Lure Property Insight

Lure is a small town of Franche Comté about 60km from the Swiss border. With about 8,352 inhabitants, it is the sub prefecture and 3rd most populated town of the Haute Saône department. It is located in the Ognon Valley and stretches over 2,431 hectares with a semi-urban, semi-rural topography. At the entrance door of the Ballons des Vosges natural park and dotted of ten ponds, it is a quiet place to live in.

Overview

Lure is a town integrated into nature. The local micro climate is changeable and temperature can vary a lot. Crossed by the Ognon River and surrounded with a massive forest, it allows its inhabitants to enjoy the comfort of modern properties while feeling the soothing tranquillity of nature.

The geographical assets have been taken advantage of. The ponds are exploited first as gravel pits, thus developing the economical pool, but also in touristic aims. The economy of Lure can be divided in 3: the town centre with its miscellaneous shops and two integrated development zones, the Cloies and the Saline one nestling several new promising companies.

Lure used to be just a village which has then developed into a town in the middle of the 19th century. With Vesoul and Luxueil-les-Bains, it today constitutes a rapid and busy road triangle and benefits from a good location served by several major roads. Its growth is slow but constant.

On a side note, it is called the ‘Sapper City’ because of the humorous comic strip Sapeur Camember, whose main character is native of Lure and represents the simple-minded and brave country boy.

Lure Immobilier & Property Market Trends

After an increase in 2008, prices are now stable. With an average buying price of €1,293 /sq m, property prices in Lure are cheap, more than the half of the average national price (€3,197 /sq m).

The town accounts for 3,866 dwellings, of which about 8% are vacant. There are only 6.5% of studio flats. The proportions of other properties are similar to the average in France, with a majority of dwellings with 5 rooms or more (35.1%). All areas taken into account, the number of apartments and the number of detached houses are quite the same.

91.9% of the properties are main residences, which is higher than the national average. It can be explained by the fact that Lure is really suitable for everyday life. In a rural area, this little town at the foot of the Vosges however benefits from modern facilities.

Estate prices vary with the type of property. To buy a new-built apartment, the average price is €1,980 /sq m and €1,020 /sq m for an ancient one. For a house, you can count an average price of €122,200 (or €1,280 /sq m). The best bargains to drive can currently be made in buying a house.

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

3 Reasons to Buy a Property in Lure

• Heritage and culture: ancient monuments are a trace of Lure’s past and can be visited. The town was built around Notre-Dame de Lure abbey, which has an uncommon double nave and is listed as national ancient monument. St-Martin church is also worth the visit. Besides, culture plays an important role in Lure. The cultural and social centre Jeanne Schloterrer - named after a woman was sent into a concentration camp - is a reminder of the past and offers activities aimed at developing languages and artistic skills. François Mitterand cultural centre promotes artistic skills, mainly in three domains: visual art, topical music and tales art.

• A special environment: Lure has implemented a complete environmental policy in order to preserve its rich natural heritage. The flora is so diverse that you can find oaks, willows and palms side by side, and different animals such as roes, badgers and tawny owls are to be seen. The relief is also curious, it is mainly flat but in some places surmounted by hills. It is a transition between the Ballons des Vosges and the Saône valley and it astonishes by its unique environment.

• Activities: you have the choice between a lot of nature-linked activities. To give you an idea, you can have a go at sports like horse riding, mountain biking, swimming, rock climbing, sailing... And of course fishing in the ponds or follow forest trails while admiring the scenery. It also exists a leisure centre, really appreciated by kids. Each summer a special event comes back, the Journée Délurée, which can be translated as ‘smart day’. All day long various activities on the same theme are offered and in the evening a concert takes place. This is the occasion to loosen up but also to discover new talents.

Property Styles and Architecture in Lure

• Apartments: most of the flats - especially in the town centre - are ancient but done up and renovated. Many are made with sandstone from the Vosges, typically pink and ribbed. They have usually a special feature to notice. Indeed, instead of the traditional white colour the walls are usually papered or painted with warm colours.

• Farmhouses: at the periphery of the town, isolated farms are built in flat rough-stone. Turned into dwellings, they are perfectly integrated in the landscape. Their traditional particularity is that the former door of the stable has arcs in shape of keys. They sometimes also have several bull’s eyes.

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