Second home in Avignon: the guide

Three products answer three ways of coming. The pied-à-terre inside the walls, for short and frequent stays: everything is done on foot, from Les Halles to the theatres, and the door locks with one turn of the key. The house with a garden in Villeneuve-lès-Avignon, on the other bank, for long family stays, ten minutes from the palace. The mas or country house, on the Île de la Barthelasse or in the Grand Avignon villages, for the summer, the pool and the calm.

Behind a fine façade, what is most often missing is the courtyard, the garden or the terrace: that is the first point to examine. Inside the walls come parking, which everyone discovers too late, and the noise of July evenings, to be judged outside the festival.

The real question of a second home is the time between stays: who keeps watch, who airs the rooms, who lets the tradesman in? An apartment inside the walls in a well-kept building is managed from Paris or abroad, with a neighbour or a caretaker for the keys. A house in Villeneuve or a mas asks for more: a gardener, watering in summer, the pool to winterise, shutters and roofs to watch when the mistral blows and, in fire-exposed areas, brush clearance, compulsory within 50 metres of buildings.

Charges and taxes are read before the offer: co-ownership charges in the minutes, property tax, and the taxe d’habitation, still due on a second home. On the Barthelasse and near the banks, insurance depends on the flood-risk prevention plan. Home Select builds this life of the property into the selection: co-ownership with or without a caretaker, condition of the building, access and parking for short visits.

The Avignon rhythm is set by the festival, which raises both the bustle and the pressure on housing. To buy, spring, from March to June, remains the most active window; the late season, in October and November, is calmer and suited to negotiation. An address inside the walls is judged outside the festival, for its real noise and footfall.

Home Select’s method holds in one sequence: a brief by video call or phone; each property qualified on documents, surveys, charges and minutes included; video pre-viewings run with the seller’s agent; the price tested against comparable DVF sales; then a single trip, for the decisive viewings grouped together. Negotiation, securing the preliminary contract and coordination with the notaire follow, with a power of attorney allowing you to sign without coming back. The taxation of a second home according to your country of residence is a matter for your notaire and a tax adviser.