A view at all cost in Marseille

Radia Amar - 21 October 2015

In the middle of the so-called Latin arc, the Phocean city, France’s N°1 port, has become a cultural and economic powerhouse. This city with 111 villages has very diverse housing, a melting-pot of styles and eras. And at the heart of the urban zones or beyond their boundaries, a wealth of properties offer fabulous views.

"Most of our potential buyers are looking for year-round homes. Properties offering clear views are obviously appreciated, though they do not top of the list of selection criteria,” says Frédéric Guilmard of Les Toits de Marseille, an agency specializing in the 6th and 7th arrondissements, and the urban part of the very select 8th. Overall, prices are stable, with old properties pegged from 2,500 to 4,800 € per sq. metre, depending on their characteristics, location and condition, and new properties up to 5,000 € per sqm. On upper floors, some roads in these arrondissements offer panoramic views of the town’s typical tiled rooftops, sometimes with the sparkling waters of the Mediterranean in the background. “In our districts, the loveliest views often go hand-in-hand with steep relief, as on the promontory and around the Basilique Notre-Dame de la Garde, the upper end of the Perier neighbourhood in the 8th, and Le Roucas Blanc in the 7th. Most of the time, a top floor in these hilly areas guarantees a beautiful sea view or an elevated view of the city, but even so, it is not seen in itself as an essential requirement,” insists our expert. In his opinion, the steep climbs and narrow pavements that come with these properties discourage buyers keen on, or looking for, a life-style in which everything can be done on foot. “On the other hand, couples of average age with children, and thus used to making frequent trips back and forth, on a daily basis, in their cars, are not put off, and are more readily drawn to this type of home combining charm and quietness.”

”In neighbourhoods such as Le Roucas Blanc, Bompard, Endoume, Montolivet, Le Verduron, L’Estaque, Ensuès le Redonne and Le Vieux-Port, you find certain properties offering views of both the sea and the mountains,” says Jérôme Louis of the Espaces Atypiques agency, specializing in contemporary and unusual homes. “The loveliest elevated views are proposed by Le Verduron, Le Baous de Saint-Marcel, the terraces of Le Panier, the Chemin des Crêtes coming from Cassis, towards the railway station, and from the roof of Le Corbusier. A truly panoramic view is an extra bonus for a property already without any major defects.” He mentions, for example, a villa of 170 m2 designed by an architect, set on the rock above a creek and offering a dazzling view as far as the horizon from its infinity pool. It is up for sale at 2,900,000 €. Then there was a contemporary apartment of 130 m2 in L’Estaque, with picture windows opening out to the deep blue sea, which the agency just sold for 525,000 €.