Montpellier | €780,000 ($835,000)
A duplex condominium with a terrace near the city center
This two-story duplex apartment is in a 19th-century stone building near the center of Montpellier, a city in the Occitanie region of southern France near the Mediterranean coastline. It has five bedrooms, two work areas, three bathrooms and a terrace, as well as air-conditioning and double-glazed windows.
Montpellier offers attractions from across the ages scattered within and nearby. Nîmes and its Roman structures are less than an hour’s drive northeast. Béziers, which hosts an annual Moliere festival, is about an hour southwest. Montpellier itself, which stretches on either side of the river Lez, has a Roman aqueduct, five Michelin-starred restaurants and several art museums. Montpellier-Méditerranée airport, just south of the city, has direct flights to Paris, London, Morocco and other destinations throughout Europe.
Size: 2,744 square feet
Price per square foot: $304
Indoors: The open living room has tile floors, 20-foot-tall whitewashed cathedral ceilings and a step-up layout with areas used for sitting, reading and playing or listening to music. The eat-in kitchen has a gray tile backsplash, an island topped by a gray counter and white cabinets, creating a monochromatic aesthetic. This main floor has a bathroom and two bedrooms, one of which has beamed ceilings and an opening to the home’s terrace.
A wood staircase rises to the second floor, where a mezzanine, currently used as an office, is open to the living room below. Under the rafters, this floor also has three bedrooms, a bathroom and a second work space.
Outdoor space: This apartment has a roughly 175-square-foot terrace with tiled walls, a blue railing and views of the surrounding greenery. Parking is available for rent, five minutes away on foot.
Costs: Annual property taxes for this home are around $4,300.
Contact: Véronique Loisel | Casanova Immobilier |+33-6-15-38-47-17
Pézenas | €795,000 ($850,000)
A country villa with a pool and green gardens
This two-story, six-bedroom villa, built in the late 18th century, has a mixture of modern comforts and historic details.
The commune of Pézenas, about 50 minutes southwest of Montpellier by car, is in the same administrative region of Occitanie. Once a Roman settlement and later home to the playwright Molière, it is now one of the region’s market towns, with a weekly Saturday market. It is also a base for exploring the surrounding wineries and gastronomic offerings, and is home to several museums including the International Toy Museum.
Size: 4,212 square feet
Price per square foot: $204
Indoors: Double glass doors with wrought-iron ornaments lead to a tiled entrance hall that runs the length of the house. The rectangular living room has several seating areas and a massive bookcase. The kitchen has a counter area for casual meals, an exposed wood-beam ceiling, uniformly colored tile floors and cream-colored French provincial-style cabinets. The adjacent dining room has a large fireplace tucked into a corner. The ground floor also has a bathroom and a bedroom.
There are five more bedrooms upstairs. One has a large window and sconce lighting. Another has square tile floors and a single pendant light overhead. In many rooms throughout the house, the floors form hexagonal patterns. The baseboard and doors are dark wood, contrasting the bright white walls.
Outdoor space: The 0.38-acre property is landscaped with trees, shrubs and grass, and includes a pool, a terraced garden area and a garage that could be used as a workshop. More vehicles can be parked outside.
Costs: Annual property taxes are around $3,000.
Contact: Henri Canto | Casanova Immobilier |+33-6-41-52-54-63
Montpellier | €735,000 ($787,000)
A restored loft in the heart of Montpellier’s historic center
This three-bedroom apartment, with an internal courtyard and direct street access, has areas suitable for living and working. The residence was once a carpentry workshop and shows traces of that history in its details.
The historic center of Montpellier, known as the Ecusson, was once reached by drawbridge. Strolling the neighborhood’s narrow alleys and passages, one can find museums, churches, a Dr. Martens boutique, a McDonald’s, Montpellier’s opera house and an abundance of restaurants, bars and cafes. Trams circle the exterior of the neighborhood, and Montpellier Saint-Roch train station, a seven-minute walk from the historic center’s Place de la Comédie, offers rail connections up and down the coast and to destinations in France’s interior.
Size: 1,518 square feet
Price per square foot: $523
Indoors: The home’s shared living areas are separated into two zones. The living room, with vaulted ceilings, skylights and exposed wood beams, fits sofas and chairs around a coffee table. Built-in bookshelves are on one side, and a work space is tucked into a corner that is painted blue.
An large opening leads to the dining room, with an elongated white table under a skylight, and the adjoining kitchen, which has a double oven. The kitchen’s cabinets are a cheerful yellow, and both rooms have recessed lighting. This area is further brightened by several sliding glass doors that lead out to the patio. The home is heated and cooled with mini-split units. Floors throughout are polished concrete.
A staircase runs up a wall in the living room to three bedroom suites. The home also has a one-car garage with storage.
Outdoor space: A patio off the kitchen and dining room fits a table for six and a hot tub. Hanging plants cover its weathered brick wall.
Costs: Annual property taxes are around $1,620.
Contact: Pascal Roustand | Deflandre Résidences & Propriétés | +33-4-67-12-52-80
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