The time is right for buying in the Vendée

It may be that the typical UK client considering their purchase in France is already aware of the fine climate and coastal magnificence of the Vendée. However, when considering investing in an area many other factors should be studied. This article looks at what is going on behind the scenes in the fabulous west coast department.

For many years now the excellent ‘Conseil General’ and ‘Vendée Expansion’ organisations have been putting in place the infrastructure to ensure that economic activity in the area goes from strength to strength. Their mammoth efforts have helped lower the unemployment rate to two percentage points below the national average and there are record numbers of new businesses starting up. This healthy state of affairs means that people in the area have a high level of confidence. France is generally experiencing an east to west shift in population. Many opinion polls have shown that the west coast departments have the healthiest climate and, where the Vendée currently scores high, is on the excellent value for money of its housing stock.

Going back a decade the Vendée was regarded as a holiday destination with little else to attract it. Nowadays the area has a vibrant feel and the fine transport links mean that people inhabiting neighbouring departments and UK addresses regularly arrive to pass a few days throughout the year, sampling the fine sea food at coastal resorts such as Les Sables d’Olonne and St Gilles Croix de Vie and to enjoy the scenic inland areas such as Challans in the north and Vouvant in the south.

Property values in the area remain low when compared to surrounding areas, however given the arrival of the TGV to La Roche sur Yon, the Napoleonic capital of the Vendée and Les Sables d’Olonne on the coast, plus the dual carriageway links to Paris and Nantes, this will change.

Forecasts suggest the population expansion will continue, latest figures suggest that Les Sables d’Olonne’s current population of 25,000 is scheduled to increase to 60,000 by 2020. The development scheduled is in keeping with the high housing standards evident in the Vendée and there is ample space to facilitate the growth. The ‘Conseil General’ and ‘Vendee Expansion’ are ensuring that the infrastructure is in place in order that the peaceful west coast lifestyle remains unspoilt.

Property values have been increasing steadily over the last 5 years with an annual rate of growth, in some years, at over 20%.

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