Nice Property -Buying in Nice

Nice is France’s fifth biggest city and the “capital” of the French Riviera. It's a glorious place, famous throughout the world for its stunning natural beauty, glamour, cuisine and its inherent invitation to "la dolce vita"!!!

There are a vast number of properties available to suit all budgets ranging from typical Niçois apartments in the central areas to luxurious residential complexes in the West of the city. There is also a fantastic selection of new build properties on offer.

The property market in Nice is buoyant and still relatively cheap compared to cities such as London & Dublin and indeed other Riviera towns. Further welcome news is that there are numerous factors which will give rise to high capital appreciation and good returns on investment over the coming years:

Accessibility
Nice is one of France's best cities to invest in. It is second only to Paris as a tourist destination and thanks to the fabulous climate and natural beauty, tourism is popular throughout the year and not just over the summer months. Nice is not only a very beautiful town but the accessibity is excellent - an extremly important factor when purchasing a property for pleasure or investment purposes. Nice International Airport is within just a two hour flight of most UK destinations, and is just 15 minutes from the city centre meaning that travelling to your second home is simple and stress-free - in fact an increasing number of people work here and commute back and forth to the UK on a weekly basis.

The Weather
One of the greatest incentives for Northern Europeans is Nice's superbly mild climate. The area is protected by the Alps and Nice enjoys a wonderful micro-climate boasting 300 days of sunshine per year, offering mild temperatures and sunny days in winter and of course long, hot, Mediterranean summers.

Choice of Properties
Nice is aesthetically a truly beautiful city and an architectural delight. This ancient town has been inhabited for over 400,000 years, first by the Greeks (who established the city of "Nikaia") and then the Romans who left their mark, particularly at Cimiez where the ruins of the Roman ampitheatre and baths can be visited. The city also retains its medieval heritage in Nice old town (vieux Nice) with its atmospheric, narrow winding streets and picturesque red-tiled roofs.

At the turn of the 19th Century the European aristocracy chose Nice and its surroundings as an exclusive summer retreat. Nice became particularly popular with the British élite after whom Nice's famous beach front road is named, the "Promenade des Anglais". Queen Victoria was a regular visitor and this opulent period is known as the Belle Epoque. Many ornate buildings from this era remain and they are much sought-after for their spacious, bright apartments with wonderful high ceilings often decorated with frescoes. There is therefore no shortage of wonderful character properties to choose from.

City Life
The city itself is a hub of activity filled with street cafés, gastronomic restaurants, brasseries, bars with live music, museums, theatres, local markets and wonderful shops. Nice is venue to many events such as the Nice Carnival in February, the famous outdoor Jazz Festival in July, international sporting events and business congresses throughout the year

Nice's new Tramway
One of the most interesting factors which will certainly lead to increased capital appreciation for property owners is the new tramway which opened in Autumn 2007. Properties along the route have risen in value and the tramway has opened up areas which were less accessible in the past and which are thus set to see extremely good capital appreciation. You can read more about the new tramway in our NICE NEWS section. Further urban improvements have been made to the city centre over recent years, in particular to the port area which was once fairly run down. Now the port has new shops, restaurants and trendy bars appearing everywhere and it has become one of the chic locations to buy in.

The Buy-to-Let market in Nice

The Short Term Letting Market: You can find out more information in our Nice Buy to Let Guide. There is a growing demand for self-catering accommodation in the short-term letting market. As a generalisation, in high season you can expect to pay the same amount for weekly rented accomodation as what you would typically pay per month (for a long term let). For example, if a studio rents out for 600 Euros per month long term, you can usually obtain 600 Euros per week during high season. High season is July and August when you are pretty much guaranteed 70% occupancy. It is easy to let your apartment out at the end of May (for the Grand Prix and Cannes Film Festival) and also the months of June and September. Attika works very closely with a selection of rental agencies in Nice and we will be happy to arrange a meeting for you so that you can begin earning rental income from your investment as soon as possible.