Bordeaux : Croix Blanche and Saint-Seurin

Lively neighbourhoods close to the hyper-centre of Bordeaux, Croix Blanche and Saint-Seurin offer residential accommodation mainly comprised of houses. Sound values, of special appeal to families…

An area west of Bordeaux bordered to the south by Rue Judaïque and to the north by Rue Turenne, Croix Blanche/Saint-Seurin propose a property market dominated by houses in immediate proximity to the hyper-centre. Very lively (with lots of shops and restaurants…) and efficiently served by public transport (tramway, buses…), these friendly areas also play host to a good number of renowned schools, both public and private. It’s therefore hardly surprising that they are among the most highly-prized addresses in the “Pearl of Aquitaine”, especially by families.

“They are indeed family neighbourhoods, though houses with gardens which are the closest one can find to the centre of Bordeaux also attract couples without children,” says Aymeric Sabatié-Garat, associate director of Barnes Bordeaux, the international specialist for prestige real-estate. He adds that 65 % of requests for houses concern this area : “Most properties offer living space of 100 to 300 m2. In need of renovation, they cost around 3,500 € per sq. metre, with those in good condition rising to 4,500 €”. High prices comparable to those found in Jardin Public or Les Chartrons, addresses which are also highly sought-after. By way of example, a renovated house of 160 m2 with old features and a garden of 70 m2 recently sold for 680,000 €, while another home of 250 m2 with a garden of 150 m2 and a garage (a much-appreciated commodity) found a taker at 900,000 €. “As for apartments, we recently handled the sale of one of 130 m2 with a parking place and lift, priced at 4,000 € per sqm.” According to Aymeric Sabatié-Garat, prices in this area are stable, occasionally even tending to rise. “A situation which is pretty general all over Bordeaux, but particularly noticeable in this popular area.”

Based at the heart of Saint-Seurin for over 20 years, the Agence Alpierre ID Immo is an independent agency hand­ling sales and rentals in Bordeaux and its greater urban area. “This neighbourhood with its warm, lively village life offers housing often built of stone, much appreciated by families,” agrees manageress Yveline Desclaux-Cassagne. “Though its closeness to the centre also appeals to people close to retirement age who have usually sold a large house outside the city and now want to be closer to amenities. It is an area which never loses its value, espec­ially if the property combines quality with a privileged loc­ation. An experienced and specialized agency will always point its clients’ investments in this direction.” Among her most recent sales, she describes a 3-bedroomed apartment with a terrace in a small residence in Croix Blanche, priced at 3,700 € per sqm, and a house of 200 m2 in Saint-Seurin with 4/5 bedrooms, a garden, and refurbishment on the cards, at 3,500 € per sqm. “Our portfolio also contains a charming bourgeois house in Croix Blanche with 6 bedrooms, in very good condition, on offer at 840,000 €.”

Manageress for the past four years of Christie’s International Real Estate (Maxwell Storrie Baynes) in Bordeaux, Béatrice Blanchy specializes in prestige properties all over the city, but especially in the centre, Caudéran and Le Bouscat (a neighbourhood of Bordeaux and a neighbouring commune, both residential). She currently proposes an outstanding property in Saint-Seurin, at the entrance to the “Golden Triangle” : a 19th-C. stone mansion featuring magnificent volumes and lovely well-preserved old features. “Offering total living space of approx. 475 m2 on three floors (a reception room of 120 m2, six bedrooms, studies, garden level converted into an artist’s studio with a beautiful old veranda, numerous vast storage rooms, laundry room, cellars…), together with a landscaped garden of 200 m2 facing due south, it is up for sale at 1.7 million euros, ie. a little over 3,500 € per sqm. Some renovation work is necessary, but this is a fine opportunity and a very rare property in the centre of Bordeaux.” Another appreciable asset : two rented parking places just

a 2-minute walk away.