Published in French Property News in August 2004

The Spice of Life

Haute-Garonne, department 31, stretches from the vineyards of the Frontonnais, to the dynamic ville rose (pink city) of Toulouse, and then pushes south to the peaks of the Pyrenees. This patchwork department offers something for lovers of the city, countryside and mountains alike.

Toulouse is the fourth biggest city in France with a population of over 700,000. It is an hour and a half from the Mediterranean and about three hours from the Atlantic. The summers are hot, the hottest day ever recorded in France was at Toulouse on 8th August 1923 - 44° in the shade! The winters are short (usually November – mid February) but quite cold. Spring can be mild and wet and Autumn is usually warm and just about right.

Toulouse has a compact, very attractive, centre and ever-expanding suburbs. The city is resolutely modern, the centre of France’s aerospace industry, but also very traditional and enthusiastically adheres to its Occitan heritage, local gastronomy and culture. Toulouse is also a lively, young city, with over 110,000 students, the second biggest student population in France.

Most British people looking to buy in and around Toulouse are employed by the international aerospace industry, which is largely based to the west of the city. Not surprisingly property prices in the area are high. Christine Cammas at L’Immobilière du Golf at Seilh says it is difficult now to buy a four bedroom villa with a small pool for less than 300,000€, she has just sold one in Blagnac for 311,000€. On the whole demand in these areas outweighs supply which has helped keep pushing prices up. Buyers, trying to minimise contact with Toulouse’s busy ringroad, are looking further west towards the Gers or north, around Grenade, where you can get a bit more for your money. Prices similar to around Blagnac are also found to the south east of Toulouse, around Labège and St Orens, near to the city’s second industrial pole. According to Madame Cammas, in Toulouse as a whole the price of villas over the past 5 years has risen by 57% and the price of land by 18% last year alone. She thinks that prices are likely to continue to rise. There are of course some more reasonably priced areas in and around the city but British people are less likely to be attracted to living there.

The influx of international workers, many of whom prefer to rent accommodation, and the large student population, could provide a useful source of tenants for those considering investment in apartments. However, there aren’t many apartments available for immediate sale and when a decent property comes along it is snapped up quickly. According to Monsieur Cammmas good apartments are rarely on the books for longer than 3 weeks. When renting to students there is a guaranteed income from September through to June, maybe more if the student elects to keep the flat over the summer. Initial outlay in student accommodation can also be relatively small, a one or two room flat within walking distance of the universities might be 80,000 – 90,000€ (more in select areas). You might expect a monthly rental income of around 400€. A bigger apartment to the west of the city, which could attract workers in the aerospace industry, might be between 150,000 – 200,000€. There is usually a better chance of renting such properties year round. The agency have a 3 room (2 bedroom) apartment at Colomiers (near Airbus) with equipped kitchen for 138,000€, and a four room apartment in Blagnac for 189,400€. Apartments of a similar size in select areas, with views, large balconies/terraces and private pools are over 200,000€.

Toulouse has many things going for it including a huge choice of restaurants, cinemas (often showing films in English), museums, an orchestra and several theatres. Those wanting to be near all this but still in the countryside could consider the Frontonnais to the north, Lauragais to the south-east or Volvestre to the south-west. All have easy access into Toulouse.

The Frontonnais vines produce Toulouse’s wine, often excellent AOC red or rosé. The main town is Fronton, 30 kms from Toulouse, a pleasant place with a good market on Thursday. You could buy a 3 bedroom villa round here, in good condition with about 1000m2 of land, for under 200,000€.

The rural, undulating Lauragais was famous in the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries for its woad fields. The Canal du Midi, that serene, tree-lined waterway linking Toulouse to the Mediterranean, passes through its heart. According to Monsieur Just at agency Costes D Immobilier in Villefranche de Lauragais village houses with a small garden start from about 150,000€. He adds that in general prices are higher towards Toulouse. British people who have bought between Toulouse and Villefranche tend to work in or around the city whilst those who have bought between Villefranche and Carcassonne tend to be retired or have bought a second home (attracted in part by the Ryan Air flight to Carcassonne from Stanstead). The area is known for its farms, often in the middle of the fields, outside the villages. Once fully renovated the main living area, stables and outbuildings combined can create a sizeable living space, perhaps of 400m2. However, there are fewer old buildings available for renovation these days. Madame Cammas believes that an important sector for future development is around Auterive which now has improved access to Toulouse and the Pyrenees along the newly constructed A66.

The agricultural Volvestre has some charming villages and towns such as Rieux-Volvestre, with its medieval bridge, half-timbered houses and impressive church. Montesquieu-Volvestre, on the route Saint-Jacques-de-Compostelle, has a sixteenth century covered market place, and the hills outside provide a foretaste of the Pyrenees further south. Nicky Kendall at AriegImmo says the Volvestre appeals to people who want to be near to the mountains, close to Toulouse and are able to afford higher prices than in the Ariège, just to the east. The agency has a former mill, beside a river, with 3 bedrooms, 1 studio, 17000m2 of land and 214m2 living space with the possibility to extend, for 390,550€. It is near Montesquieu.

Further south again is the Comminges, an ancient administrative district encompassing the first slopes of the Pyrenees. Aurignac, north of the A64, is a medieval village on a hill with origins going back to prehistoric times. It is surrounded by lush, green hills, villages full of flowers, and occasional palm trees. According to Monsieur Coubet at Pyrénées Immo Conseil, based in St Gaudens, this area is popular with British buyers because it is attractive, near to Toulouse and not far from Spain (St Gaudens is about 75km from the border). The airport at Toulouse is about an hour away and the one at Tarbes (flights to Paris with Air France) is even nearer. He estimates that house prices have risen here 45-50% in the past three years, but village houses can still be bought from about 150,000€.

The high Pyrenees start south of the A64. Aspet is an attractive village at 500m altitude, and only half an hour away from the ski station of Le Mourtis (1420m – 1860m). Prices round here can be very reasonable. Pyrénées Immo Conseil have a range of properties on their books for under 150,000€, including restored character properties, with two, three or four bedrooms for about 130,000€ and houses and barns requiring renovation for much less.

Directly west of Aspet is St Bertrand-de-Comminges, a remarkable site, surrounded by verdant, tree-covered hills. This picturesque, medieval village on a hill, is dominated by the Cathedral of Sainte-Marie and its cloister dating back to the twelfth century, whilst in the plain below is the Romanesque basilica of St Just and the remains of the ancient Gallo-Roman town of Lugdunum.

Heading south along the D125 towards Luchon mountains crowd the road and dominate the landscape. The tree-covered slopes give way to rock faces and houses take on a greyer aspect with sharply sloping slate roofs. Luchon itself, at an altitude of 630m, is a very clean, neat, thermal town, encircled by mountains, with some rather grand hotels. Even in July there are pockets of snow near the peaks. The nearest ski resort is Superbagnères (1440m – 2260m), 17km by road and only 8 minutes by télécabine. Peyragudes (1600m – 2400m) is also near by and some Spanish ski resorts are about an hour away. Luchon is only 18km from the Spanish border via the Col de Portillon.

Madame Viguerie at Agence Immobilière Etigny in the town says that there are gradually more and more British and north Europeans buying in and around Luchon, mostly people who have chosen to make a permanent move. She says that those thinking about setting up a gîte or chambres d’hôte might expect 10 months business, catering for the summer tourists, winter skiers and those using the spa facilities. The quiet months are November and December, after the summer and before the snow arrives. The agency has a property on their books in the town with 9 bedrooms, 4 bathrooms, land of 4500m2, and the agency says in perfect condition, for 860,000€. They also have an early twentieth century property with 3 bedrooms and original features for 221,000€.

The Haute-Garonne isn’t the cheapest department to buy property in France but there are still reasonable prices to be found, especially towards the Pyrenees. Those wanting to be near a lively, cultural centre in the warm south of France couldn’t find a better place to be.