Avallon Property Insight

Avallon is a town located in the south of the Yonne department, in the Burgundy region. It accounts for about 7,500 inhabitants called the Avallonnais. The town is situated on a plateau dominating the Cousin valley, the Cousin River being a sub-tributary of the Yonne and Seine Rivers.

Overview

Avallon was an important village during the millennium before the Christian era. Then it was a major crossroads on the Roman way Agrippa which linked the Mediterranean Sea to northern Europe. Originally surrounded by a wood wall, which was later replaced by a stone one, it had to face numerous invasions. A castle was built on the location of the antique town as well as a temple, a tribunal and a theatre. The history of town has been deeply influenced by Burgundy’s one. Perched on a granit spur dominating the valley of Cousin of 100 metres, Avallon is definitely not to be missed.

The Saint-Lazare church and ‘clock tower’ are the two major monuments of Avallon, which is for sure a lovely town deserving to be discovered. The town hall, religious monuments, bridges and medieval vestiges are just a few reasons which explain why so many tourists come to visit the town every year.

Avallon Immobilier & Property Market Trends

When it comes to property prices, Avallon has very attractive prices. It cost in average €1,157 / square metre in May 2009 to buy a property in the town. When comparing this price with the national average (€3,197/sq m) and the department one (€1,881/sq m), we can easily say that it is worth investing in the area. The average price for a house to buy in the town was €1,131 / square metre in May 2009. Investing in a property coming with a piece of land cost about €1,239 / square metre.

85.3% of the properties in Avallon are main houses, 6% are holiday homes and 8.8% of the dwellings are vacant. 58.7% of the population rent its property, so there might be good rental opportunities. The majority of properties are apartments (54.4% against 42.7% of houses).

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

4 Reasons to Buy a Property in Avallon

• Monuments: the Saint-Lazare church dates from the 12th century and was built in order to welcome the numerous pilgrims who came to see Lazarus’ relics… It has a Romanesque architecture and its great door dates from the 12th century. The ‘Clock Tower’ – or Tour de l’horloge – originates from the 15th century. It has a campanile and is 49m-high, from its top a lookout watched everything and prevented any invasions. The monument is hold up by an archway called porte de la Boucherie or Bouchoise. The fortifications and towers are impressive. Other monuments are worth seeing such as the hospital, the town hall and place Saint-Julien.

• Culture and art: culture is a major element of the quality of life of Avallon’s inhabitants. Many cultural events are organised all year round in the different places of the town such as the music school, the library or exhibition hall. Avallon also houses two interesting museums: the musée de l’Avallonnais and the musée du Costume. Such places help people discovering the area in an enjoyable way.

• Tranquillity and scenery: the town has a nice setting allowing people to relax and forget the stress of urban life: the wood, green fields, rivers, ponds and lakes...all these elements are perfect for peaceful times and also enable the practise of varied outdoor activities such as hiking, horse riding, fishing or mountain biking.

• Up and coming area: being situated on the Paris-Lyon axis, Avallon benefits from its strategic location. It is an important crossroads close to the motorway A6 – autoroute du Soleil (Sun’s motorway!). Avallon is also a good location to discover the region as people can access Auxerre and Dijon quite quickly. Investing in the area is worth given its central location within the Burgundy region and its tranquillity.

Property Styles and Architecture in Avallon

• Stone properties: be it farmhouses or separate barns, stone properties are very sought-after as they are full of character. They may need some works so it is better not to be afraid of doing some renovation when buying such a property. Stone properties offer great dimension and a large piece of land. Located most of the time in the countryside, they allow people to relax and live in a quiet area.

• Town houses: as the name indicates, these proeprties are located in the town centre, and thus close to all amenities (ie schools, shops, etc). They have more or less large dimensions and a very practical layout. Some town houses in Avallon are constructed of stone, other are in bricks or other materials. Town houses are perfect for families.

• Maisons de Maitre: dating from the 18th or 19th century, these properties were built by French Bourgeois to show their wealth and power. They are thus huge luxury properties with many rooms of large dimensions. They come with a piece of land on which we can find either outbuildings or a pond, swimming-pool or a wood, or both. Usually made of white stone, these bourgeoise properties are good investments for Bed&Breakfast or gites for instance.

Click here for more info about the Architecture in Bourgogne.