Caussade Property Insight

Located in the Tarn et Garonne department in Midi Pyrenees, Caussade is the administrative centre of the canton in Montauban’s urban district. The 6,500 inhabitants - the Caussadais - call their town la cité du chapeau (hat’s city) due to a very ancient hatter tradition. The town is especially renowned its straw hat making industry that has its commercial peak in the late 19th century – beginning of the 20th.

Caussade is a town of the Bas Quercy (Low Quercy), a part of a former French province (Quercy) spreading on some parts of the Lot, Tarn et Garonne, Dordogne and Aveyron departments. The Bas Quercy - also called Quercy Blanc (White Quercy) - is a region of large chalky plateaus located at the south west of Cahors until the Garonne’s valley. The town belongs to the Lère valley, a tributary of the Aveyron.

Overview

The town is named after Caussade from the Occitan word Caussada which designates an area located in the limestone plateaus in the Massif Central. Caussade’s limestone plateaus are surrounded with green and fruit valleys. The setting of this area is just amazing.

Situated at the heart of the south west of France, Caussade is a great place to visit and the locals are really welcoming. They will be delighted to explain you their history and culture.

Caussade Immobilier & Property Market Trends

Tarn et Garonne is an affordable department in terms of house prices. House prices have been decreasing a lot for one year: a property to buy cost €2,260 / square metre in March 2008, whereas it was €1,740 / square metre in March 2009. Tendencies in the neighbour towns - Monteils, Saint-Cirq and Saint-Vincent - are very similar. Property prices in Caussade are really cheap if we compare them to the national average which is of €3,200 / square metre.

Caussade accounts for 3,055 properties. Regarding ownership, about 52% of people in this town are property owners.83% of the properties is main houses and only 4.5% are holiday homes. If you are looking for a detached house, you will find it easily in Caussade as 70% of the properties are detached homes. On the opposite, if you are looking for a studio flat, the choice will be smaller: such properties represent only 2.9% of the total of properties in Caussade.

About 11% of the properties are vacant, so why not invest in a beautiful house in this south-after part of south west of France?

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

4 Reasons to Buy a Property in Caussade

Caussade is a nice place to live in. Apart from being a lively and thriving market place town, it has many other assets on offer. The town received the award of Ville Fleurie (town paying attention to flowers and green spaces) and boasts an unspoiled nature. The great climate and beautiful countryside will seduce you.

• Architectural heritage: Caussade has a rich architectural heritage based on stone and bricks. The church Notre Dame de l’Assomption is a great example of such an heritage: the 54-metre brick steeple is the only part remaining from the original monument (16th century). It has a style from Toulouse. The rest of the church was rebuilt during the 19th century in a neogothic style. The fontaine du Thouron (Thouron’s fountain) was built during the 19th century above two underground springs and a vaulted room. The Tour d’Arles is another part of the architectural heritage of Caussade. Facing the west porch of the church, this red bricks monument was built during the 13th century as the town had an extension.

• Economy: Caussade is undoubtedly famous for its know-how in straw hat making. The town entered in the industrial era thanks to this asset. Straw hat business began as a traditional industry: the ewe keepers of the limestone plateaus used to produce these hats. Caussade’s hat industry managed to adapt itself to the evolution of fashion and is still very renowned nowadays. The neighbouring town of Septfonds is also a major straw hat producer. Many new infrastructures emerged after the development f the hat business: industrial parks, important communication axis, motorways, schools, etc. All these infrastructures encouraged the putting in of new companies and allowed to make the local business more dynamic.

• Events: many festivals and events are organised all year round in Caussade. Amongst others: Truffes et Safran en Quercy (Truffles and Safran in Quercy) - a truffle market takes place every Monday morning from December to March – book festivals, varied conferences and exhibitions, dinners-dance, circus shows, bric-a-brac trade, etc. You will not have time to get bored in this lovely and active town.

• Surroundings: the Midi Pyrenees region and Tarn has plenty of interesting places to visit. Historic towns or pretty and quiet villages – just make your choice! You can easily reach Montauban, Cahors or Toulouse from Caussade. The gorges du Tarn are also worth visiting. This canyon digged by the Tarn river between the limestone plateaus of Méjean and Sauveterre are simply breathtaking!

Property Styles and Architecture in Caussade

• Village houses: you will find many hamlets in the area around Caussade. There are numerous village houses there and in the town itself. Usually surrounded with a large garden, these properties are often composed of white stone. They have a flat tiled roof with windows jutting out of it (fenêtre en chien assis). Most village houses being farmhouses, a renovated barn can be found as an extension of the house. With a terrace and sometimes a private swimming-pool, these properties are perfect for holidays.

• Country houses: located at the heart of the countryside, in a very quiet area, let’s relax in a country house! Of large dimension, this kind of rustic properties is really authentic. The main building is usually built in cement, the numerous dependancies and covered barns being made up with stone. Wood beams can be found everywhere in such houses. When they have one storey, there is often a covered balcony. A former pigeon house that has been renovated can also be a part of the main building.

Click here for more info about Midi Pyrenees Architecture.