THE JOURNAL
Our reading of the market
What we know of the Riviera, written to be useful before it is flattering. A piece appears when it is ready, not when the calendar demands it.
Èze: four hundred and twenty-seven metres, and three villages in one
The perched village, the middle corniche and the shoreline share a name and almost nothing else. The confusion is costly for those buying from afar.
Villefranche-sur-Mer: a deep roadstead and a town left unremade
Ninety-five metres of depth a short way off the quay. That depth made the place's history, and still explains its shape.
Beaulieu-sur-Mer: why it was called Little Africa
A ring of cliffs blocks the north wind over less than a square kilometre. The nickname is no agency invention: it predates tourism.
Saint-Jean-Cap-Ferrat: what the peninsula imposes on those who build there
Two kilometres across, a single road in and out, and a footpath around it. Geography rules here more than fashion.
The ten days after signing, and what they actually allow
A non-professional buyer has ten days to withdraw, without reason and without cost. The period is simple; when it starts is less so.
Agency fees: who pays what, and why the advertised price shifts meaning
Two listings at the same price can cover two different realities. What separates them is one mandatory line that few people read.