Consider Corsica for Unique French Property

If you tell a fellow Briton you’re considering buying a property in Corsica they will assume you’re interested in French property – but if you tell a French person the same thing they will understand that you have discovered one of France’s best kept secrets and may well envy you.  The thing about Corsica is it is a French island, but it is not French – it’s Corsican – i.e., it is unique!

So if you’re looking for something more than just special, consider Corsica for unique French property because the island is stunningly beautiful and more perfect that the inimitably beautiful southern coastline of France.  And yet prices for homes on the island of Corsica are a fraction of what you would pay for similar on the Cote d’Azur for example.

Lying off the coast of France and just across the Tyrrhenian Sea from Italy, Corsica has long been a favourite holiday destination with Italians and French from the mainland; some have even bought second homes on the island and slowly but surely the numbers who have come and discovered the delights of Corsica have increased. 

Despite the fact it is quite tricky to access the island from the UK because for much of the year there are no direct flights, word has spread about the beauty and sheer elegance of the island in Britain and now an increasing number of British families and couples head for Corsica each year to enjoy their summer holidays on the island which has a typically stunning Mediterranean climate.

Because we are the way we are in Britain, we’re never just content with having found a perfect holiday hotspot, rather we now want to buy homes on Corsica and this is not going unnoticed by the locals.  While some seem fairly content to see the odd farmhouse, villa or apartment swap hands and end up being owned by foreign buyers, others are less content and this makes it far from easy to buy a property in Corsica.

There are a handful of estate agencies advertising properties for sale in Corsica outside the island and through these companies one can find property and also gain access to lenders who will consider property on the island as collateral for a mortgage.  But it is not easy!  There are those who have managed it such as the individuals and families profiled in a recent article in the Times.  They are buying to let because the summer rental season on the island is incredibly high returning and the rental yields are particularly attractive.  The smaller properties that can be let by couples outside the peak season and which are perfect for a single family’s occupancy during high season are among the most popular.

But if you want a truly unique French property in Corsica you will find it – there are magnificently restored farmhouses for sale, majestic villas with perfect sea views and there is even the odd ruin for sale that you could put your stamp on.  Although the rate at which building and restoration work on the island progresses is really quite slow and many a foreign buyer has despaired!  In terms of what’s available for sale at the current time, there’s a small house with permission for extension available on 3,000 square meters of land in Abbartello, for GBP 400,000.  This region of Corsica is relatively affordable.  In the Valinco area of Corsica in the southeast of the island particularly around the Porto-Vecchio resort prices are far higher and you’re looking at around GBP 800,000 for a similarly sized villa.

On average you can say a well located and spacious villa will be around five to six times cheaper in Corsica than in the south of France, and whist some of the most striking frontline properties on the island are for sale for over a million, the majority are cheaper.  And in terms of what you are getting – exclusive property on a stunning island where you can take the 150 mile drive north from Porto-Vecchio at the bottom of the island to Calvi at the top on the northwest shore and you will wind through woodland, across farmland, through spectacular mountain scenery and you will overlook some of the most fabulous coastal views probably in the world!

Corsica is beautiful, there are no two ways about it, and it is exclusive and home to magnificent and unique property – property that stands the test of time in investment terms because the desirability of the island is increasing whilst there are strict controls on development ensuring demand will always outstrip supply and make it an attractive property market to be in.

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