The Castle of Fog. Is it because this grandiose country house located on the Butte Montmartre is poorly named as a castle that it is struggling to sell? On the market since February 2024, it has still not found a buyer. “I’m selling a monument with a country scent, not a castle. Deep down, I don’t sell anything because my job is to reveal the soul of the exceptional goods entrusted to me for sale.», confides Xavier Attal of the Immo Best International agency, which is offering this property. This real estate poet has already sold this country residence, which is more like a majestic country house, 11 years ago, via a classified ad published by Le Figaro.
And yet, this country house has been the property of illustrious men such as the painter Auguste Renoir. A past that could justify the price displayed, i.e. 13.6 million euros? “The inheritance of a property is never found in the buyer’s check. An illustrious name like that of Renoir brings soul, light to the house», replies Xavier Attal.
A spring sale?
This bucolic property of more than 400 square meters which invites you to daydream, was the star of episode 3 of season 5 of the series Agency broadcast on TMC on Thursday. The potential buyers, Martin and Martina, were first concerned about the name of the residence “Brouillards”. The real estate agent, the eldest of the Kretz family, tried to reassure them by indicating that “fog doesn’t mean we’re in fog all year round. Next to it is rue de l’Abreuvoir with a source. A light fog settled over the Montmartre hill at this time. Today, this is no longer the case“. Despite this explanation and the 700 square meters of garden without vis-à-vis, Martin and Martina gave up positioning themselves on the property. “It’s a house with a soul but unfortunately it’s too small for me“, says Martina. Martin nods and adds: “I’m quite tall and this house feels like a doll’s house».
Xavier Attal adds: “In the spring of 2024, I accepted an interoffice with a Kretz colleague who came for a client who did not follow up. Since then, the agency has never come back to me. We cannot mix poetry and confidentiality with mass distribution. Knowing how to present a property of this caliber and this heritage certainly requires a deep respect for the place coupled with respect for the owners who place their trust in you.“, he asserts. Before concluding on a hopeful note: “I’m not surprised the house didn’t sell. The period is not very promising. I remain convinced that the spring swallow will be able to bring the next owner of this timeless, extraordinary place, who will be able to inscribe a family history through these walls which have seen centuries pass.»
From 425 million euros to 180 million
The Château des Brouillards is not the only imposing residence to remain on the market for several months. The castle of Gretz Armainvilliers, in Seine-et-Marne, is also struggling to find its future owner. The Anglo-Norman style property, which once belonged to Morocco’s King Hassan II and the Rothschild family, hit the market at a stratospheric price of 425 million euros in April. What can justify such a price in the most remote department of Île-de-France and where the luxury goods currently offered for sale hardly exceed 15 million euros? It is true that this 10,000 square meter castle, which extends over 1,100 hectares, is completely disproportionate.
The residence includes 127 rooms including 17 themed rooms which evoke the four corners of the planet, one of which is an exact replica of a cabin of the Titanic, 5000 square meters of underground which included a hospital in case the king of Morocco fell ill, and a stable. An Italian marble fountain and gold faucets adorn the bathrooms. The price was lowered to 180 million euros. In any case, it is at this price that the castle is put up for sale by the Kretzes. Unless the residence has never been displayed at a price of 425 million euros, the SCI which owns the premises refuting these figures. Still, the property is still on the market.
