LOCATION Arcachon bay is only
an hour and a quarter from Bordeaux
The vineyards around the city are world famous and a big draw for visitors
prices and actual sale prices. Simon adds: “Sellers are realising they need to adapt to the market and are tending to be more realistic with their asking price. We have seen more aggressive negotiations from French buyers over the past year than was the case before. There are fewer French buyers than in previous years. “Interest rates have gone
up to between 3.5% and 4% currently, and French banks have quite strict rules on what they can lend. This has led to a number of buyers who have found access to mortgages more complicated than before. If you are a cash buyer and are seeking a second home or investment property, it is a good time to look.” Location and ease of access
are notable selling points. “The geographic situation of Bordeaux, close to the Atlantic and the Pyrénées, is a big pull, as is the fast TGV link to Paris,” says Simon. “The diversity of areas
surrounding Bordeaux such as the Dordogne and Basque
On the market
country make weekend excursion possibilities endless.” But it’s not just its ease of access that makes the city so alluring, adds Simon. “Bordeaux itself is the biggest Unesco city in the world. It is so architecturally beautiful and offers all the shopping, restaurants and events you would expect. “Housing stock is varied in
style and type. One peculiarity of Bordeaux is the possibility of buying a house close to the centre, which you don’t find in many other French cities. Parisians often dream of an échoppe (a townhouse with a garden) in Bordeaux.”
COUNTRY ESCAPES “We have seen buyers, post- Covid, buying up to 60km around Bordeaux and even selling their house in Bordeaux and buying a small flat in town and a country property outside,” Simon says. According to FNAIM and
l’Observatoire Clameur, property beyond the city limits is significantly cheaper than
in town. “Further than 60km into the country, demand drops off and so do prices. The trick is to look along transport lines, notably train routes with a frequent service into Bordeaux,” Simon advises. These hotspots could include
€469,000,Bacalan: A three-bedroom ‘échoppe’ townhouse with garden, situated in the Bacalan quarter, with easy access to the city centre by tram (
iadfrance.fr)
€325,000, Le Taillan: Two-bedroom 1970s house for renovation with garage and cellar at Le Taillan-Médoc, 13km north of the city centre (
iadfrance.fr)
72 FRENCH PROPERTY NEWS: May/June 2024
villages such as Margaux, 30km north of the city (a 45-minute train ride) located amid some of the world’s most famous vineyards. Here Leggett is asking €399,000 for a pretty three-bedroom, west-facing stone cottage, renovated in 2016, on a 984m2
plot on the
edge of the village, but within walking distance of shops, restaurants and train station.
For a breath of Atlantic air, local agency Bru & Fils offers dinky new-build studios and one-bedroom apartments in Lacanau Océan, which is around an hour’s drive from Bordeaux, with prices starting at around €148,000. Also close to the Médoc
seaside, Leggett has a contemporary one-storey three-bedroom house with south-facing terrace and garage in Hourtin, 64km from Bordeaux, priced at €446,000. Closer to Bordeaux, a quirky, newly built one- bedroom apartment with a compact private garden on the ground-floor of a renovated
There’s a lively indoor market in Bordeaux’s Bacalan district
© SHUTTERSTOCK
© SHUTTERSTOCK
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