Gard Property Insight

Gard is one of the five departments which constitute the Languedoc-Roussillon region. Characterised by the sun, the sea, the garrigue (typical scrublands from the south of France), the shrilling of cicadas and the good southern food, the Gard department is known as a beautiful place where life is enjoyable.

Overview

With 700,000 inhabitants, Gard is a department with a rich culture. Lots of festivals take place during the whole year, another reason why tourists come in mass during summer to spend holiday next to the department’s 23 km of littoral along the Mediterranean. It is true that with its 550 listed sites, its 250 sunny days per year and its hills smelling good the thyme, the rosemary or the savory, Gard is a great place to visit.

Various sceneries punctuate the general landscape of the department. Many vineyards can be seen across the department, even if it nowadays favours the quality and no more the quantity for its wines. The Rhone and the Gardon rivers run through the department and give a bit of freshness to the Gard. The mountain top is the Aigoual mount with 1,567m high. The first marina of Europe in terms of size and customers is also in the department, in Port-Camargue.

Also quite renowned, the Camargue area and its marshes is part of the Gard area (well-known for its formerly wild horses now domesticated but who still freely gambol across the marshland). What a beauty to see this light grey, almost white, horses running majestically in this preserved area.

Gard Immobilier & Property Market Trends

With an average buying price of €2,741 /sq m, this department remains affordable when compared to the national average(€3,197 /sq m).

There in the Gard department, a difference can be made between the area of Alès and the area of Nimes. Alès and its surroundings are less expensive than Nimes, due to the decrease of prices which has taken place in the area of Alès for a year.

The Gard accounts for around 65% of houses and 30% of apartments. 84% of the properties are main houses, and almost 8% are second homes.

The construction is a growing sector in the Gard department. Thus, if you want to invest in a new building, you will find what you are looking for easily.

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

5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Gard

• Historical heritage: signs of a glorious past can be seen all across the department. The better example is certainly the Pont du Gard, a famous Roman aqueduct which is classified as World Patrimony by the UNESCO. It is the third most visited site of the world! How not to be proud to live in such a place?

• Gourmet food: do you know that Gard is a major production’s place for the so much sought-after truffle? Lots of tasty olives are also growing everywhere across the department, with which some good products are made. Olive oil, of course, but also tapenade, which is a speciality made with mashed olives, anchovies and capers. Taste it on a slice of bread, it’s simply delicious!

• Tourism: if you buy a property in the attractive Gard department, you will easily find someone interested in renting your house during the sunny days. Keep also in mind that the renting prices rapidly increase during summer to reach astronomical ones during the August month.

• Lifestyle: in the south of France, the rhythm of life is slow, people take the time to enjoy life. Every part of the culture reflects this mentality. The tradition of the afternoon sieste, the good cuisine or the aperitif habits are good examples.

• Location – Transport links: the airport of Nimes offers an easy access to and from other countries, such as Belgium and the United Kingdom, thanks to some low cost companies such as Ryanair. For now, Ryanair connects Nimes to London, Nottingham and Liverpool.

Local Property Market: 5 Popular Towns

• Aigues-Mortes property: Aigues-mortes is particularly well-known for its medieval walls surrounding the town which are well preserved. Aigues-Mortes is located in the area of the Petite Camargue, very close to the sea.

• Alès property: the town of Alès is situated in a plain on the threshold of the Cévennes mountains. Thus, this town is a perfect starting point to discover the Cévennes area.

• Beaucaire property: the town is located at the eastern tip of the Gard department, between the Camargue area and the Provence, on the right bank of the Rhone.

• Nimes property: the main city of the department, Nimes has a rich historical heritage, thanks to the Romans who were present in the region. Also famous for its fantastic Feria, an amazing event around the bulls, where the Hispanic part of their local culture is celebrated.

• Uzes property: the town of Uzès was formerly a small Gallo-Roman oppidum. Nowadays, many interesting sites can be seen. The famous Pont du Gard, which provided water to the big Roman city of Nimes, is located within a stone throw from Uzès, because the town was the starting-point of the carried water.

Property Styles and Architecture in Gard

• Garrigue farmhouses: these stone farmhouses have a simple and regular volume. The façade is coupled with an arcade which forms a forepart with three pillars bearing the weight of several vaults. The vaultings correspond to the entrances of the places formerly used for the exploitation.

• Cévennes farmhouses: the Cevennes are mountains partly situated in the Gard department. Thus, the houses have to fit the slope of the ground. The farmhouses in the Cevennes are usually taller than they are wide, and are composed of different buildings which are grouped together to compose a unity.

• Uzègues and Sabranenque houses:: these kind of stone houses are Mas, which are typical medium-to-large rural properties. These houses have complex volumes, with long roof sections and are situated at the back of a courtyard, closed by a low wall. Sometimes, outbuildings from the former farm were added to the main building. It is common to have vaultings, arcades or towers which give character and a special feature to every house.

Click here for more info about Architecture in Languedoc-Roussillon.