The average price per m² in Gresse-en-Vercors is 2 426 €/m² for an apartment, based on actual notarised (DVF) sales. About 18 transactions are recorded each year.
Atmospheric illustration of Gresse-en-Vercors, at the foot of the Grand Veymont.
In Gresse-en-Vercors, the reference price stands at 2 426 €/m² for an apartment. This level reflects a small mountain market, marked by the presence of a family ski resort and by a high share of second homes. These values come from DVF data, the French record of notarised property sales, that is, the transactions actually registered with notaries, and not from prices advertised in listings. They give an order of magnitude: each property still has to be assessed according to its condition, its altitude, its aspect and its closeness to the slopes.
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 Gresse-en-Vercors market is driven by second-home demand from the Grenoble urban area and by the lasting appeal of the mountains. The very low volume of annual transactions makes each sale sensitive to the specific features of the property, altitude, aspect, closeness to the slopes and condition, rather than to any mass trend. Seasonality sets the rhythm of the market, with keener demand as winter approaches.
Over the longer term, the path of prices depends on two factors. On one side, the scarcity of building land in the setting of a nature reserve and the search for an unspoilt environment support demand. On the other, altitude and climate make energy performance decisive: well-insulated properties gain in value, energy-hungry dwellings are discounted. The future of skiing in the mid-mountain range is an underlying parameter to watch.
Gresse-en-Vercors sits below the large resorts of the Vercors plateau such as Villard-de-Lans and Autrans-Méaudre en Vercors, a gap that reflects its more modest size, while staying close to the levels of the neighbouring Grenoble urban area.
Gresse-en-Vercors is the highest village of the Vercors, set at about 1 200 metres of altitude in the Trièves, south of the Grenoble urban area. The site has been occupied for a very long time, the first human traces going back to the Mesolithic, and the name of Gresse appears for the first time in 739. The village was occupied in turn by the Gauls, the Romans and then the Burgundians, before belonging in the Middle Ages to lords acting on behalf of the Dauphin.
The local economy long rested on mountain farming and on the use of the high pastures, to which the inhabitants claimed access and which became municipal property after the Revolution. Two centuries later, these same high-altitude lands were laid out as a ski area. Winter tourism is today a major pillar of activity, complemented by summer visitors, craft trades, a few farms and local shops.
The village is dominated by the Grand Veymont, the highest point of the Vercors massif at 2 341 metres, and faces the Mont Aiguille, an emblematic summit of the region. The resort offers alpine skiing, cross-country skiing and snowshoe walking, in the setting of a nature reserve. The permanent population remains modest and is doubled, in season, by second-home owners and visitors who keep local shops and services going.
According to INSEE, the French statistics institute, Gresse-en-Vercors has about 351 permanent inhabitants, a population that multiplies in the tourist season with the arrival of second-home owners and holidaymakers. The market is largely aimed at buyers of a second home, often from the Grenoble urban area, looking for a mountain base within reasonable distance of the city. A smaller share of demand comes from local households and from working people settled there all year, sometimes working remotely from the village coworking space. The stock mixes chalets, resort apartments and village houses.
The reference price in Gresse-en-Vercors stands at 2 426 €/m² for an apartment. This figure comes from DVF data, the sales actually signed before notaries. It is an average: a renovated chalet, a resort apartment close to the slopes or a village house in need of refreshing can sit well away from this base, depending on the floor area, the condition, the altitude and the aspect of the property.
Closeness to the slopes and to the lifts is the first criterion: properties at the heart of the resort, easy to reach on skis, are the most sought after for holiday use. The village and its hamlets offer houses with land and fine views of the Grand Veymont and the Mont Aiguille, valued for year-round living. Aspect and sunlight count for a great deal at this altitude.
Gresse-en-Vercors lies in the Trièves, south of the Grenoble urban area, to which it is linked by road within reasonable distance. Grenoble concentrates the employment, the services and the major infrastructure of the sector. Access to this high-altitude village remains dependent on winter conditions, which are part of daily life in a mountain municipality living all year round.
The choice depends on the intended use. A resort apartment, often simpler to maintain, suits a holiday base close to the slopes, with potential for seasonal letting. A chalet or a village house with land answers a search for space, for a view and for year-round living. On a small mountain market, supply remains limited and each property deserves an individual assessment.
Altitude and the mountain climate are the first parameters: the quality of insulation and heating weighs on comfort and on winter running costs. Part of the territory falls under the nature reserve and under farming or forest zones, which frames what may be built. Before any plan, it is useful to consult the local planning document at the town hall to check whether a plot may be built on and which rules apply.
This analysis is published by Immover, an independent observatory founded by Antony Barbier. Data sourced from official sources (DVF, INSEE, Notaries of France).