There is no denying it, in many areas there was a before and there will be an after Covid-19. The real estate market is no exception to the rule, especially on the side of buyers, who tend to abandon a city lifestyle to aspire to something else. In Lille, this something else is reflected in a loss of love for the city center to the benefit of neighboring municipalities, even further afield, which offer more possibilities in terms of spaces and, above all, exteriors.
Is the famous “Covid effect” fading?
On this subject, opinions seem to be divided. “I didn’t feel that effect on the price. They continue to increase gradually to reach between 5,000 and 7,000 euros per m2, ”says Fanny Penant, of Immobilière de Lille.
Radically different story at Nathalie Forest Sotheby’s, an agency specializing in exceptional properties: “Last year we had a much higher turnover than usual, especially thanks to expatriate workers who wanted to return to France. and which caused the prices to explode”, recognizes the director of the agency.
The same is true outside of Lille, in Saint-André, the favorite sector of Mathieu Bacqueville, independent agent for The Door Man: “It’s true that prices are stabilizing today, but rather at a high level and not at that of before the health crisis. In this town, we are now around 3,000 euros per m2, ”he explains.
We look for the countryside in the city
The three specialists interviewed by 20 minutes largely agree on the shift in buyer orientation. “Research concerns less the city centre, observes Fanny Penant. Our customers want a garden or a courtyard, as well as larger accommodations. Ditto in exceptional real estate where, according to Nathalie Forest, “future buyers necessarily want an exterior, even a small one. »
Suddenly, this almost automatically eliminates Lille center faced with the difficulty of finding such properties, even with a substantial budget. “It happens, but it’s rare. For example, I recently sold, in Lille, a 200 m2 house with a courtyard and a garage for 1.15 million euros, ”says the director of the Nathalie Forest Sotheby’s agency.
“We are still in a dynamic period with more buyers than properties on the market, believes Fanny Penant. But despite the scarcity of goods, customers rarely buy above the market price and do not make concessions on what they want. »
Fallback to the small crown
Difficult customers, therefore, but who are only more mobile. Thus, it is the municipalities bordering Lille that derive a certain benefit from it. “There are many properties that meet the criteria of buyers in Saint-André. This explains in particular why prices have increased there in recent years, ”says real estate agent Mathieu Bacqueville.
Agents cite municipalities such as Lambersart, La Madeleine and Marcq-en-Barœul as a hunting ground for future buyers. “They can even agree to go even further, towards Wasquehal. In general, we see an increase in demand in almost all the cities served by the tram lines,” continues Nathalie Forest.
Other municipalities, although very close to Lille and displaying very attractive prices, are nevertheless shunned by customers. For the real estate agent of Lille, “Fives or Hellemmes suffer from a poor image in terms of security which puts off people looking for a property while there are still houses with exteriors at very affordable prices”.
“For years, we have been waiting for these neighborhoods or municipalities to rise, adds Nathalie Forest. In reality, we feel that it’s a little itchy lately, especially from a rather bobo chic clientele. “Boho chic, but wealthy and not necessarily from the region. In the working-class district of Wazemmes, the luxury agency did the trick, selling Parisians a 300 m2 loft “with very good amenities” for the modest sum of 1.5 million euros.