Bressuire Property Insight

Bressuire is a town of 18,000 inhabitants located to the north-east of the Deux Sevres department. It is thus the second town in the department in terms of population. It is one of the two sub-prefectures of Poitou Charentes. The town is very well located, a mere hour from several cities and towns of western France: Nantes, Angers, Poitiers and Niort.

Overview

The town was originally a crossroads which started to be renowned around the 6th century. The castle played a great role at that time as well as many abbeys and monasteries in and around the town. Nowadays they still exist but mainly as ruins or were completely demolished. Often razed and then rebuilt during history, the 20th century was favourable for the town which now accounts for almost 20,000 inhabitants. Bressuire combines a young population, a dynamic though modest economy with a dense associations’ and charities’ network. Bressuire is also said to be very welcoming for families, with a sound lifestyle and environment as well as many schools. Inhabitants of the town are also said to be quite religious too.

The architecture of the town is lovely, with is stunning cathedral dominating the town centre. The castle of Bressuire is also very nice, you can see it from the town centre.

Bressuire is besides home to a pleasant street market taking place on Tuesday mornings. They offer a variety of local delights such as honey, livestock (the area is famous for its cattle) as well as general produce. Fruit and vegetables are numerous such as apples and melons from the Deux Sevres. You can obviously also fin seafood from the region. In short, Bressuire is a delightful place to live.

Bressuire Immobilier & Property Market Trends

Property prices in Bressuire in 2009 are quite reasonable with €1,340 /square metre on average for a property for sale. Given the stable demand for property in the town and the particularly obvious assets of the area, prices did not really undergo seriously any effect from the crisis.

"In Deux Sevres as a whole, prices have increased slightly until 2008 and have been decreasing rapidly since then to tend to stabilize around €1,800/square metre. Bressuire has thus plenty of good value properties on offer. Let’s recall that the average price of property in France is €3,197 /square metre.

Bressuire is not a great rental market for students but it is a nice one if you plan to rent to holidaymakers. Indeed, the town is ideally located and has lots to offer. If you plan to open a gite or guest house business, be careful to the area you choose given the number of Brits having settled in and around Bressuire in recent years.

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

5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Bressuire

• Tranquillity and scenery: Bressuire is located to the north of Deux Sevres, an area with many forests, ideal for nature lovers. The town offers swimming activities and has dedicated fishing and horsing facilities. Other popular leisure activities in the town are hiking (special areas have been created) and air balloon strolls. The cultural life is quite vibrant for a town of this size, with several amphitheatres, theatre and cinema facilities and a centre dedicated to arts and artistic life.

• People: people in Bressuire are renowned for being warm and welcoming. Life in this part of the region is simple and relaxed, it is thus a joy to meet the inhabitants as well as local food producers. Foreign people really motivated to settle may be more easily integrated here than elsewhere in Poitou Charentes as the area has always been a welcoming one. This sense of welcome is also expressed through twin towns: Bressuire is twinned with seven foreign towns located on several continents (Africa, Russia, Spain etc.).

• Location: the town is ideally located to benefit from the best of several worlds. It represents the rural idyll in many ways (calm environment, gorgeous architecture, authenticity) but is still within a stone’s throw from many interesting cities and towns. Nantes is within one hour: gateway of Brittany, this young, big city provides plenty of jobs and has a vibrant cultural life. Poitiers has lots of architectural and cultural assets as well as museums. Niort is a very interesting and typical Deux Sevrienne town with food delights on the menu. Along with this, all these towns offer popular universities and schools.

• Transport links: 3 airports are within 1h1/2 from Bressuire: Poitiers, La Rochelle and Nantes. 3 other airports are within 2 hours: Bordeaux, Tours and Angouleme airports. No need to say that the town is accessible swiftly and smoothly. By road, you can catch the motorway in Parthenay (30km) or Poitiers (60km) and get to Paris in 4h or Bordeaux in 2hrs. By train, high-speed train lines and the Eurostar stop in Poitiers, then it is a short journey to get to Bressuire.

• Return on Investment: properties in the area are quite cheap, which means that the return on investment is quite fast. An average property costs about €1,340 /square metre, which is about €500 cheaper than the departmental average. For more information please refer to the chapter "Property Market Trends" above.

Property Styles and Architecture in Bressuire

• Farmhouses: farmhouses which can be seen in and around Bressuire have often been converted and walls whitewashed. They are built using wood and stone. Agriculture has been important in the Poitou Charentes economy which explains the number of properties of this type. Prices can vary a lot as sometimes, extra outbuildings were added, as well as a swimming pool etc. Traditional outbuildings are barns and cowshed, sometimes stables. A cellar sometimes comes with the house depending on the activity of the original homeowner.
• Maisons Charentaises: these houses are not very numerous but you will most probably notice them if visiting the area. Built using stones, they are similar to maisons de maitre and manors. These houses normally have a cellar (sometimes called Chai when located in the middle of vineyards) and a garden. They are lengthwise and have a symmetrical layout which is easily recognizable. Charentaise properties are of large dimensions - for a house - and generally decorated with taste.

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