oslo.
See pages 96-98 or www.sterling.dk for more details

Other recent features: