Although it carries the name of the eponymous river that flows through it, the department of Loire is not in the 'Loire Valley', an area in central France located in the regions of Pay-de-la-Loire and Centre-Val de Loire.
As rich in history and landscape as its namesake, the administrative department of Loire is actually located in the Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region, broadly equidistant between Clermont Ferrand and Lyon.
According to the notaires, property sales in the year to June 2024 fell by -20%, whilst average prices also fell by -3.4%.
The notaires attribute the fall in sales to the rise in interest rates and the tightening of the conditions for granting real estate loans, accompanied by a loss of confidence in the future.
The fall in prices has been more moderate, and the notaires consider that with the recent fall in interest rates, the real estate market should recover.
House prices in the capital city Saint-Etienne fell by -2.9%, to reach an average of €208,800. Prices in the city are relatively low compared to other large cities, which does attract investors looking for affordable properties.
Nevertheless, the notaires state that the increased costs of renovation work, has dampened the enthusiasm of first-time buyers who until now, due to budget considerations, turned to properties to rehabilitate.
The graphic below shows the average price of houses in a selection of the main communes in the department, as well as the average change in prices in the year.
As can be seen, there is a significant difference in the average prices between the highest priced department, Veauche and Roanne, the department with the lowest average prices.
