Bordeaux : Saint-Genès and Saint-Augustin

Neighbourhoods in the southern part of Bordeaux near the centre, Saint-Genès and Saint-Augustin are seeing growing popularity. The first targets a well-off clientele, the second proposes village life which appeals to families.

In the southern part of Bordeaux, on the border with Talence, the neighbourhood of Saint-Genès is a traditionally middle-class address, highly prized for its heritage of properties with character (private mansions, sturdy stone houses, “échoppes”…), its renowned schools and quality life-style. This last attribute is also true of Saint-Augustin, a neighbourhood in the south-western part of the city bordering on Talence, Pessac and Mérignac. Laid out around a main square and its church, it in fact offers a real village atmosphere within the city limits. A pleasant, friendly area, which attracts upper middle-class families.

The two neighbourhoods post pretty much the same prices : “For an apartment in a stone building, one can expect to pay from 3,000 to 3,500 € per sq. metre, which falls to 2,500 € in a more recent residence built of brick or concrete”, explains Patrice Lalanne, manager of Lalanne Immobilier, a Bordeaux-based agency founded in 1976, specializing in the sale of “échoppes” all over the CUB (Communauté Urbaine de Bordeaux). “As for stone houses, they account for most demand and cost from 3,000 to 4,000 € per sqm.” By way of example, a property of 140 m2 with a garden of 200 m2 close to La Barrière de Pessac, on offer at 555,000 €. “One then finds outstanding properties such as a master residence of over 350 m2 in a park of 4,000 m2 with a pool, currently up for sale at 1,570,000 €.” Prices above the average in Bordeaux, though more affordable than in the centre or in neighbourhoods such as Les Chartrons. “And prices which are now stable.” Half of Patrice Lalanne’s clientele is comprised of families with children.

“These two neighbourhoods allow us to enrich our portfolio with unusual and prestigious properties,” says Cédric Fourteau, founder and manager of Ateliers, Lofts & Associés, an agency specializing in sales of lofts, houses designed by architects, rehabilitated warehouses and other properties with spectacular volumes and original architecture (four agencies in Bordeaux, Arcachon, Biarritz and Paris). “Saint-Genès boasts lots of private mansions and beautiful town houses, sometimes with highly contemporary interiors”, such as a surprising 1960’s house of 250 m2 in loft style, priced at 665,000 €. “As for Saint-Augustin, it offers a good number of former artists’ or craftsmens’ studios, garages or body shops transformed into lofts, and town houses designed or revamped by architects. We are currently handling, for example, the sale of a new house of 230 m2 with a pool, sleek architecture and impressive proportions, priced at 955,000 €.” In this sought-after family neighbourhood, Cédric Fourteau is frequently contacted by doctors due to the presence of Bordeaux’s CHU hospital complex. “Our agency in the capital also enables us to include many Parisians among our clients.”