Buying in Agay and Le Dramont, Saint-Raphaël

Streets and micro-sectors

1. 01

   Cap Dramont and the Île d’Or

   Cap Dramont closes the bay to the west: a pine wood jutting into the sea, the signal station at the top, the coastal path that circles it, and at the foot of the cape the Île d’Or and its crenellated tower, built in the early twentieth century. The Landing Beach and its memorial recall 15 August 1944. The houses of Le Dramont hide among the pines; properties are few, and the view of the island makes the price gap.

2. 02

   The beach and harbour of Agay

   At the head of the bay, the sandy beach, the small harbour and the shops form the heart of the village and its only life on foot, with a railway halt a few steps away. The seafront residences offer apartments with a terrace facing the bay, sought after as second homes because they close up and are managed simply. The trap: the summer bustle, the road and the railway line passing behind, co-owned buildings ageing under the sea spray.

3. 03

   Pointe de la Baumette and the lighthouse

   The Pointe de la Baumette closes the bay to the east, with the lighthouse marking the entrance to the anchorage. The villas there look over the whole bay and Cap Dramont in the evening light, on rocky slopes where land is scarce. One buys here for the frontal view and the sea within walking distance, at the cost of exposure to the open sea and to spray. Beyond, the Corniche d’Or heads for Anthéor and its calanques, another sector that Home Select also covers.

4. 04

   The heights of the bay, below the Rastel d’Agay

   Above the village, the slopes climb towards the Rastel d’Agay, the mass of red rock that dominates the bay. Villas there gain a plunging view over the bay and the Île d’Or, quiet, and real plots under the pines: the sector of family villas, often with a pool. The counterpart: a car for everything, sloping access roads, the forest in direct contact, which imposes brush clearance. The plot below and the neighbour’s trees decide whether the view lasts.

Three finder’s reflexes in Agay and Le Dramont

1. 01 Have the view filmed from every room

   In Agay, the view over the bay makes up part of the price, and it cannot be read from a listing. During the video pre-viewing led with the seller’s agent, Home Select has the view shown from every living room and from the terrace, with what frames it: roofs, pines, the plot below. A view the slope protects is worth its price; a view a neighbour could close off is negotiated.

2. 02 Audit the fire risk before the garden

   Under the pines of the Estérel, fire risk is no abstraction. Brush clearance is compulsory in exposed areas, generally over 50 m around buildings, at the owner’s expense, and the risk prevention plan may add its own requirements. Ask for the real state of the plot, have the clearance costed before the offer, and check access for the fire services.

3. 03 Read the residence before the terrace

   By the sea, co-owned buildings from the 1960s and 1970s age under the spray. Before attaching yourself to a terrace facing the bay, read the latest minutes of the general meetings, the maintenance log and the works voted or still to be voted: façade renovation, waterproofing, railings, lift. Two twin apartments can differ by the cost of a façade renovation.