Buying property in St Tropez

Forget ‘keeping up with the Joneses, if you’re serious about buying property in Saint Tropez, you’re going to have to start ‘keeping up with the Zeta-Joneses!’

A popular hang-out for the ‘bohemian crowd’ since the early twentieth century, St Tropez has long attracted creative types, from musicians and actors, to painters and writers. However it is was only in 1956, when director Roger Vadim cast this former fishing village as a backdrop to Brigitte Bardot for his 1956 film ‘Et Dieu... créa la femme’ (And God created Woman), that St Tropez caught the public imagination and began establish the reputation that it enjoys today.

Nowadays St Trop (as it has been re-christened by those-in-the-know) is firmly established as a party town for the rich and famous, and its harbour, which until its destruction by Nazi bombs in 1945 was the biggest commercial port in France, is full to bursting point with luxury yachts.

If you are new to St Tropez then it might take you a few weeks to secure an invite to one of the famous yacht parties. However, there is plenty of people watching to be done in the town itself, and if you are there between June and August you will stand a particularly good chance of spotting members of the ‘glitterati’ enjoying their summers of fun.

Searching for Property in St Tropez by area

If you’ve ever searched for property on the internet before you will be used to those pull-down menus that allow you to specify details like ‘price-range’ and ‘minimum number of bedrooms’ required. When you are searching for property for sale in Saint Tropez you will find the same pull-down menus, but the list of specifications will include also include such features as ‘swimming-pools’, ‘tennis-courts’, and whether or not you require a helipad!

Whether you own a helicopter or not, if you are serious about your party-going then a helipad is something of a must. Let’s face it you’re not going to be able to catch the bus to many private yacht parties!

If you are still serious in your quest for real estate or immobilier in Saint Tropez then you’d better ask yourself the following questions:

Am I

  1.      a Russian oligarch
  2.      a professional footballer
  3.      on seriously good terms with my bank-manager.
  4.      married to one of the above

If the answer is ‘a’ then you might consider a property in the Parcs de St Tropez. Considered to be some of the most spectacular real-estate in Saint Tropez (if not the world), these properties retail from between 5 000 000€ and 250 000 000€.

If the answer is ‘b’ then the above is probably out of your price range (unless you’re thinking of joining Manchester City FC). Slightly cheaper (relative to the St Tropez property market) are the residences near Pampellone beach, which start at around 5 000 000€. This is considered to be one of the chicest areas of the town and the glorious white sands of the beach host some of the trendiest beach clubs in the world including club 55, Nikki beach and La Voile Rouge.

If your answer is ‘c’ then your bank manager may be reassured by the fact that Saint Tropez properties have traditionally offered very good returns on investments. Prices have been steadily rising for over a decade and lack of availability combined with continuing high demand should keep prices stable despite the worldwide recession.

In order to find more affordable Saint Tropez property you may try looking in the port area of the old town where the prices start at 600 000€ for a two-bedroom apartment with no sea-view, and 1 500 000€ for a two-bedroom apartment overlooking the sea. These old houses (formerly inhabited by fishermen) represent some of the more affordable Saint Tropez real-estate but tend to be sold very quickly as a result.

Although prices seem relatively high, it should not be forgotten that with an average of 320 sunshine days a year, St Tropez has an extremely lucrative holiday rental market. If money is no object, you can live where you like and enjoy the town year-round. If money is an issue, then a shrewd investment will allow you to enjoy this beautiful town at a fraction of the price but still allow you to rub shoulders with the rich and famous.