Selling a house listed or classified as a historic monument
Southern Finistère has dozens of private houses listed or classified as historic monuments. Their sale follows a few particular rules, often poorly known, which do not prevent it but shape it. This page summarises them, links to the dossiers on protected houses in each town and gives the scale of the local market.
Listed or classified: two regimes
Listing is the most common protection: works require a prior declaration and the opinion of the heritage architect. Classification is rarer and stricter: works require authorisation and the scientific and technical control of the State. In both cases the house remains private property and can be freely sold. The Mérimée record for each house, cited in our pages, states the regime and the protected parts.
What the sale requires
The sale of a classified building must be notified to the administration, and the buyer must be informed of the protection, which appears in the deed. The buyer takes over current conservation commitments, in particular those linked to grants or to the historic-monument tax regime, which requires keeping the property for fifteen years. A listed or classified building is exempt from the energy performance certificate. These rules have exceptions: have them confirmed by your notaire.
What protection is worth to the buyer
Restoration costs on protected parts may be subsidised by the State and deducted from income under conditions; inheritance duties may be exempted under an agreement to open to the public. For a buyer planning to restore, protection is a quantifiable asset. For a buyer who wants to transform, it is a constraint. The right buyer is chosen accordingly.
Preparing the file
The protection order, the Mérimée record, works authorisations obtained and the heritage architect’s reports, grants received and their conditions, plans and surveys, the documented history of the house. For the protected houses of southern Finistère, Ti Kaer publishes a historical and photographic dossier that can serve as a basis for the presentation, never mentioning a price or an owner.
The market, town by town
Between 2021 and 2025, 1,011 houses were sold for €500,000 or more in the towns of southern Finistère (30 towns), including 104 above one million euros. The median prices of these sales range from €554,000 to €740,952 depending on the town.
| Town | Sales of €500,000+ | Median price | Median price per m² |
|---|---|---|---|
| Concarneau | 126 | €637,500 | €4,674 |
| Fouesnant | 102 | €624,500 | €4,321 |
| Quimper | 98 | €598,500 | €3,552 |
| Trégunc | 73 | €590,500 | €4,385 |
| Bénodet | 66 | €654,251 | €4,277 |
| Clohars-Carnoët | 62 | €630,516 | €4,213 |
| Combrit | 51 | €628,000 | €4,457 |
| Névez | 46 | €687,460 | €4,541 |
| Loctudy | 45 | €640,000 | €4,641 |
| La Forêt-Fouesnant | 44 | €594,500 | €4,464 |
| Moëlan-sur-Mer | 36 | €581,150 | €3,940 |
| Penmarch | 26 | €640,000 | €4,051 |
| Plouhinec | 25 | €580,000 | €4,274 |
| Riec-sur-Bélon | 24 | €560,100 | €3,125 |
| Plobannalec-Lesconil | 19 | €580,000 | €3,710 |
| Pont-l'Abbé | 19 | €610,000 | €3,443 |
| Douarnenez | 18 | €626,366 | €3,462 |
| Plomeur | 14 | €560,500 | €4,094 |
| Audierne | 12 | €618,400 | €4,728 |
| Île-Tudy | 12 | €577,500 | €5,345 |
| Quimperlé | 12 | €554,000 | €2,735 |
| Clohars-Fouesnant | 11 | €589,750 | €3,982 |
| Guilvinec | 11 | €600,000 | €4,264 |
| Plomelin | 10 | €740,952 | €3,008 |
| Treffiagat | 9 | €560,600 | €3,993 |
| Bannalec | 8 | €560,000 | €2,875 |
| Gouesnach | 8 | €640,111 | €3,273 |
| Pluguffan | 8 | €593,220 | €3,529 |
| Pont-Aven | 8 | €731,500 | €4,088 |
| Saint-Évarzec | 8 | €619,033 | €3,600 |
Source: DVF land registry sales data, French tax administration (DGFiP). House sales from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2025, excluding atypical transactions (land deals, groups of more than three houses).
Dossiers
All dossiers
Request a valuation
A written valuation, prepared after a visit from comparable sales, for your eyes only. Free, no commitment, in English or French.
Questions
Can a historic monument be freely sold?
Yes, between private individuals, listed or classified. The sale of a classified building is notified to the administration and the buyer is informed of the protection. No permission to sell is needed for a private house.
Is a historic monument worth more or less?
It depends on the buyer. Protection reassures those who want to restore, thanks to grants and the tax regime, and deters those who want to transform. Value is built after a visit, from condition, land and the few comparable sales.
Is an energy certificate compulsory for a listed house?
No. Buildings listed or classified as historic monuments are exempt from the energy performance certificate. The other surveys remain due.
What happens to grants received when selling?
Commitments linked to grants and to the tax regime, in particular the fifteen-year holding period, pass to the buyer or may lead to a clawback of benefits if not respected. Review this with your notaire before selling.
Selling another type of property
The legal and tax information on this page is general, as at the date of publication; it does not replace advice from your notaire. Market: DVF land registry data (DGFiP, open licence), house sales 2021-2025, aggregated figures; no individual sale, no personal data.