Creuse Property Insight

The Creuse department belongs - with Corrèze and Haute-Vienne - to the Limousin region. This area was created after the French Revolution like most French departments. It is named after the Creuse River. Three other rivers pass through the area: the Taurion, Gartempe and Petite-Creuse rivers. The department is located to the north west edge of the Massif Central mountains range.

Creuse is adjacent with many departments: Correze and Haute Vienne of course, but also Allier, Puy-de-Dôme ( Auvergne ), Cher and Indre ( Centre ). With 124,470 inhabitants - called the Creusois - the area is amidst the less populated departments of France. Thus the choice is wide for properties to buy there.

Creuse has 2 arrondissements, 27 cantons and 260 towns and villages. The urban areas are situated around the towns of Guéret, Aubusson, Bourganeuf and La Souterraine. With Sainte-Feyre, these five towns form the unique urban centre of Creuse. This area is very active and represent an important centralization of people and activities.

Overview

The major assets of this department are the rural life and natural landscapes. Indeed, this part of France is renowned for being very green and peaceful. The several plateaus offer outstanding views: the plateau de Millevaches and plateau de Gentioux as well as the monts de la Marche are a real heaven for nature lovers.

The plateau des Millevaches is probably the most beautiful one. Located on the south east part of Creuse, this wonderful conservation area of woods, lakes and rivers is really worth visiting. There are also numerous peat bogs in the department such as the one of Mazure.

An important part of the department is covered by woods: in 2003, woods represented 584,000 hectares of the global area. Most trees of these forests are conifers and leafed trees such as birches, oak, beech and chestnut trees. The Creuse department benefits from an oceanic climate varying according to the altitude - the relief being comprised between 200m and 900m.

The economy of this department is oriented towards hand craft industry and agriculture. Since the Middle Ages, many Creusois (locals) left the area to go to cities to work on important construction sites as masons, carpenters, roofers, etc. Thereby, thousands of men from the department built cathedrals but also famous monuments such as the sea wall of La Rochelle or Paris’ monuments at the time Haussmann baron worked on the urbanism of the French capital city.

Creuse Immobilier & Property Market Trends

As the rest of the Limousin region, the Creuse department is very cheap in terms of house prices. The average price for an apartment to buy there is €1,150 /square metre (the national average is €3,197 /square metre). The price for an apartment to buy was, in April 2008, almost €400 less expensive than the national average. You should plan to pay about €7.8 / square metre to rent an apartment in Creuse.

As far as houses are concerned, an ancient house costs about €91,300 whereas a brand new one costs in average €127,500. These houses are worth the money as they often have large dimensions and offer a wonderful setting in a quiet area.

Out of the 80,535 properties in Creuse, more than 70% are main houses. Almost 11% of the properties are vacant in this department. Moreover, the rate of owners is high: 67%. We can add to this the fact that many dwellings are detached (83%) and large (42% of 5-room properties) houses.

So, why not be the owner of a nice and large property in this peaceful area of France? You will easily be able to feel the French art de vivre and get to know the welcoming locals.

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

5 Reasons to Buy a Property in Creuse

Many French people affirm that there is nothing to do in Creuse. This is definitely wrong. Creuse has varied landscapes on offer that allow plenty of activities (hiking, horse riding, water sports, mountain biking, etc). This area is quiet, peaceful and awaiting to be more deeply discovered.

• Culture: several museums will allow you to discover the history of the department. For instance, the Ecomusée Tuilerie de Pouligny (Ecomuseum, Cheniers), Musée de l’Electrification (Electrification Museum, Bourganeuf), Musée de la Mine (Mine Museum, Bosmoreau-les-Mines), Musée de la Sénatorerie (Guéret) and the musée départemental de la tapisserie (Departmental Museum of Tapestry, Aubusson).
• Architectural heritage: Creuse abounds with monuments of great architecture. The châteaux in Boussac, Villemonteix, Saint-Germain-Beaupré and Théret are good examples. The bridge of Sénoueix (Gentioux-Pigerolles) is listed as an historical monument since 1990, as well as the Tour Zizim. This tower built in Bourganeuf during the late 15th century sheltered the Ottoman prince Djem Sultan during his exile.
• Places of interest: the department’s main touristy centres Vassivière’s lake, the thermal station of Evaux-les-Bains and the old town of Aubusson with its numerous monuments linked to the production of tapestry (the upholsterer’s house, the tapestry Museum, etc).
• Tranquillity: Creuse is a real heaven for nature lovers. It has many wonderful landscapes such as beautiful plateaus, rocky gorges or many gardens. Far away from the busy seaside resorts of southern France, you will definitely find tranquillity and be able to relax in this area.
• Good food: Creuse’s gastronomy has simple and pretty poor local produce on offer. Thus dishes are not sophisticated but still delicious! The typical produts from this area are the following ones: the gâteau de pommes de terre (a pastry filled with potatoes, bacon and onions), flognarde (a kind of clafoutis, gâteau creusois (cake with nuts and butter) and the fondu creusois (French fries, omelette and raw ham covered with local cow milk cheese).

Local Property Market: 5 Popular Towns

• Aubusson property: this is famous all over the world for its ancestral tapestry. Indeed, beautiful tapestry has been produced for 6 centuries in this town, the inhabitants of which are really proud!
• Bourganeuf property: created during the Middle Ages by a religious and military order, Bourganeuf has a long and fascinating history. Close to the Regional Natural Park of Millevaches, it has a great setting.
• Dun le Palestel property: this lovely town is a real paradise for nature lovers: at the heart of valleys and plateaux, this quiet place is perfect for peaceful holidays.
• Guéret property: the administrative centre of the department grew up around a monastery and offers a great architecture heritage. It has an art and archaeological museum, a great botanical garden and a planetarium observatory amongst other places of interest.
• La Souterraine property: it is a medieval town founded by monks from Limoges. It also has a rich historical and cultural heritage.

Property Styles and Architecture in Creuse

It is definitely possible to buy a property to renovate in Creuse for less than €30,000. There are still many bargains to be driven so do not hesitate to invest in this department.

• Farmhouses: there are many farmhouses of a particular architectural style in the area around the Thaurion River in Creuse. These dwellings gather a living-space and a barn used for the agriculture at the same time. The living-space is upstairs, whereas the barn and stable are downstairs. So the domestic and farm functions are in the same building but not on the same floor. The houses from the pays du Thaurion have large dimensions and are constructed of granite, the roof being made of tiles.
• Tchatched cottages: in the canton of La Courtine, there are numerous thatched houses. Most of the time these properties are pretty rudimentary. The only feature that changes according to the area is the height of the barn. In some cases, a low barn can be found between the home and the stable which are higher than the barn itself. In other places, the height of the barn is the same one than the home’s one but the stable is lower. The roof of such properties is of course covered with thatch, the walls being made of stone. These thatched cottages have very small windows.

Click here for more info about the Architecture of Limousin.

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