In Metz, the Covid-19 pandemic will only have accentuated an underlying trend: houses and apartments are selling quickly and well, especially when they have gardens or terraces and parking. From September 2020 to August 2021, the price index increased by 10% throughout the city and by 13% in the hyper-centre.
The median price of €2,130/m2 indicates a still affordable market. “The TGV, direct access to the A4 and A31 motorways and, above all, Luxembourg’s dynamics have kept the city above water. Cross-border work feeds both the rental market and the acquisitions of first-time buyers”, underlines Maître Anne Girard.
A very dynamic market on the northern Moselle border
The notary associated with Messina notes the arrival of investors, particularly from Alsace, who have come to find a more affordable price per square meter in their Lorraine neighbor than in Strasbourg. Luxembourg investors are still rare. But the prohibitive prices of Grand-Ducal real estate (where the square meter sometimes easily crosses the 10,000 €/m2 mark) could encourage the Luxembourg middle classes to acquire property in Metz that has become unaffordable in their capital.
“For now, this phenomenon remains marginal and is concentrated on the northern Moselle border. Metz buyers are mostly young couples with at least one spouse working in Luxembourg. The mechanical effect of higher wages and rates that have remained low allows them to obtain credit quite easily. Later, when they have children, they move closer to the Thionville basin for more convenience”, analyzes Maître Michaël Jacob, notary associated with Metz.
Separations also contribute to the dynamism of the market, since they generate the resale of the property acquired in pairs and pushes the former partners to buy back each on their own.
Properties close to the train station searched for in Metz
The average price of €2,130/m2 hides strong disparities, and corresponds more to a small apartment from the 1930s, without parking, than to a nice duplex in the popular district of Sainte-Thérèse. As a general rule, a good quality apartment, with a terrace and parking space, sells for around €2,500/m2. The most sought-after properties are F3, F4 and F5 around the station, both in the historic part of the Imperial district and in the new Amphitheater district, erected on the outskirts of the Pompidou-Metz center, where a second-hand market.
Relatively close to the train station, the Sablon district seduces with its shops and entertainment. Even the outlying districts of northern Metz, including Devant-les-Ponts or La Patrotte, are increasing in value because they are located near both Metz public transport and the junction to the A31 motorway.
The border effect also plays out in the surrounding municipalities. Driven by the prospect of a new Mettis public transport line, the development of the Frescaty plateau, where Amazon has established itself, and by the announced construction of 800 housing units on the former Lizé barracks, the Montigny coast -lès-Metz is skyrocketing. The nearby countryside is also on the rise… Provided it is close to the motorways.
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