Real estate: Angoulême pampers investors

Angoulême in the light. Since the start of the pandemic, the prefecture of Charente has attracted Bordelais, Parisians and Tourangeaux, notes Audrey Guerre, notary in Jarnac. “The habits of teleworking brought about by the Covid over the past two years have made it possible to imagine a different private life, and we are seeing the arrival of young couples aged 30 to 40, from these cities”she says. With the high-speed line (LGV), Angoulême is less than two hours from Paris, forty minutes from Bordeaux and about an hour and a half from Tours.

The new attractiveness of cartoon capital feels on the estate market. The shortage of properties for sale is hitting the most highly rated districts such as Saint-Cybard, L’Houmeau, Victor-Hugo and even the Plateau, this rocky outcrop overlooking the suburb and on which the best preserved character properties are located.

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“There is a waiting list to buy in this part of town. Prices have increased by 20% to 30% in just two years in the Plateau. In places, we have gone from ranges between 1,100 and 1,600 euros per square meter to 2,000 to 3,000 euros”, explains Arnaud Potel, director of the Etude Saint-André Immobilier agency. Refurbished properties can even reach 4,000 euros in this district.

Prohibitive price levels for first-time buyers, forced to stay in neighboring towns, such as Soyaux and L’Isle-d’Espagnac, or even further. Prices are lower there, and there are still many homes for sale on the market.

Incentives to renovate

Because first-time buyers are in competition with investors, interested in the cultural and economic influence of the city. The festivals that are held here, whether it’s the comic strip festival or the French-speaking film, promote seasonal rentals. Angoulême is also at the cutting edge of animation and video games. “ New schools in these digital sectors are setting up, including theschool 42which trains computer developers, open in Angoulême since March »says Xavier Bonnefont, mayor of the city.

The former paper town has therefore seen its industrial wastelands in the Saint-Cybard and L’Houmeau districts transform over the years into schools, animation studios and accommodation for students and young workers. It is in this part of the city, crossed by the Charente, that the majority of investments in real estate are concentrated. The average gross rental yield reaches 7.20% for a T2 (average rent per square meter: 10.40 euros), according to data from Meilleursagents.

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