Buyer’s guide: Valbonne
Buying in Valbonne
Neighbourhoods · DVF market · schools · taxation · process
This guide sets out what an international buyer needs to know before buying in Valbonne: 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 Valbonne page.
La Reserve Research · Market, 2025: median €8,986/m² · 25 DVF sales of €1M or more. Over 2021–2025: €7,707/m², 121 sales
Valbonne sectors
Valbonne’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 |
|---|---|---|
| Village Centre | Too few sales | Walkable old village with the Place des Arcades market, restaurants and cafés on the doorstep. Period stone buildings with modern interiors. The 16th-century grid plan is intact. |
| Castellaras | €9,176/m² (9 sales) | Gated domain of architect-designed villas, in Mouans-Sartoux on the Valbonne border. Panoramic sea and mountain views. Few sales in any year. |
| Peyniblou | Too few sales | Private homes among olive groves. Quiet and residential. Close to the CIV international school. Popular with families who want a real Provençal setting. |
| Val de Cuberte | €6,524/m² (11 sales) | One of Valbonne’s most private addresses. Wooded private estates, well screened from neighbours. Large houses on substantial plots. |
| Châteauneuf Border | €9,172/m² (5 sales) | Traditional Provençal bastides with panoramic views. Close to golf courses. Countryside feel, with the village a short drive away. Larger plots than the centre. |
| Opio Border | €8,125/m² (37 sales) | Countryside setting with generous plots. Golf nearby. Quiet rural life on the Opio side of the commune. |
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 Valbonne.
Market: DVF data
Every sale of a house of 100 m² or more for €1M or more in Valbonne, 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
121
Median price, 2021–2025
€1,477,582
Median €/m², 2021–2025
€7,707
+6% 2024→2025
Since 2021
+44%
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 Valbonne. For the sector-by-sector read, see Valbonne property market in 2026.
International schools
For relocating families, schools within a short drive are a large part of the case for Valbonne. The options below are either in Valbonne 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.
Mouratoglou International School
Tennis academy · American curriculum · 8 min
A tennis academy with an international school attached. 12-hectare campus in Biot with 33 courts and swimming pools. Pupils train every school day alongside a full American or French curriculum. Founded in 1996 by Patrick Mouratoglou, Serena Williams' former coach.
Mougins British International School
British curriculum · IGCSE and A-Levels · 12 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. English National Curriculum through IGCSE and A-Level exams. Tuition 2026–27: €15,960 to €25,600 a year.
The Hive Academy
American curriculum · AP · 10 min
A small international school in neighbouring 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
- Royal Mougins Golf Club: 18 holes · Par 71 · Robert von Hagge · 1993 · Hotel and spa · 10 min
- Golf d’Opio Valbonne: 18 holes · Donald Harradine · Château de la Bégude estate · Resonance Golf Collection · 8 min
- Golf de la Grande Bastide: 18 holes · Par 72 · Cabell Robinson · 1990 · Châteauneuf-de-Grasse · 15 min
- Golf de Biot: 18 holes · Par 69 · Opened 1930 · Short course below Biot village · 12 min
Access
- Nice Airport · 30 min
- Antibes · 15 min
- Cannes · 20 min
- Grasse · 20 min
- Monaco · 45 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 Valbonne?
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 Valbonne 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 Valbonne?
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 Valbonne 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 Valbonne: costs, taxes, financing and succession, checked against primary sources.