If you have planned to visit one of the 45,000 castles in France during heritage days on September 20 and 21, perhaps you will come out with the dream of living in one. An increasingly widespread fantasy, as evidenced by the doubling of the French castles market In five years, going from 200 sales in 2019 to 400 in 2024, according to Barnes Properties and Châteaux.
A craze that the network of real estate agencies certainly explains by the confinements imposed by the health crisis, but “Above all by the search for authenticity and singularity, faced with a standardization that wins all the markets”with hotel rooms and airbnb rentals with industrial or vintage pseudo decor, all the same.
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A budget from 400,000 euros
Above your means, castle life? To have ! The acquisition of the building is not necessarily unaffordable: “The minimum budget depends on the region but with 600,000 to 700,000 eurosit is possible to find a nice property in the center of France, with a few hectares of land and, probably, work to be expected ”indicates Olivier Brunet, associate director of Barnes Properties and castles.
It is even possible to descend around 400,000 euros for a gentlehomer, that is to say a small castle, to restore is heard, still in the center region. “Acquiring a historic home is no longer reserved for an elite”says Barnes. For a real castle in the Pays de la Loire, built in the 19th century but in good condition, it will however be necessary to count Between 600,000 and 1 million euros. And more than 10 million for a renovated historic home…
“I am a tenant … but owner of 9 dwellings which bring me 4,000 euros net per month”
The DPE, a “shadow on the board”
But, beyond the sale price, “We must consider the long -term purchase taking into account the loads, obviously higher than those of an apartment in town!” The annual maintenance of such a property represents a significant cost, especially in terms of heating, upgrading and insulation work ”warns Olivier Brunet. In this regard, the energy performance diagnosis (DPE) represents “A shadow on the board” in the acquisition of a castle. Especially if the purchase is made as a rental investment, the rental of thermal stores is gradually prohibited.
“By recommending standardized solutions, such asinsulation From the outside or the replacement of old windows with PVC openings, which is a priori incompatible with the preservation of the architectural qualities of an old good, the DPE does not distinguish between recent real estate and old goods ”underlines Olivier Brunet. For whom “It is essential that these residences benefit from a derogatory status»»like the buildings classified or registered with historic monuments, exempt from DPE.
