Montbéliard Property Insight

Montbéliard is one of the most important towns of the Franche Comté region, in the east of France near the Swiss border. It accounts for about 27,500 inhabitants and is also one of the sub prefectures of the Doubs department. Former principality, it has kept all its nobility and is known as ‘City of the Princes’. Today it distinguishes itself as a lively town with a dynamic cultural life. Many communes in the Montbeliard area form the Communaute d'Agglomeration du Pays de Montbeliard like for example Voujeaucourt, Bart or Bavans.

Overview

Montbeliard is divided in four districts:

• Les Grands Jardins: a green area land of working-class houses
• La Petite-Hollande: the most recent district characterized by its big estate complexes
• La Chiffogne: a mix of buildings and pavilions
• La Citadelle: a residential area at the outskirts of the town.

The economy is mainly based upon metallurgy and car industry. Besides, Montbeliard nestles a branch of the Chamber of Commerce and Industry. The town encourages the creation of small and medium-size companies and thanks to this initiative, the town has been living an exceptional growth for several years.

Being a lively town does not prevent Montbéliard from being turned towards nature. It has a lot of parks to stroll in and is awarded one of the best recognitions of the Villes fleuries (a French competition awarding the towns with great ‘green’ surroundings and lifestyle). Its marina is a pleasant meeting point for the locals.

Montbéliard Immobilier & Property Market Trends

Despite the general situation of the real estate market, Montbeliard pulls good through. Property prices have indeed remained constant with an average buying price of €1,702 /sq m. It is slightly higher than the Doubs department (€1,670 /sq m) but still really cheap compared with the national average price (€3,197 /sq m).

It accounts for about 13,038 dwellings, 8.9% of which are vacant. Approximately 2/3 are apartments, which is almost twice more than the national average but normal for a town. There are only few studio-flats.

Prices vary according to the type of property. For an ancient apartment you can plan to invest approximately €1,200 /sq m, €2,220 /sq m for a new one and €143,500 for a house. Plots of land prices are quite expensive.

As prices decrease while moving away from the town centre, the better bargains to be driven are likely to be at the outskirts of the town.

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

3 Reasons to Buy a Property in Montbéliard

• Culture, art and historical heritage: Montbeliard is part of the Villes d’Art et d’Histoire, which are a network of French towns with a rich heritage particularly acting to promote and develop it. The Castle of Montbéliard, former residence of the German dukes of Wurtemberg, has been converted into a museum where you can find artistic exhibitions as well as learn the history of the region but also about the Gallo-Roman archaeology. Beurnier-Rossel museum of art and history is dedicated to the town. As regards religious art, you can visit Saint-Martin protestant church and Saint-Maimboeuf church.

• Local produce: the famous saucisse de Montbéliard is a sausage specially smoked during ten hours to give it its unique taste. It is often served with cabbage, lentils or hot cancoillotte, a regional runny cheese. Likewise, one typical course is the petit salé aux lentilles, made of lentils and very salty fat streaky bacon. You can also try the friture de carpe (carp frying) cooked with beer and a sauce as one chooses. For the dessert, you have the Tutsché or ‘festive cake’, a sort of brioche pancake covered with an egg cream called goumeau.

• People & lifestyle: this town is full of life and offers a lot of events, especially at Christmas time. The ‘Christmas lights’ attract about 400,000 people each year and the Christmas market with its numerous artisans and local specialties to taste, is the 3rd of France. The Réveillon des Boulons taking place in the streets on New Year’s Eve is not to be missed. Diverse events are also organised during the rest of the year, such as a marathon, a kid festival and a golf prime. Besides, the Montbéliardais are warm lively welcoming people. They don’t hesitate to give some time to show you their beloved town or invite you to share convivial time with them.

Property Styles and Architecture in Montbéliard

• Apartments: they are to be found mostly in the town centre but few are in the outskirts. According to the trend, they are nicely laid out in a modern style and usually very lighthouse. The kitchen is most of the time fully equipped and the presence of a balcony is not to neglect. These apartments are generally in residences with cellar, car park and/or garage.

• Maisons de Maître: this term can literally be translated as “landlords' house” and defines a bourgeois house. They have generally two storeys, a high ceiling and a floor covered with parquet. They are also known for their practical layouts. As a bonus they often have a private swimming-pool and some green land around to enjoy.

Click here for more info about the Architecture in Franche Comté.