Capbreton, a seaside resort where the living is easy

With a good array of shops, schools and other amenities, the town easily manages the transition from 7,650 residents in winter to tens of thousands in summer. Facing Hossegor, Capbreton boasts the only port in the “département” that opens out to the Atlantic, a major asset, according to our experts.

This former mecca of whaling was already home to between 2,000 and 3,000 inhabitants in the 16th century, a substantial figure for the time. Today, it still owes its success to its coastline, beaches and port area. During the summer of 2006, 293 ships dropped anchor in Capbreton. The same year, the municipality announced the arrival of 116 new boats in the harbour. 170 more are still on the waiting list. The reputation of the coastal rescue club and its members is on a par with the local “vin de sable”, produced from vines cultivated on the sand dunes. Finally, here in one of the world’s surfing capitals, tourism is a flourishing activity.

“If the port is its mainstay, Capbreton also offers a pleasant living environment with its shops, doctors and schools, including the college that trains youngsters for the hotel industry. Dax is a 20-minute drive away, Bayonne 15 minutes on the motorway, directly accessible from the village,” says Daniel Vidoudez of DV Immobilier. 80 % of buyers are looking for holiday homes. They come from Aquitaine, Toulouse, Paris or Lyon, and pay 150,000 € for a 1-bedroom apartment facing the harbour, 350,000 € for a detached house of 80-90 m2 in good condition with a garden of 600 m2, and from 400,000 to 500,000 € in the case of a residence within 400 metres of the ocean. Retirees for the most part, and investors, driven by a yield of 4 to 5 % and the prospect of Scellier tax incentives, set their sights on apartments. A development signed Bouygues, commercialized this summer, should soon take its place on the seafront. The square metre ranges on average from 3,500 to 4,000 € depending on the location and whatever the age of the property. These prices rise as one gets closer to the beach. Houses cost from 350,000 to 600,000 €, exceptions aside, a budget corresponding to living space of 130-140 m2 with a garden of 600-900 m2. Rather scarce, building land is in strong demand and therefore relatively expensive. Currently, one would need to spend 300-400 €/m2 for a plot on an estate between the centre of Capbreton and the deep blue sea.

“Most buyers prefer the area between the Atlantic and the heart of town. Others opt for the peacefulness of Bouheben or Les Sables,” says Gérard Martinez of the Agence de Capbreton. Hossegor, which rouses the enthusiasm, often exclusively, of a wealthier clientele, posts prices 600 €/m2 higher for a similar property. Capbreton is more popular than the seaside resort of Seignosse, very quiet in the low season, although the centre is tending to expand without ever attaining the prices of the port once specializing in whaling. After a booming first quarter, the second has apparently been as hesitant as the sun. Sellers agree to lower their prices, but not sufficiently in the eyes of buyers, prepared to make the most impertinent offers.

“Hardly any of the villas have panoramic views of the sea,” notes Henry Houssin of Front de Mer Immobilier. “On the other hand, a few comfortable apartment residences, largely used as holiday homes, do face the ocean.” Among recent sales, he cites two such apartments : one of 60 m2, fully air conditioned, with a terrace overlooking the water and two box garages in the basement, priced at 408,000 €, and a comparable apartment of 68 m2, prolonged by a terrace of 20 m2, on the top floor of the same residence, offered at 550,000 €, an amount very rarely reached for a 3-bedroom apartment. On a less active segment of the market, houses from 350,000 to 500,000 € are doing relatively well, especially if they are all at ground level and not overlooked or subjected to noise. At prices beyond this symbolic barrier, the client hopes to find accommodation in Hossegor, the “ultimate” address on the Landes coast. Sellers should in fact realize that, from the first time their properties are displayed in agency windows, they must correspond to the going price, the only way they will sell within a reasonable lapse of time.