La Couronne Property Insight

La Couronne is a 7,500 inhabitant French town located in the Charente department Poitou Charentes region). It is in the south west of Angouleme. The town had several names: Paludibus (marsh), Corona Beate Mari, Saint Jean de la Palud.

Overview

Some religious monuments in La Couronne are worth seeing. First, Notre-Dame de La Couronne abbey is a Benedictine abbey whose architecture dates from the 12th century. However, the façade has a Gothic style. Another monument is Saint-Jean-Baptiste church is a beautiful church with archways and bell tower. As regards the civil heritage of the town, we can quote the Oisellerie Castle built in 1498. It houses today the local high school dedicated to agriculture. The castle has been part of the French Historical Monuments since 1911.

La Couronne Immobilier & Property Market Trends

Since the end of 2008, property prices in La Couronne dropped by about €150 /square metre. This is a slight decrease due to the current real estate crisis. In 2009, the average property price is about €1,500 /square metre. Considering the national average of €3,197 /square metre, La Couronne appears to be a cheap area where it may be interesting investing. Furthermore, about 44% of its residents are tenants, which may represent a good place for a buy-to-let. Located near Angouleme, the town has a strategic location: close to a large town and to the sea.

With an average area of 119sq m, the housing stock is made of 72 % houses and only 26 % apartments. The majority of the dwellings have four bedrooms or more and small areas are scarce to be found. Prices vary according to the type of property, for the average buying price for an apartment is €1,075 /sq m and €1,510 /sq m for a house (or approximately €179,164). While the real estate market for the department as a whole has remained quite stable the past year, in La Couronne it has been gradually dropping. It may therefore be the right time to invest in this town before the next increase!

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

3 Reasons to Buy a Property in La Couronne

• People and lifetyle: La Couronne is opened to international relationships. Indeed, the town is twinned with two foreign towns: Itzehoe in Germany and Concordia in Italy. It also has privileged relationships with Pasleck in Poland, Xothyn in Ukraine and Laterriere in Quebec. Life in this town is quite relaxed since La Couronne is located in the countryside. You can thus live in a quiet and charming place with welcoming people and inhabitants.
• Location – transport links: one of the best asset of La Couronne is probably its location. Indeed, it holds an easy access to the Atlantic coast – about 1 ½ hr – and to many touristy attractions such as Cognac, Ile de Ré and Ile d’Oléron. Angouleme airport is the closest one and regularly flies to London Stansted. This is a good asset because going back to the UK is really easy when settled in La Couronne.
• Rental opportunities: with almost half of the residents being tenants in La Couronne, it may represent an interesting location if you are looking for a buy-to-let investment. The future return on investment should therefore be fast profitable to you. Furthermore, considering the cheap prices in the town, you will probably be satisfied of your placement.

Property Styles and Architecture in La Couronne

Properties in La Couronne have no typical architecture style. However you can find classic houses such as detached houses, cottages, town houses or village houses, like almost everywhere in France.

• Detached houses: they often come with a land and a courtyard. They are either in the town centre or in the countryside. They can have several floors and often have painted walls. It implies that no big works should be planned.
• Cottages: they are most of the time one-storey houses coming with a land, a garage and a terrace. Front façades are almost always painted and these properties are often modern. They may be located in the countryside and thus offer good view and calmness.

Click here for more info about the Architecture in Poitou Charentes.