Bordeaux-Les Chartrons, a very buoyant neighbourhood

Pauline Roman - 22 November 2016

In the form of a rectangle, the neighbourhood of Les Chartrons runs along the Garonne river, north of the historic centre of Bordeaux. Long ignored, it has undergone a real metamorphosis over the past two decades to become one of the city’s most highly-prized areas.

Dominique Rollin of Century 21 Cabinet Rollin can’t say enough about Les Chartrons. “The area is above all characterized by considerable disparity in both the type and availability of properties, and the clientele.” He goes on to describe the different areas. To the south, just above Les Quinconces, in the prolongation of Jardin Public and as far as the Barrière du Médoc, a sector with very elegant Haussmann buildings and late 19th-C. houses. Most of the properties here belong to prominent families in Bordeaux, and even today change hands very rarely. As for the heart of Les Chartrons, it has been treated to extensive transformation over the past 20 years, and this particularly due to the rehabilitation of the old quaysides, and the introduction of Tramlines B and C. The old warehouses, hangars, wine depots etc. have been transformed into living accommodation which appeals to a clientele of young professional buyers with substantial budgets. A little further north, between the Cours du Médoc and Rue Barreyre, the agency recently sold a house of 110 m2 with 5 main rooms, in need of renovation, for 510,000 €. Further on from the Cours du Médoc, Saint Martial neighbourhood, lies the northern part of Les Chartrons. A more working-class area, which is nonetheless pleasant and sought-after. A young couple of senior executives with children just acquired a very smart house of 110 m2 here, designed by an architect and restructured throughout, with a garden, priced at 425,000 €. Correctly estimated, this house sold in just three days, without being advertised, just by contacting qualified buyers ! A point emphasized by Dominique Rollin : “In Les Chartrons, demand is very strong and there is a scarcity of properties for sale, which naturally makes for tight market conditions. Even so, clients are not prepared to buy at any price. It is therefore important for sellers to obtain fair and realistic estimates”.

As its name suggests, the Espaces Atypiques agency specializes in unusual properties : lofts, duplexes, penthouses, workshops, houses designed by architects... The type of property with which the architectural heritage of Les Chartrons is particularly well-endowed. As explained by the agency’s manager, Clément Kaufmann : “The neighbourhood of Les Chartrons, and more precisely, the part near Notre-Dame, has undergone a real metamorphosis, and as a result, we are seeing a phenomenon of gentrification. It has become a village-neighbourhood, like Le Marais in Paris”. Many Parisians have in fact made it their target address. Buyers who are likely to become even more numerous with the arrival of the future LGV, linking Paris to Bordeaux in just 2 hours. Antique-dealers, boutiques, restaurants, but also the good schools in Les Chartrons have attracted new arrivals and made the area trendy. The most sought-after addresses include the banks of the Garonne and the heart of Les Chartrons. The agency recently sold a superb loft of 110 m2, for example, with an outdoor area, near Rue Notre-Dame, priced at 600,000 €. It also handled the sale of a loft of 270 m2 with 4 bedrooms, a garden and lap pool, acquired by a young family with two children from Bordeaux , for 1,100,000 €. Clément Kaufmann points out that sellers are usually owner-occupiers. Either families wanting to have more children and acquire more space, or, on the contrary, older couples whose children have flown the nest, and who are looking for smaller homes. This continues to ensure rotation within the property market.