Vendome Property Insight

Vendôme is a 18,500-inhabitant town of the Loir-et-Cher department, in the Centre region. The town is situated on a privilege site: at the foot of a hillside next to the Loir River, in an area where greenery is important and nature unspoilt. Vendome has many assets which attract thousands of holidaymakers every year. It is at the heart of an important touristy centre and at the edge of the Loir Valley.

Overview

Vendôme is the chief town of an important community of communes: communauté du Pays de Vendôme, which gathers 11 towns aiming at development in varied domains. All kind of facilities are available in Vendome in terms of sport, culture, education and so on.

So Vendome is a very active town economically speaking, the motor industry, aeronautics and electrical goods industry are the 3 main fields as regards the local economy. But it is also a wonderful flourished town: it received 4 flowers at the French competition ‘villes et villages fleuris’, which rewards communes where there are numerous gardens, parks, etc. The best place to discover this beautiful town is probably the terrace of the Bourdon-Vendôme’s castle, the panorama is really breathtaking!

Vendôme has the label ‘Ville d’Art et d’Histoire’ (town of Art and History), indeed the rich heritage of the area has been kept and is still promoted nowadays. Paris is reachable in only 42 minutes thanks to the high-speed railway station located in the town centre. Let’s discover this town which has a nice setting and plenty of things on offer (street market, festivals, museums, etc.).

Vendôme Immobilier & Property Market Trends

The average price for a property to buy in Vendôme is €2,108 /square metre in May 2009. This price is pretty expensive for the area, especially in comparison with the average price of the department: €1,668 /sq m. Prices for apartments in Vendome were comprised between €1,370/sq m and €1,920 /sq m in 2008. In May 2009, the average price for an apartment to buy is €1,870 /sq m and €1,970/sq m for a house to buy. Housing prices have been decreasing since July 2008 for houses as it cost at that time €2,150 /sq m to invest in a house in the town. If you plan to invest in a house in the Vendômois, here are some average prices: €95,400 for a 3-room house, €118,700 for a 4-room one, €146,200 for a 5-room one and €171,600 for a 6-room one. There are almost as many houses as apartments in Vendome (49.3% against 46.8%), but the proportion of tenants is higher than the proportion of people who own their property (44.8% against 52.5%). Why not invest in a buy-to-let?

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

5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Vendôme

• Gardens and parks: as said before, Vendome received the label ‘flourished town’ and we can find many gardens and parks in the area. During a stroll in the Ronsard park or in the park of the castle, you will see very old trees, some of them were indeed planted during the 18th century! People can admire floral decorations everywhere in the town such as in the garden of the library, in the courtyard of Trinity’s cloister or close to Belot public garden.

• Local produce: in the area around Vendome, also called Vendômois, fine local wines are produced. In 2001, an AOC (label of controlled origin) was even given to these wines: ‘Coteaux du Vendômois’. We suggest you to visit the vignoble de la pente des coutis: 10 hectares of vines, an orchard, a house where traditional materials and methods can be seen, a garden about the study of the vineyard, etc. Everything you need to learn more about the area. The Vendômois also produces delicious cakes and sweets. Many of them have a special history or anecdotes. Here are the most famous ones of the area: Carrés Ronsard (nougatine praline), Croquignolles Balzaciennes (meringues with almonds), Croc-Champalus (dry biscuits with candied fruits), Rochambeau (cookies and chocolate ganache), Saint Larme (chocolate coated with sugar), Malices du Loup (chestnuts and almonds), papillons (butter puff pastry).

• Events: all year round, events and festivals of different kinds are held in Vendôme. A festival about German cinema called ‘Prokino’, the international festival of guitars, music festivals such as ‘Les Promenades musicales en pays de Vendôme or ‘Les Rockomotives’, a photography festival (‘Les Promenades photographiques’), film festival and so on. Cultural life in the town is very important and everybody can be satisfied given the variety of events which take place in the area.

• Historical heritage: the abbey of the Trinity and its cloister are a must when visiting the town. The front is an actual jewel of Gothic art. Madeleine church also belongs to the religious heritage of Vendôme. The Saint-Jacques chapel is a former stop on the Compostelle pilgrimage route. Saint-Gorges gate is one of the 4 gates which used to control the access to the town during the medieval time. The Islette tower is one of the protection towers which were part of the fortifications during the Middle Ages. Wonderful castles can also be found in the surroundings of Vendome such as in the towns of Radrets, Montoire-sur-le-Loir, Lavardin and Fréteval.

• Location – transport links: Vendôme is situated on the Loir River, in the northern part of the Loir-et-Cher department. Thanks to the high-speed train railway station, Paris is accessible in about 40 minutes only and Tours in 15 minutes. The town is crossed by the national road N10 and the motorway A10 is located close to Blois, so not too far from Vendome. You can also reach the town thanks to Tours airport (flights from and to UK, Germany, Spain, Italy, etc.), then from Tours you can take a TGV high-speed train.

Property Styles and Architecture in Vendôme

• Maisons de Maitre: these properties represented wealth and power during the 18th century and belonged to bourgeois upper-middle class. Maisons de Maitre come with a large piece of land often composed of fields and vineyards or woods. There are many rooms in such properties and their sixe is impressive. Maisons de Maitre were built in stone and are very luminous given the important number of windows. These properties are very-sought after amongst prospective buyers.

• Town houses: they are pretty common everywhere in France and are featured by their location in the town centre, close to all amenities i.e schools, shops, etc. The size of such properties may vary. Town houses come with a garage, garden, cellar and/or attic. They may be in need of renovation. Town houses in the Vendômois have a paricularity: they have troglodytic caves. In the Touraine area (actual Indre-et-Loire department), there are many properties of this kind. Caves were dug in the rock during the Middle Ages and were then dwelt by poor farmers. Nowadays, these caves are used as cellars or outbuildings. It is not rare to find either troglodytic caves or Maisons de Maitre.

Click here for more info about the Architecture in Centre.