Lannemezan Property Insight

Overview

Lannemezan is more a pleasant place at the footsteps of the Pyrenees than a famous tourism destination. However, this town of 5,700 inhabitants is quite lively as it is located in a strategic area, between Toulouse, Tarbes, Pau and the Pyrenees. Ski slopes are less than 1 hour away and the natural environment around is very pleasant, as usual in this part of France.

The name of the town means ‘in the middle of the moors‘. The Gascon style and character of Lannemezan can be felt through the street markets and through the countryside around. In spite of its size the town offers all the necessary shops and amenities and the unemployment rate in the town is almost half that of France. With a wonderful view over the Pyrenees, the town has many assets to seduce holidaymakers as well as potential buyers.

Lannemezan lies at the limit of Gascony and Hautes Pyrenees in terms of culture and gastronomy. The ambience is that of a friendly rural town. It also is quite close to ski resorts and thus is a clear rival to those located in the Alps. Bagneres de Bigorre, La Mongie, St Lary and Peyregaude ski resorts are within a stone’s throw and will allow you to ski for less while avoiding the sometimes unbearable crowd of Alpine resorts.

Lannemezan Immobilier & Property Market Trends

Lannemezan is a calm market town which has some handsome properties on offer, as you will see in our property listings. The town attracts new inhabitants thanks to its nice location and moderate property prices. In 2009, apartments cost on average €900 /square metre in the town whereas new apartments cost around €2,500 /square metre. Globally prices are stable in Lannemezan. House prices in the area vary from €1,500 to €2,000 depending on the location and features of the house, which needs be compared with the national average: €3,200 /square metre.

A house or apartment in the area can be a quite sound choice financially as you can buy for quite modest prices and rent all year long as the department has great assets (pleasant environment, next to Gascony, food and wine delights, ski resorts around, etc). according to many estate agents it is definitely the moment to buy rather than to sell, and property prices may continue to go down in 2009. Why not have a look at our property listings in Hautes Pyrenees?

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

5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Lannemezan

The town of Lannemezan not only offers activities for ski lovers but is the ideal starting-point for any kind of sport such as walking, hiking or horse riding for instance. Interesting towns such as Lourdes, Tarbes or Cauterets are within easy reach, which means that you will easily rent your property to holidaymakers searching for diverese types of stays.

• Ideal starting-point: as the town is located along the motorway you can easily get to Toulouse, Tarbes or Lourdes for instance. These towns are majors sites of Midi Pyrenees for their cultural and leisure activities. What about a pilgrimage to Lourdes or a thermal stay in Cauterets or Bagneres de Bigorre? You may prefer skiing activities in the nearby resorts? Lannemezan is then an ideal place to start visiting the area.

• Location – transport links: Lannemezan can be reached quite swiftly from the UK as these towns have international airports and an access to high-speed trains. Well-maintained and secure motorways also serve the town. Definitely a smart investment.

• Good food: the area offers a great number of gastronomic specialities. The beans from Tarbes is a long white flat bean with a subtle taste. The onion from Trebons is quite sweet and is a must-taste for visitors as well as the local trouts. The Pyrenees mountains bring a lot of food delights to the department such as mouthwatering goat cheeses and lamb recipes which are ideal with the aforementioned beans.Other delights are the Garbure, a haricot and ham soup ham where red wine is often added to warm up cold winter nights. Eventually, other specialities of the Hautes Pyrenees are the duck and geese confits as well as some pastries. With all these dishes, it is not difficult to convince holidaymakers to come back and rent your property again the following year!

• Wine and alcoholic drinks: all this food is obviously ideal when tasted with a glass of local wine. Midi Pyrenees offers wines which are lesser known than those of Aquitaine but not less good. The Midi-Pyrenees region has 5 AOC-awarded wines having different characters. The price is also quite reasonable so why not try a Cahors wine or a Fronton, Gaillac, Madiran or Pacherenc? Obviously, as Lannemezan is located next to Gascony, you must also taste the Armagnac!

• Rental opportunities: property rentals in this area of Midi Pyrenees are very popular because of the departmental and regional assets. With such a weather, local attractions and ski resorts around, buy-to-let there could be a good idea. The return on investment is generally fast especially these days as prices have recently dropped by 20% on average.

Property Styles and Architecture in Lannemezan

Holidaymakers and potential investors have discovered Lannemezan in recent years, which explains why this town which was almost unspoilt until then is now more sought-after. As a consequence prices have soared but it is still possible to invest while driving a bargain if you take your time and / or if you buy an apartment. Traditional stone farmhouses can be found in the area around the town. In the town centre, gorgeous coloured houses can be seen too. The Bigourdane house is the other classic property style of the area.

• Bigourdane house: Bigourdane houses are traditional dwellings from the Bigorre area - as the name implies. Their common characteristic is the wide use of bricks and wood as decoration elements. Their symmetrical layout gives the impression that the property is massive. The roof is steeply pitched and has dormer windows, a classic hallmark amongst Hautes Pyrenees properties.
• Traditional Lannemezan houses: these properties are generally massive houses with at least two storeys and gorgeous balconies on the front. Warm colours are used to paint the walls, generally green, orange or red. Roofs are steeply pitched, with dormer windows and several chimneys in most cases. Windows are numerous too, which means that rooms are luminous. They sometimes have multiple gables which give an elegant, grand style to the property. These houses are quite expensive but are first-class and reliable buy-to-let investments.
• Gascon farmhouses: these stone properties are the fruit of the influence of the neighbouring Gers over property styles in Hautes Pyrenees. Stone farmhouses are always numerous in agricultural areas and Lannemezan does follow the rule. They can be cheap or expensive depending on their condition and need of restoration or not. In any case, they are high value properties with a stunning style which is easy to sell to holidaymakers in the region. If you have DIY skills and a coherent project of renovation, these are clearly the style of properties you should aim at buying. Along with this, their prices are often mor stable than other property styles as the demand is almost constant when it comes to these authentic properties.

Click here for more info about the Architecture of Midi-Pyrenees.