Langeac Property Insight

Langeac is a French village located in the Haute Loire department and in the Auvergne region. With 4,300 inhabitants, called the Langeadois, Langeac is a lovely town of history and tradition.

Overview

Langeac started to develop during Middle Ages, thanks to its strategic location at the edge of the Allier River. Traders and shopkeepers got organized around the small burg which enlarged and prospered very quickly. Langeac then became one of the ‘13 bonnes villes d’Auvergne (‘13 Auvergne good towns’), which were Auvergne (not the Auvergne as we know it now, but the historical province of Auvergne) main towns as regards their wealth or their size.

Nowadays, Langeac is a peaceful village where you can enjoy vestiges of the past, as well as a breathtaking natural environment.

Langeac Immobilier & Property Market Trends

Since the national average for house prices is around €3,200 /sq m in France in 2009, the Haute Loire department with €1,560 /sq m can be said to be affordable, not to say rather cheap! Moreover, prices in April 2009 decreased by 0.20%, which means that the area has not recovered yet from the real estate crisis, which means that it is the perfect moment to invest, before prices go up again.

Langeac is the perfect destination if you are looking for a peaceful area, far from pollution and crowd of cities. It is also well located, few hours from ski resorts (in the Alps), and few hours from beach resorts (Mediterranean sea). If you want to invest in a buy-to-let, do rather prefer to buy a gîte. Indeed, as there are many pilgrims crossing the department, you will not have difficulties renting it.

To get updated info about property prices in Haute Loire, please browse our French Property Market Reports published in the News Section every month.

4 Reasons to Buy a Property in Langeac

• Culture, art and historical heritage: Langeac is a lovely village full of narrow medieval streets and beautiful stone monuments. The advantage of being a small town is that you can visit it by foot and enjoy the beauty of the town centre and the quietness along the Allier River. Between many monuments do no especially miss the Bertrande door, which was one of the five doors surrounding the fortified burg; the Boucherie street which has managed to preserve its medieval feature and where you will see many half timbered houses; the collegial Saint Gal, which is a Gothic style church, and so on.

• Tranquillity and scenery: owing to the Allier River that runs through the town, Langeac is a very relax town, where you can enjoy beautiofl walks along the River. The river also makes the air fresh and pleasant, and the noise of the water running in the river is very relaxing.

• Architectural style: you will appreciate the architecture of the town, as much the civil architecture, as the religious one. In the town centre, you will mainly find half timbered houses, while in the countryside, farmhouses and vernacular architecture dominate.

• Activities: thanks to the Allier River and the natural environment surrounding the town, Langeac offers many outdoor activities, such as rafting, canoe, but also hiking, fishing, etc. It is just up to you!

Property Styles and Architecture in Langeac

• Half timbered houses: as already mentioned, the old medieval quarter and many old dwellings have been preserved in Langeac. As expected, this kind of half-timbered house are very expensive. As many half-timbered houses, the down part of the house is in stone and the upper part boasts a beautiful colombage where timber frame and bricks are mixed into beautiful geometrical shapes. These houses are usually quite big, are two-storey high. Some of them might come with an interior courtyard; they have a traditional big kitchen, many bedrooms, 1 or 2 bathrooms, independent toilet. The inside is beautifully decorated with timber and freestone.

• Farmhouses: usually located just outside the town, these houses come with a huge piece of land (around 1,500sq m). Most of them have been restored recently, however you can also find old ones that need to be restored; obviously they will be cheaper and you will be able to sell it twice as the price afterwards. In average they have 3 bedrooms, a traditional French kitchen, a fireplace. They can be 2 storey high and usually come with 1 or 2 independent buildings, which used to be stables and are nowadays garage or gîtes.

Click here for more info about the Architecture in Auvergne.