A Mas For Sale

If you read Parler Paris and Parler Nice Nouvellettres® this week then you might already know that I was wandering around the hilltop towns of the Luberon in Provence this past weekend.

Provence is pure pleasure. It’s no wonder that my long-time friend, Barb Westfield, a resident of Chicago, is a long-time, but part-time resident of the beautiful village of Ansouis not far from the village of Lourmarin — as an owner of a three-level + basement village house that she has renovated and decorated ‘to the nines’ and wallows in as much as she can.

While making myself at home in the old stone house oozing with charm, I questioned why she had never given the house a name — as the title of her listing on VRBO.com to advertise her rentals is “Fall Colors in Authentic Provence; All the Modern Luxuries You’ll Appreciate.”

The title is true — the colors of the whole house are warm and colorful like Autumn and fit perfectly when I am there for Thanksgiving. Springtime this past weekend in the Luberon was an even more breathtaking time to be visiting the region, although I know that in the Summer when the lavender is in bloom (from around the last week of June to the beginning of August when it is harvested, peaking in early July) is well-known to be even more amazing. This is when she opens the house to rental guests who I am sure appreciate it as much as we friends do.

In the course of two days, we trekked by car from village to village and while we didn’t visit every single one, we got very close to a ‘full house.’ On the list, but not in this order, we managed to spend a bit of time in each of the following Luberon towns: Ansouis, Bonnieux, Cadenet, Gordes, Grambois, Isle-sur-Sorgue, Lagnes, Lourmarin, Ménerbes, Oppede-le-Vieux and Roussillon.

Provence is a large region which extends from the left bank of the lower Rhône River on the west to the Italian border on the east, and is bordered by the Mediterranean Sea on the south. It is comprised of the regions of Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur, and includes the departements of Var, Bouches-du-Rhône, Alpes-de-Haute-Provence and parts of Alpes-Maritimes and Vaucluse. The Luberon is just one tiny little part of it and there is almost way too much to discover.

Another area well-known by North Americans is at the heart of the Alpilles around Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in the Bouches-du-Rhône department — about a one-hour’s drive from Ansouis. Saint-Rémy is famous for its large open-air market that takes place twice a week — on Wednesday and Saturday. Here, another friend of Parler Paris has two rental homes — “The ‘Doll House’ Maison De Village in Historic Center” of Saint-Rémy and “Villa on Place Mireille – 5 Minutes Center, Alpilles View, Garden, Garage,”  just 300 meters from the center of Saint-Rémy.

(These gorgeous homes need names, too! Perhaps you’d like to offer up names for these three Provençal homes??)

As we were tooling around Provence, I was struck by the many big, beautiful houses, known as “mas.” This type of home is considered self-sufficient in that the land often produces its own fruit, vegetables, grain, milk, meat and even silkworms. Provençal mas are constructed of local stone and face to the south to protect against the mistral winds coming from the north. It is distinct from another Provençal traditional farmhouse — the “bastide,” which is the home of a wealthier, more aristocratic family. (Learn more about the mas on Wikipedia.org)

In recent years, the mas has become seriously sought-after to be transformed into vacation homes, as is the case with one we know of for sale on the market today — The Mas de Cornud!

The owners of Mas de Cornud profess that living in their mas full time, being just three kilometers from Saint-Rémy, is a dream-come-true.

This mas is for the discerning buyer who wants to experience life in Provence as idyllic as Barb and these American owners have experienced. It’s 682 square meters of living space (7,340 square feet) on 5,000 square meters of land (1.25 acres) surrounded by agricultural land that will never be developed (although it may be possible to acquire some of this land). It was completely renovated and restored using the highest of materials and amenities and it’s being sold with all of its furnishings, so there is nothing to do, but arrive with your personal belongings!

You will want to bring your friends and relatives!…as there are seven bedrooms, each with its own bathroom (six of which are en-suite). The well-equipped gourmet professional kitchen can serve the largest of parties and is complimented by an outdoor kitchen for al-fresco dining. Dining tables are both inside and out and can accommodate a full house of guests.

There’s lots to do at the Mas without even leaving as there’s a large Olympic-size swimming pool (with pool house of 32m2), lawns, herb garden, terrace and a “pétanque” court — plus much more. With Saint-Rémy so close by and all of Provence at your doorstep, you will want for nothing.

The asking price? Believe it or not, the mas is about the same price as a 150 square meter apartment in central Paris! This is THE TIME to take advantage of the ‘soft’ real estate market and the low rate of exchange (today about $1.07 to the euro) to invest in a property like this.

If you are a serious candidate to become the proud owner of such a property, do not hesitate to write us to learn every detail about this special spot on the Provençal planet! Email [email protected].

A bientôt,

 Adrian Leeds

The Adrian Leeds Group

Respond to Adrian: [email protected]

P.S. Rent a week or more at the lovely Provençal homes noted in today’s FPI! And be sure to tell the owners that Adrian sent you!