Argentan Property Insight

Argentan is a French town of the Orne department, in the Basse Normandie region. It accounts for 14,900 inhabitants called the Argentanais. It is located 55km (as the crow flies) from Caen and 175km to the west of Paris. The commune stretches all over the Orne River.

Overview

Argentan was built on a cereal-growing plain lined with the Norman hedged farmland in the west, east with the Pays d’Auge and south and east respectively with the Alençon and Falaise countrysides. The town is the entrance door of the Normandie-Maine regional natural park and is also located at the edge of the Gouffern and Ecouves woods. Thus, Argentan offers large greenery spaces which will let you discover the area quietly. It besides benefits from good transport links, as Argentan railway station is served by the Paris - Granville and Caen - Tours lines, which allow the town to be connected to the main towns of the surroundings. In the town centre, four bus routes will let you travel easily. Paris being easily accessible, you can then travel to any destination from the French capital.

Argentan Immobilier & Property Market Trends

In September 2009, a property in France is sold €3,197 /sq m. In the Orne department as well as in Argentan, the average is very low since property prices are about €1,540 /sq m. Furthermore, 66.9% of the inhabitants are tenants, which makes the town very attractive in terms of rentals. Whether you are an investor or want to settle in Normandy, Argentan should be a good location to buy a property.

Most of the dwellings have at least three bedrooms and the average area is 127sq m. Prices also vary along with the type of property. You can count on average €2,185 /sq m for houses, €1,935 /sq m for apartments and only €551 /sq m for farmhouses. This latter are really cheap and their prices tend to be even lower when it comes to old farmhouses to renovate. They really represent exceptional bargains to drive. Besides, Argentan has experienced a sharp increase in real estate prices in May before stabilizing until now. It may therefore be the right time to invest before a new surge in prices.

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

3 Reasons to Buy a Property in Argentan

• Greenery and environment: the prevailing lifestyle in this town is really peaceful. Nature is to be found everywhere and this is a real breath of fresh air. Argentan indeed received three flowers at a French competition called Concours des villes et villages fleuris. As a result, many open spaces (parks, gardens…) in the town centre allow the locals and visitors to benefit from tranquillity and nature. Some of the parks are worth being mentioned: Jardin public de la Forêt normande, Parc des Rédemptoristes, Parc de la Vallée d'Auge…

• Economy: from the two World Wars onwards, a low-cost workforce has attracted investors and important factories such as Moulinex, Solec, Motta amongst others. An industrial zone has been created and enabled the town to develop. Today the town has also a lively town centre with a diversified network of small but interesting shops. Another major source of revenue is tourism, Normandy being a touristy location amidst French and foreigners. This last point promises constant developments as regards facilities and life surroundings.

• Activities: very appreciated sports facilities are available in the town and allow you to practice lots of different sports. Several more uncommon sports are also on offer, such as water-polo, archery or canoeing. Furthermore, the many activities can be combined with the discovery of the area for many nice paths all around the town are often used by walkers, bikers and horse-riders. For those more interested in culture, the Quai des Arts offers miscellaneous shows and some sites of interest are also to visit.

Property Styles and Architecture in Argentan

Except apartments which have no particular architecture style, Argentan boasts beautiful properties:

• Stone houses: many properties in Argentan are constructed with stones. They may be farmhouses, detached homes, town houses… Some of them may however need some renovation, but in this case, the price is very low. Depending on the type of property, the latter may come with a land, garage, courtyard, attic and outbuildings.

• Detached houses: other houses in the town are not made up of stones but are still charming. Furthermore, they may be more modern and recent. Walls can be painted for instances. But all the others characteristics are mainly the same than for stone properties. Old detached houses can also be found, e.g. mansions houses or bourgeoise houses.

Click here for more info about the Architecture in Basse Normandie.