Two years after the covid, the “end of the exodus to the great crown”
The “Covid effect” seems to be over. If the different periods of confinement imposed during the epidemic had given rise to desires for exile to the countryside, the desire to be closer to nature has since fallen. This is, in any case, the observation drawn up by real estate professionals in the Rhône department.
“It is clearly the end of the exodus to the great crown. People are starting to come back to the first ring and even to the center of Lyon”, where the price per square meter remains relatively high (4,893 euros), observes Nicolas Bouscasse, president of the FNAIM du Rhône, the trade union chamber of real estate agents.
The reasons are many, starting with the new regulations on energy standards forcing owners to carry out very expensive renovations “to get up to speed”. “On an example of a house in golden stones in Beaujolais which is classified F. Its owner is obliged to insulate it. Not only will it cost him a finger, but his house will no longer have the same stamp, so no longer have the same value, explains Nicolas Bouscasse. Today, people look twice before buying. »
ECD and lack of infrastructure
The DPE, diagnostic of energy performance, is in the process of “supplanting all the other criteria”, according to observers. It becomes the priority of buyers and the nightmare of owners wishing to sell. “Ecology becomes a problem. There is not enough aid for renovation and inflation will stop this aid,” predicts Nicolas Bouscasse.
The other reason encouraging Rhodanians to return to settle near Lyon is the lack of infrastructure in the most distant towns and villages. “Taking half an hour to take your children to school seems like a detail, but in the long term, it becomes cumbersome and perhaps manageable, raises Lilian Baule from the Transaction office of the FNAIM 69. If you don’t If you don’t have any kindergartens, cinemas, train lines or public transport nearby, it becomes a problem. »
“The exodus to the countryside was a fashion phenomenon. The Covid-19 has pushed people to live further away, but it has not allowed communities to manage this influx”, abounds Nicolas Bouscasse.
Today, buyers remain “very supplied by the first ring” of Lyon, in which prices are a little lower. Others choose to stay in the city center, but opt for different accommodation. The apartments have a balcony, a terrace or an outdoor garden on the wind in their sails. “We also see that apartments with shared gardens are in high demand. It has become a purchasing criterion,” observes Nicolas Bouscasse. Another more surprising fact: the compost projects in residences are “a real success” and also greatly attract buyers.