Cavalaire-sur-Mer : a mixed bag of offerings

Radia Amar - 27 May 2014

A neighbour of Saint-Tropez and Le Lavandou, Cavalaire-sur-Mer is a peaceful commune and a great place to live in the Var. Its property market consists of a mixed bag of offerings, including some real rare pearls.

Cavalaire has been swept by a large wave of construction making a considerable number of new apartments available in the centre. With a property market hitherto mainly comprised of holiday homes, this seaside resort is now putting the accent on main homes for people working in the Var, but also for active seniors from all over France looking for practical apartments in pleasant residences. Such homes in recent seafront residences can be found at up to 9,000 € per sq. metre, with an average price for apartments in the centre of around 5,300 € per sqm. in blocks less than ten years old. “We are seeing a rise in the population, with growing numbers of high-end clients. We also see people working from home who want to get away from urban areas to enjoy living conditions of higher quality,” explains Brice Bianchi, director of Century 21 - Agence de la Baie, whose clientele includes several different nationalities. “Many properties are on offer in the 600,000-900,000 € bracket, with prestige properties easily exceeding one million euros.” Foreign buyers, less numerous than a few years ago, are interested in Cavalaire-sur-Mer for its closeness to Saint-Tropez and its more affordable prices, but also for the many assets offered by this commune lively all year round : its cleanliness, sandy beaches and security… “Cavalaire is becoming a highly-prized market in its own right,” adds Brice Bianchi, citing the example of a Russian client who just acquired a villa near the beaches at a price which would have been twice as much in Saint-Tropez !

Jean-Louis Darnis, manager of the Darnis Immobilier agency, confirms that the market is undergoing evolution : “Cavalaire has, of course, been affected by the economic crunch. The result has been lower prices all round and a larger stock of properties up for sale. However, beyond these negative aspects, we have above all noticed a pervasive change in the search criteria adopted by buyers. These clients, especially North Europeans, are looking for properties in contemporary style, designed with materials offering low energy consumption. We are seeing a trend defining three kinds of properties : houses built in the 1960’s in grounds of appealing size - as in those days, people still had a choice -, which may be bought and razed to the ground, thus giving a new source of building land. They are valued at the price of the land, less the price of demolition. The second category encompasses a good many neo-Provençal villas built in the 1980’s and 1990’s. In a style now falling out of favour, they have limited appeal and their prices inevitably suffer. Finally, the third category covers properties meeting the required criteria : a good location, quality construction and rarity. If they have been fairly estimated, these homes sell quickly with hardly any bargaining,” explains our expert, mentioning a villa sold in 2013 for close on 3 million euros. Built in the 1950’s, stylishly renovated and benefiting from a pool, a seafront location near the town centre, and a view of the sea, it sold without delay at the asking price. Jean-Luis Darnis also gives the example of a property which sold for 450,000 € without any haggling.On this market seeing new developments and faced by changing behaviour on the part of buyers, it is essential that estate-agents provide sellers with correct, well-reasoned estimates and good marketing strategy in order to optimize and accelerate transactions.