A dance around Cocteau's villa

The Villa Santo Sospir is one of those extraordinary finds one stumbles on in life if you are lucky.  Once the summer house of wealthy socialite  (and patron of the arts) Francine Weisweiller, Cocteau arrived at his friend's St Jean Cap Ferrat villa in 1950 and was immediately enchanted.

Over the course of a decade Cocteau proceeded to decorate (or tattoo as he described it) the walls, the ceilings, lampshades, the cupboards ... in fact anything he could lay his paintbrush and pens on.

As breath-taking as the view is from the house (perched delicately on the St Jean peninsula), the house itself is the real treasure. The walls are covered in the beautiful free-hand art of Cocteau. The interiors are a jumble of old furniture, bric-à-brac, photos and the odd sketch by Picasso. A glass cocktail cabinet stands open with rows of bottles. The old iron-wrought beds are made-up with starched worn linen. Leopard-print carpet designed by Cocteau lines the staircase to the lower floor. 

Everything is as if it were yesterday, with Cocteau and his friends enjoying summers on the terrace and a dip in the sea below. It's a dance back in time and a rare dance at that. 

THE VIEW

A Côte d'Azur property is all about the right view 

When doing a search for a client it quickly becomes obvious that there is always one ingredient that is more important to them above all else. It can be location, it can be space, it can be architectural charm. However, more often than not it is the view. This seemingly simple request for a 'view' has led me to some of the most magnificent villas and apartments on the French Riviera. However, equally over the years I have been shown some shocking examples. Ones near Nice airport are usually the most irritating. Sea views and ... industrial landscape and planes!

The rationale here on the Côte d'Azur with sellers and agents is that a view of the sea is a view of the sea. This means your property must be worth far more than one without a view of the sea and is far more desirable. Well, no actually. You see, not all sea views are the same. There is a magnificent sea view in a desirable location - and this is without a doubt a property price hike to the super-league. Next is a great view but wrong location (Nice West and the far-end of Promenade des Anglais, for instance, are more affordable areas agents are fond of touting for 'views', but frankly not a place to invest). Then there is a so-so view (usually a glimpse of the sea between buildings or if you crane your head out of a window). This sort of view is second best and quite honestly it doesn't deserve the extra 'sea view' price tag. Finally, there is the sea view that should work but just doesn't.

I have seen a few of the latter category recently while on a 'view' hunt for a client (it started with thinking the style of building was important but it quickly became clear the sea view was the thing). We narrowed the area to Villefranche sur mer or close to it. The budget was good enough for a two or three bedroom apartment in this expensive location (prices round Villefranche can reach €12,000 to €15,000 per square metre). You would think it would be an easy search. It wasn't.

It usually goes like this with agents (not all but generally). First they want to show the properties that have been on their books for years (yes, often years!) or ones where they are friends with the owners. This is in part due to a delusional hope I will suspend all my aesthetic and business judgement and allow my client to visit (I don't), and in part to appease owners who want to see that a certain number of visits have been clocked up. Once that formality is over (and actually I don't mind this as it means I can see the market and give feedback to clients), I get down to business of seeing the interesting and new properties.

This search I saw some fabulous views, but not so fabulous apartments. Or fabulous apartments but the so-so view rule came into play (usually squeezed between buildings). But the most depressing category has to be the view that should work but simply does not. Usually this means if you keep your eye on the horizon all will be fine, but don't look down, left or right.

The runner-up in this category in my latest search was an apartment that gazed out over the beautiful Villefranche Bay. However, look down and there was a particularly grim car parking lot, look left there was some kind of ravaged cliff with houses about to fall off - held up there by chicken wire. However, the overall winner went to the apartment that had the sea view but when you looked down from the terrace you enjoyed the cemetery. And we are not talking a quaint cemetery with overgrown ivy here. This was modern grey tombstones in rows a-go-go. The agent slightly ironically (but only slightly I fear) piped up that 'there would be no noise from the neignbours'. Quite.

Anyway, the point is that not all sea views are the same and what you see on the internet is in reality far more complicated and nuanced (price should be a give-away, by the way, but sometimes it is not).

As for my client. Well she surprised me. After initially going for a fabulous on the waterfront apartment (view charming and pied dans l'eau but needing work), she changed overnight and decided on a higher up view that also took in a bit of Nice city. I share the same view and love it (it has a slightly Hollywood feel at night). In the end the apartment and view had to work in tandem - and this one does perfectly.

So next time you see a place advertised with 'magnificent sea views', remember it is not always that simple on the Côte d'Azur. For property assistance on the Côte d'Azur, contact us at www.coteabode.com

French Riviera property market 
Predictions 2012

You have to be a little mad or arrogant to predict property markets - crisis or no crisis. However, as we leave 2011 and enter 2012 I thought I would have a stab at what next year may hold for the Côte d'Azur. 


Against the economic odds, 2011 was hugely busy and successful for Côte Abode. We had a stream of serious clients throughout the year and found (and importantly secured) the right property for each one first visit. It is not surprising, however, as more people hear of our reputation and can see the advantage in professional assistance when property buying. We act for the buyer, so our expertise and work is different from estate agents.


Many of the estate agents on the Riviera, especially those dealing in the luxury property market, have also done well in 2011. Prices on the Côte d'Azur were up by 5 percent for apartments this year and 8 percent for houses (figures from l'immoblier des Notaires de France). The Riviera is seen as a safe haven in shaky times. But for some in the property business it has been a tough year on the Riviera. Too few good properties, too many cautious wait-and-see buyers, and just too many agents competing in an already competitive market.   


So what will 2012 bring? Here are some predictions, but I can't promise they will hold true. We shall just have to wait and see!


- Asking prices will hold up but the price is still negotiable. 
This year we have negotiated between 4 and 8 percent off the asking price for apartments and villas. We believe this will continue into 2012


- It will remain a serious buyers' market
Less available credit around means that cash buyers will continue to dominate the Riviera property market. One of the biggest complaints from agents in 2011 were about buyers who were not able to fulfill a deal due to financing falling through at the last moment. People in a position to buy immediately always have the advantage, as our clients prove.


- More US and Asian interest 
As the Euro wobbles and the US dollar gains, we should see interest from American buyers once again. The South of France is not yet a favourite choice for Asian buyers, but this is set to change as a younger affluent generation discovers the chic status of the region.


- Investment properties in Nice will stay strong
A city that is on the move, Nice is a hot-spot for rental apartment investment. The City government is on a mission to make Nice the jewel of the South. Public spending on new developments and infrastructure continues apace. Owning an apartment in Nice makes sense with its almost year-round tourist industry and high seasonal rental returns.   


- Two-bedroom apartments are the best investment choice for rentals
There is a good quantity of studios and 1 bedrooms available on the Riviera property market. The next stage up is harder to find but far more desirable as more people eschew hotels for short-term apartments and want more space.  


- The quartier to invest in Nice is Lafayette
The Carré d'Or - traditionally Nice's most expensive central neighbourhood - will hand the crown over to Lafayette/Place Massena and streets in close proxmity - Alberti, Pastorelli, Hotel des Postes - Gubernatis, Place Wilson.... Smart investors know that the new park that is being built on Felix Fauvres and bordering the Old Town will dramatically change the area. It is also simply a quartier that has the branché (trendy) factor - great restaurants and shops are springing up daily here.


For villas on the Riviera, look to Beaulieu and Eze bord de mer
- Villefranche is beautiful but crowded and touristy. The real afficionado will buy in expensive but chic and discreet Beaulieu and Eze.


- The personal, smaller agent will continue to have the good properties
A lot of properties that come to our attention are by word of mouth or 'silent' listings (a seller who wants to sell discretely). Smaller agents often pick up the best and more interesting properties. Bigger, flashier agencies tend to share the same properties between them, take more commission and over-price them to a non-local market. Local and small is always best and 2012 will continue to confirm this! 


Bonne Année!
www.coteabode.com