Tarn Property Insight

Tarn is a department of the Midi-Pyrenees region, crossed by the eponymous river. The population reaches 360,000 inhabitants and the prefecture is the town of Albi.

The geography of the department is quite varied. The valley of the Tarn forms a plain, but the centre of the department is hilly. The south is constituted by a rocky massif, called la Montagne Noire (the black mountain). This geography offers diversified landscapes, which are also punctuated with diverse ruins and buildings. Only in few kilometres, you will feel somewhere else.

Overview

The department of Tarn has assets and attracts tourists for its fertile nature and relief, but also for its cultural and historical sites. One-thousand-year-old vineyards sprawl near the town of Gaillac, rich in patrimony to discover. Water and space characterise the hills of Lacaune, where gastronomy and mountains cooked meats take you in a whirl of greediness and pleasure.

In Castres or Hautpoul, you will find more about history and art of the medieval village of Lautrec, the marvellous bastide of Cordes-sur-Ciel or the beautiful cathedral of Lavaur which are places not to be missed.

Rivers, lakes or leisure centres give you many possibilities of bathing and to enjoy the nice climate of the south! They also provide the opportunity to practise several sports as kayaking, canyoning, water-ski and more of them. Sports like climbing, paragliding, handgliding are also popular thanks to the mountains.

Really, everything is done for the tourists and inhabitants to take advantage of the nature through outdoor activities!

Tarn Immobilier & Property Market Trends

Tarn has lower property prices than the national average (€3,197 /sq m), which is surprising for a department in the south, which are normally more sought-after than those from the north. But this can be explained by the fact that there is no real big city in Tarn, which often offer only skyrocketing prices.

The price you will have to pay for a property in Tarn in 2009 is around €1,800/ s qm. In the department, you will hardly find studio flats because they represent only 2% of the whole property market… 81% are houses!

Clearly, the majority of properties are big houses with at least 3 bedrooms, which represent 46% of properties in Tarn.

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

3 Reasons to Buy a Property in Tarn

• Bastides: many bastides can be found in Tarn. They are vestiges of the Middle Ages when they were seats of power. These fortified towns are often well-preserved and offer marvellous promenades across the narrow streets. Sometimes, medieval shows and events are organised during summer. Weekly markets also take place in the bastides, which reminds the atmosphere you could have found there centuries ago, when those bastides still were a privileged place for trade.

• Tranquility: Tarn is a beautiful department. You will enjoy the tranquillity that it offers to you, and enjoy the hours you can spend in the quiet nature. In Tarn, you can escape the busy life of big cities. It is like a return to basics. However, some big towns like Albi and Castres offer you the amenities you need, and the cities of Toulouse or Montpellier with their airports, are located less than one hour from there.

• Nature: the nature of Tarn offers a multitude of marvellous landscapes: plains, rivers, mountains, gorges, lakes, forests… Discover the region by foot or by doing horse-riding for instance, it is a real pleasure! Tarn is definitely one of the best departments if you like nature, because everything has been well-preserved there.

Local Property Market: 4 Popular Towns

• Albi property: the main town of the Tarn department, Albi is nicknamed « the red town », due to the red bricks which compose its impressive and massive cathedral and its ancient centre. This town has a real uncommon charm, which makes it absolutely « special ».
• Castres property: for a long time, Castres has been a crossroads for multiple influences. The town has kept its rich past, made of events and evolution, and it can be seen through its cultural, architectural and economic identity.
• Gaillac property: Gaillac is a thousand-year-old city, which is known for its wine above all. It is one of the oldest French vineyards, and it produces red, rosé and white wines, but also bubbly.
• Mazamet property: at the foot of the Montagne Noire, Mazamet is a small town situated at the heart of the Regional Park of the Haut-Languedoc. It is a quiet place, where the craftsmen work in their opened workshop.

Property Styles and Architecture in Tarn

The architecture of properties in Tarn differs depending on the geography of the area. Here are some kinds of old houses you can find in three different areas:

• Area between Albi and the Lacaune hills: there, you will see old stone farmhouses with a courtyard which can be open or closed. These farmhouses are constituted by a main home with one or more outbuildings. The main building has almost an urban appearance with its numerous windows on the ground and first floors. When there is only one outbuilding, this one is normally connected in U-shape to the home and comprises a lower building.
• Forest of Gresigne: generally, the kind of houses you can find there are massive properties with regular volumes. They have numerous openings and are composed of a main building. On their side, an opened hangar forms a tiny courtyard. Then, you have the exploitation buildings, with for instance a low barn and an important pigeon house, or a building gathering barn and stables. Their roofs are often large and with four slopes.
• Garonne plain: in this wine growing area, farmhouses were made for the viticultural exploitation, and thus have a specific architecture. For example, at the bottom of the house you will find the wine warehouse but it only occupies a small part of the space. The home is preferably oriented to the east to benefit from the morning sun. It is the roof which makes this house unique. Very wide, it exceeds the walls and is made of tiles. It contributes to give this massive aspect to the house, which is usually made in one block (as the buildings for the agricultural exploitation are linked to the main living one). A pigeon house completes this so dynamic volumetry.

Click here for more info about Architecture in Midi-Pyrenees.