French Property Location Guide: Normandy

Famous for its proximity to England’s south coast, for apples, D-Day beaches and historic towns, Normandy has huge appeal for househunters, as Annaliza Davis explains…

Normandy is an area most of us have heard of-even if we can’t accurately define it on the map. It stretches from Cherbourg down to Mont-St- Michel, across past Alençon and back up to Le Tréport. Its departments are Eure, Calvados, Manche, Orne and Seine-Maritime, and as well as the two major Channel ports of Cherbourg and Le Havre, the region includes Rouen, Bayeux, Caen and 640km of coastline.

While in England there are 430 people per square kilometre, Normandy overall has a mere 111/km² population density, which explains the sense of space here. There are 3.3 million residents, over a third of whom are in Seine- Maritime (home to the capital Rouen), nearly 700,000 in Calvados, 600,000 in Eure, 495,000 in Manche and only 282,00 in Orne. Population density is lowest in rural areas, but even the cities somehow achieve a sense of space. Tourists are drawn here thanks to the charming towns, seaside spots and plentiful pastoral landscapes, while the proximity to the capital means that it’s extremely popular with well-to-do Parisians, whose influence can be felt in the elegant coastal resorts of Deauville and Trouville. Other than Paris, Normandy is the most-visited part of France and it’s easy to see why. If you’re looking to invest in property here, you can take advantage of the region’s natural beauty, its history and heritage and also its impressive accessibility from the UK and elsewhere.

According to house sale statistics from SeLoger, France’s national average for property prices is currently €3,132/m² with properties in Normandy costing an average of €2,225/m² but some areas in Orne and Manche can be just €622/m², while Deauville soars to €7,337/m², proving the adage about choosing your location wisely. Unsurprisingly, inland areas that are furthest from amenities or easy transport links tend to be cheaper, and the most costly areas in Normandy are those along the coast – particularly resorts that are popular with Parisians – and those in work hotspots such as Rouen.

Despite Normandy’s popularity with tourists, the French statistics institute INSEE confirms that 82% of properties in the region are a main residence, so it is overwhelmingly populated by year-round residents. Two- thirds of properties here are houses rather than flats, and 60% of residents are owner- occupiers rather than tenants. This overview shows that there is plenty of scope to buy – whatever type of property you are interested in.

If your French dream is a terribly chic and desirable coastal resort, look no further than Deauville or Trouville, where truly elegant, new- build apartments can fetch nearly €2m (that’s €14,000/ m³) but you can also track down apartments in a serviced complex with a pool for €165,000 if you are a serious property hunter.

If you prefer a balance of accessibility, green space and history, try Alençon in Orne. Only three hours from Paris and five and a half hours from London, it’s a relatively bustling spot with a population density of 2,420/km² (on a par with Bournemouth or Tamworth) and is surrounded by national parkland. Here,
a budget of €500,000 buys a detached, five-bedroom home with nearly 3,000m² of land, and studio flats can cost under €60,000 so this location offers something for all pockets. In Rouen, it’s also possible to buy a studio for less than €60,000 but it will be tiny; the majority of apartments here cost between €200,000 and €300,000. If your budget stretches to €1.77m, you could own a stunning 13-bedroom château complete with Versailles-style interiors and 74 acres of grounds, and still be under two hours from Paris.

For a year-round family home, a budget of €300,000 will give you choices in most areas of Normandy, and if you want to be close to the Channel, you might be surprised to find that the department of Manche offers move-in-ready family homes for less than €150,000.

If you have always longed to live in a half-timbered house with period features, Normandy can make your dream come true for less than €200,000. At the moment, there are several period homes available within this budget, across the different departments, each with ceiling beams and original details. For building plots, a €50,000 budget will go furthest in Eure, as you’re likely to get more land here, but you could afford a 2,900m² plot in Heugleville or Bellencombre in Seine-Maritime, or a modest 200m² plot near Rouen. As for renovation projects, there is no shortage in Normandy, but should you find a property for under €30,000, it is likely to require a serious investment to make it habitable. There are some gems to be found though: large stone buildings that are structurally sound and often come with plenty of land, or smaller habitable homes for around €50,000.

Accessibility is without doubt one of Normandy’s selling points, particularly for British visitors. The Eurotunnel terminus is only 90 minutes from Le Tréport, and ferries run regularly from Portsmouth to Le Havre, Caen and Cherbourg, with additional routes from Poole to Cherbourg. Train travel is also excellent, with frequent trains from Paris bringing you to Rouen in under 80 minutes, or to Falaise or Dieppe in two hours 20 minutes. If you’re driving, Rouen is around two hours from the Arc de Triomphe, while Caen would take two hours 45 minutes.

Normandy claims to be France’s top location for automobile research and manufacture, and space and aircraft, as well as being the ultimate region for all things equestrian, fresh dairy products, oyster and scallop farming and flax production for the textile industry. Several major companies have headquarters or bases here, including GlaxoSmithKline, Nestlé, Hyundai, Bosch, Ferrero, Danone and Siemens.

The region can also boast that it is France’s second most popular tourist destination, beaten only by Paris, which is within very easy reach: Rouen is less than two hours from the centre of the capital and Caen is only 30 minutes further. Its accessibility both from abroad and within France is a major factor in its success – not only for tourism but for all types of business, as the infrastructures and logistics are in place to make Normandy an easy place to visit and trade with.

Unemployment is close to the national average in Normandy, with the highest rates being among those under 24, and according to which statistics you consider, between one quarter and one third of the population are retirees.

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