The average price per m² in Flumet is 3 905 €/m² for an apartment, based on actual notarised (DVF) sales. About 14 transactions are recorded each year.
Atmospheric illustration of Flumet, a village perched above the Arly, at the heart of the Val d'Arly in Savoie.
The average price recorded in Flumet stands at 3 905 €/m². This average covers a mountain market strongly marked by holiday use: according to INSEE (France's national statistics institute), second homes account for more than 60 % of the municipality's dwellings, and a large share of transactions involves resort apartments and chalets intended for ski stays. The old village on its spur, the hillside hamlets and the developments close to the lifts do not sell at the same level. The figures come from the DVF database (the French record of notarised property sales), which lists the transactions actually registered with notaries.
Prices from the DVF file (Demandes de valeurs foncières, published by the DGFiP), transactions actually recorded at the notary at municipality level. Cross-referenced with the Notaires de France - INSEE indices. Learn more about our methodology.
The Flumet market follows first the momentum of the mountains and of stay-over tourism, more than that of local employment. The Flumet - Saint-Nicolas-la-Chapelle resort, backed by the Espace Diamant area, positions the municipality as an affordable family destination, away from the large high-altitude resorts. This identity attracts steady second-home demand, driven by households from Rhône-Alpes and neighbouring departments, which keeps pressure on well-located properties despite the small size of the municipality.
Two factors will shape the coming years. The scarcity of buildable land in a mountain zone and the low turnover of a stock largely held as second homes limit available supply, which supports the values of quality properties. Conversely, the energy retrofit of older homes and of resort apartments built before 1990 is becoming a selection and bargaining criterion, at a time when buyers compare running costs and thermal comfort. Renovated properties, close to the slopes and with a view, remain the most sought after.
An authentic mountain village halfway between Albertville and Megève, Flumet sits clearly below the level of its neighbour Megève, the benchmark of Alpine luxury. It comes closer to the family resorts of the same ski area, such as Praz-sur-Arly and Notre-Dame-de-Bellecombe, with which it shares the Espace Diamant.
Flumet is the former capital of the Val d'Arly. The fortified village was built between the 12th and 13th centuries on a rocky spur, at the confluence of the Arly and its tributary the Arrondine, at around 900 metres of altitude. A castle, held by the house of Faucigny, and a wall flanked by towers then commanded this passage between the valleys. A fire ravaged the stronghold and part of the town in 1679, and the castle survives only as ruins. The old houses packed above the gorges keep the memory of this site of control and toll collection.
The attachment of Savoy to France in 1860 and the opening of the road through the Arly gorges, cut between 1862 and 1886, restored Flumet's role as a crossroads between Albertville, Ugine and Megève. The end of the 19th century saw the working of many slate quarries, active until around 1930, and the beginnings of summer tourism. In the 20th century, the municipality turned to winter sports: the Flumet - Saint-Nicolas-la-Chapelle resort, linked to the Espace Diamant area that unites six villages of the Val d'Arly and the Beaufortain, established a family stay-over economy that shapes the housing market today.
According to INSEE, Flumet has around 800 inhabitants for close to 1 070 dwellings. The municipality stands out for a share of second homes above 60 % of the stock, against a third main residences and about 7 % vacant dwellings. It is the sign of a market turned above all towards mountain holiday use rather than towards permanent living. Buyers fall into two profiles: on one side, families and retirees from the area looking for year-round housing, often workers in the valley's tourism and services; on the other, the majority in transaction volume, second-home buyers from Rhône-Alpes and elsewhere, drawn by an authentic village halfway between Albertville and Megève, more affordable than the most highly rated neighbouring resorts.
The average price recorded is 3 905 €/m², calculated from transactions registered by notaries and published in the DVF database. It is a municipal average, bringing together very different situations: a resort studio close to the slopes, an apartment in the village and a hillside chalet do not belong to the same segment. Aspect, view, the condition of the property and the distance to the lifts explain much of the gaps.
Flumet is a resort municipality: second homes make up more than 60 % of its housing stock according to INSEE. Demand therefore comes in large part from buyers looking for a base for skiing and for the summer, not for year-round housing. This structure supports prices and makes the market sensitive to the tourism and mountain economy, more than to local employment.
Both markets coexist. Apartments, often resort homes and smaller units, offer the largest number of comparable sales and suit seasonal or rental use. Chalets and houses, rarer, are concentrated in the hamlets and on the hillsides, with longer search times and a wider spread of values depending on view, plot and renovation.
Proximity to the lifts and to the village, aspect and the view over the peaks, the altitude of the area, the quality of renovation and energy performance in a mountain climate are among the heaviest factors. A property sold furnished and ready to let for the season may also trade differently from a home in need of renovation. The municipal average says nothing about these gaps; only a case-by-case valuation captures them.
The municipality is classified as a mountain zone, which governs development and the extension of buildings. The valley floor and the Arly gorges bring exposure to natural hazards: the risk prevention plan should be consulted before any purchase. On an older property in the village, the state of the roof, the insulation and the heating weighs heavily, and the energy performance certificate is a bargaining point to examine closely.
This analysis is published by Immover, an independent observatory founded by Antony Barbier. Data sourced from official sources (DVF, INSEE, Notaries of France).