Seine-Saint-Denis Property Insight

Seine Saint Denis is a French department of the Paris-Ile de France region, which moreover belongs to the small crown of Paris, which means to the Paris agglomeration. It is located north east of Paris and shares borders with Hauts de Seine and Val de Marne. Seine Saint Denis with 236sq km is one of the smallest department in France, however with 1,503,536 inhabitants (called the Séquano-Dionysiens) it is the sixth more populated department and the third more densely populated with 6,371 inhabitants/sq m.

Overview

The administrative centre of the department is Bobigny, with 47,806 inhabitants. The department was created in 1968 from a part of the former Seine department and of the former Seine et Oise department. Owing to the closeness to Paris, the area developed very quickly and became very busy. After the creation of the department, politics focused on dwellings, especially social dwellings, in order to meet the high demand.

The department is also renowned as it houses the Stade de France and the Paris Charles de Gaulle airport. As already said, it is a busy area, very dynamic and rather crowded. The area is also renowned for its cultural diversity. Indeed, in the department you will easily find people from all over the world.

Seine Saint Denis Immobilier & Property Market Trends

In Seine Saint Denis a house is sold €3,340 /sq m in 2009, which is higher than the national average (€3,200 /sq m), but lower than the regional average (€5,100 /sq m). This price is rather surprising as Seine Saint Denis shares borders with Paris where prices are prohibitive. This can be explained as there are many social dwellings in the department at a very affordable price.

However, rental prices are quiet expensive, with €16.60 /sq m /month, while the national average is around €12.20 /sq m /month. Moreover, demand is rather high as 60%of residents are tenants. With these two factors you can be sure to have a quick return on investment. As a result, Seine Saint Denis is a good area if you are looking for a buy-to-let, as demand will never decrease. However, if you are looking for a second home you might prefer a quieter place less crowded.

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

5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Seine Saint Denis

Seine Saint Denis bears the image of an urbanized area very developed and crowded, which is definitely true for some parts, especially cities. However the department has also some quiet places and has an important rural heritage which is present through its architecture.

• Architectural style: Seine Saint Denis boasts a rich architectural heritage inherited from the past, and completed recently with modern architecture. As the department used to be a rural area you will find some farmhouses, but also castles, masions and maisons de maitre. The department also stands out for its folies (Folly), which are monuments in gardens or parks.

• Garden cities: the Garden city movement exists in different countries, and was first introduced by English. In France, this movement was developed over all around Paris, between WWI and WWII. The most successful and beautiful one was in Stains. However, it is not the only one in the department. The idea of the garden cities is to bring nature to the city, in order to provide employees with healthy food and to give them a good way of life surrounded with nature. It is usually a full quarter which is designed, and includes social dwellings, a school, shops, etc, and green spaces with small individual gardens and allotments.

• Universities: as every departments around Paris, Seine Saint Denis houses some big universities, such as the Saint Denis University and the Paris-Nord University. Universities are a good asset for an area as they bring with them all the student life, such as night life, sports infrastructures, etc.

• Stade de France: with 80,000 seats, it is the largest French stadium. It can welcome both rugby and soccer games and was finished in 1998 for the Football World Cup. Transport infrastructures are very well developed in order to access the stadium from anywhere in the region. 2 RER lines arrive at the stadium, one underground line, and many bus lines. During very big games there are also a water shuttle on the Saint Denis canal.

• Location – transport links: as already mentioned, transport infrastructures in the department are very well developed. Indeed, six motorways go through the department, connecting it to Paris and the other French cities, the train network is also very well developed, with the TGV (speed train) and the RER. Not to mention the Paris underground which has some lines ending in the department (6 lines and 17 stations are in Seine Saint Denis).

Local Property Market

Bobigny property: located only 3km in the north east of Paris, Bobigny thanks to its status as the administrative centre of the department has developed very quickly these last 30 years. Property prices are surprisingly affordable if we take into account its location very close by paris.

Property Styles and Architecture in Seine Saint Denis

• Meulières: they are typical dwelling from Paris’ suburbs. Some of them, the most beautiful ones, are a kind of villa built for wealthy Parisians in search of greeneries around Paris. They are usually built in an Art Nouveau style and standout for the decoration with wrought iron, bricks and ceramic.

• Apartments:in the Ile de France region apartments are the main dwellings. This is understandable, as population keeps growing and space is rarer and rarer. As the department started to develop during the late 20th century, buildings are usually rather new and fairly comfortable. As demand is very high so is offer and it is also much diversified. Indeed you will be able to find any type of apartments wherever you want.

Click here for more info about Paris Ile de France’s Architecture.