Buyer’s guide: Châteauneuf-de-Grasse
Buying in Châteauneuf-de-Grasse
Neighbourhoods · DVF market · schools · taxation · process
This guide sets out what an international buyer needs to know before buying in Châteauneuf-de-Grasse: the sectors to look at and what they sell for, the schools within reach, the DVF figures and the French buying process from offer to acte, with non-resident tax and SCI ownership.
For the village itself, its history and daily life, see our Châteauneuf-de-Grasse page.
La Reserve Research · Market, 2025: median €8,705/m² · 15 DVF sales of €1M or more. Over 2021–2025: €8,033/m², 95 sales
Châteauneuf-de-Grasse sectors
Châteauneuf-de-Grasse’s market varies by sector. The figures below are DVF medians of recorded sales (houses sold for €1M or more, 2021–2025 pooled), drawn inside each sector’s cadastral or INSEE boundary, not asking prices. Below 5 sales we publish no figure.
| Neighbourhood | DVF median €/m², 2021–2025 | Character |
|---|---|---|
| Historic Village | Too few sales | Medieval hilltop core with narrow lanes, old stone buildings and real village character. A listed 11th-century chapel. Everything in the village is within walking distance. |
| Pré-du-Lac | Too few sales | The commune’s modern commercial hub. Lower altitude, easier access and full services. Good for families, with shops, schools and daily services. |
| Le Vignal | €8,321/m² (18 sales) | Rural residential sector with dispersed properties set in countryside. Quiet, large plots and valley views. Traditional Provençal farmhouse character. |
| Elevated Hillside | No official boundary | Elevated positions with panoramic views and a south-facing aspect. Olive groves. A high degree of privacy and wide views. |
| Opio Border | €8,953/m² (23 sales) | On the Opio side of the commune. Good road access. Countryside setting close to golf, easy to reach, with a rural feel. |
Source: DVF (DGFiP), houses of 100 m² or more sold for €1M or more. For town medians by year, see recently-sold DVF data for Châteauneuf-de-Grasse.
Market: DVF data
Every sale of a house of 100 m² or more for €1M or more in Châteauneuf-de-Grasse, as recorded in the DGFiP’s DVF database. This is the complete official record at that price level, not a sample. Period: 2021–2025.
Total sales
95
Median price, 2021–2025
€1,603,000
Median €/m², 2021–2025
€8,033
-8% 2024→2025
Since 2021
+23%
For the year-by-year breakdown (2021–2025), the full methodology, surface and price filters, and DVF pricing caveats, see recently-sold DVF data for Châteauneuf-de-Grasse. For the sector-by-sector read, see Châteauneuf-de-Grasse property market in 2026.
International schools
For relocating families, schools within a short drive are a large part of the case for Châteauneuf-de-Grasse. The options below are either in Châteauneuf-de-Grasse or within a 15-minute drive.
Campus International de Valbonne (CIV)
Baccalauréat Français International · French Baccalaureate · 10 min
A public international school in Sophia Antipolis: about 2,300 pupils from 65 nationalities on a 12-hectare campus in the pine forest. Offers the BFI, which replaced the OIB from the 2022 school year, in six sections: American, German, Chinese, Spanish, Italian and Russian.
Mougins British International School
British curriculum · IGCSE and A-Levels · 19 min
Founded in 1964 as Mougins School. Pupils aged 3 to 18 from more than 55 nationalities, on a campus in Mougins on the edge of Sophia Antipolis, follow the English National Curriculum through IGCSE and A-Level exams.
Mouratoglou International School
Tennis academy · American curriculum · 18 min
High-level tennis-study programme in Biot, with 33 courts. Pupils train every school day alongside an American or French curriculum, from US grade 5 to grade 12. Founded in 1996 by Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams' former coach.
The Hive Academy
American curriculum · Small classes · 12 min
A small international school in Biot, in the Sophia Antipolis park, teaching an American curriculum with Advanced Placement courses. Lessons are in English, with French in the core programme, for ages 11 to 18. Suits families who want English-language secondary schooling.
Access and golf
Golf
- Golf de la Grande Bastide: 18 holes · Par 72 · Cabell Robinson · 1990 · Châteauneuf-de-Grasse · 5 min
- Golf d’Opio Valbonne: 18 holes · Donald Harradine · Château de la Bégude estate · Resonance Golf Collection · 10 min
- Royal Mougins Golf Club: 18 holes · Par 71 · Robert von Hagge · 1993 · Hotel and spa · 15 min
- Golf de Biot: 18 holes · Par 69 · Opened 1930 · Short course below Biot village · 20 min
Access
- Nice Airport · 30 min
- Cannes · 25 min
- Antibes · 30 min
- Grasse · 10 min
- Monaco · 50 min
- Sophia Antipolis · 15 min
Buying in France
The process
- Offer and compromis de vente. An accepted offer leads to a compromis (preliminary contract) signed before a notaire, with conditional clauses (financing, planning).
- Cooling-off period. 10 calendar days for the buyer, with no penalty and no reason required.
- Acte authentique. Final signing 2–3 months later, transfer of title, handover of keys.
Fees and taxes
- Notaire fees: about 7% of the price on resale property in the Alpes-Maritimes (4.50% transfer tax kept, plus emoluments and disbursements), ~2–3% on new-build.
- Taxe foncière + taxe d’habitation. Taxe d’habitation has been abolished on primary residences. It still applies to second homes.
- Capital gains on resale: primary-residence exemption applies. For other property, taper relief over 22 years (income tax) and 30 years (social charges). EU/EEA non-residents face the same scale.
- IFI (real-estate wealth tax): due above €1.3M of net taxable real-estate wealth, progressive scale. Non-residents are taxed only on French-located property.
Structuring: SCI vs direct purchase
An SCI (Société Civile Immobilière) is a structure often preferred by non-resident buyers to ease succession, ring-fence the property from personal estate, and organise family ownership. It carries minimal accounting and a tax choice (transparent or corporate). For a one-off second-home purchase with no succession plan, direct ownership is often simpler. The decision is made with your notaire and, ideally, your home-country tax adviser, because the foreign-tax consequences are sometimes decisive.
Financing
French banks lend to non-residents on slightly tighter terms than to residents: 25–40% deposit typical, 20–25 year maximum term, international income documentation. Specialised non-resident brokers (Cafpi, Vousfinancer, Maël) shorten the timeline. Foreign-currency mortgages (GBP, USD) have been uncommon since 2015. Most files close in euros, which also simplifies the compromis and the acte.
Useful terms
For full definitions (compromis, acte, viager, indivision, SCI, IFI, etc.), see our bilingual glossary (50 terms).
Frequently asked questions
How long does it take to buy a house in Châteauneuf-de-Grasse?
Allow two to three months between signing the compromis de vente and signing the acte authentique at the notaire, on top of the time it takes to find the house and agree a price. After the compromis, the buyer has a 10-day cooling-off period.
What does buying in Châteauneuf-de-Grasse cost on top of the price?
Notaire fees come to about 7% of the price on a resale home in the Alpes-Maritimes (including the 4.50% transfer tax), and 2 to 3% on new-build. Agency fees depend on the mandate. After that, budget for taxe foncière every year, and taxe d’habitation if it is a second home.
Can a non-resident get a mortgage to buy in Châteauneuf-de-Grasse?
Yes. French banks lend to non-residents on slightly tighter terms: a deposit of 25 to 40% is typical, terms run to 20 or 25 years at most and the bank asks for documented international income. Most loans are in euros.
Should I buy in Châteauneuf-de-Grasse through an SCI?
An SCI can ease succession and organise family ownership, but it adds accounting and a tax choice (transparent or corporate). For a single second home with no succession plan, buying in your own name is often simpler. Decide with your notaire and a tax adviser in your country of residence.
Sources
- Market data: Demandes de Valeurs Foncières (DVF) · https://files.data.gouv.fr/geo-dvf/latest/csv/ · Direction Générale des Finances Publiques (DGFiP) · Licence Ouverte 2.0
- Taxation and process: service-public.fr · service-public.fr / Achat immobilier
- Notaires: Conseil supérieur du notariat · notaires.fr
- Our editorial standards and citation policy
Foreign-buyer decision guides
What an international buyer should know before buying in Châteauneuf-de-Grasse: costs, taxes, financing and succession, checked against primary sources.