Communes in the northern part of Loire-Atlantique

Between the “train-tram” planned to link Nantes with Châteaubriant, and the project for an airport slated to go into operation in 2017, this region, both countrified and diversifed in terms of built-up areas, is taking on the challenge for the future. A tour to the north of the Prefecture of “département 44”…

Communites to the north of the region go by the names of Carquefou, Saint-Herblain, Blain and Guémené-Penfao… Châteaubriant marks the boundary of one of Brittany’s five “départements”. Just 10 km from the city of Nantes, close to the expressway linking it to Vannes, Sautron is home to 6,800 inhabitants. If one believes the menhir 4.23 metres high at La Haute-Roche, Saint-Etienne-de-Montluc, with 6,615 residents, first saw the light of day over 4,000 years ago. Twenty km from the capital of Loire-Atlantique, Gallo-Roman ruins can be seen in Saint-Mars-du-Désert. What is shared by all these localities is their popularity. While their scenery is as rural as one could wish, they enjoy a highly strategic location. With work begun in 2009, the “train-tram” is scheduled to come into service very soon, initially on the Nantes-Nort-sur-Erdre line before reaching Châteaubriant in 2013. Those concerned will then have to wait until 2017 to see the first plane take off from Notre-Dame-des-Landes. The HQE airport is heralded as a model of economic development combined with respect for the environment. Six million people live within a 2-hour radius, while 170,000 firms are a 75-minute drive away at most.

“In Châteaubriant, individual houses definitely account for most of the accommodation,” says Jean-Philippe Hamon of AJP Immobilier, a group of 33 agencies including 19 in “département 44”. A basic 2-bedroom apartment costs from 70,000 to 80,000 €, while a house can be had for 130,000 € if it offers three bedrooms, 150,000 € for four bedrooms or 190,000 € for five. Building land is doing very well. A plot of 700-800 m2 costs 45,000-50,000 €. Most of the clients work on site. The opening of the expressway between Angers and Rennes will mean a 40-minute drive between the two towns and, at the same time, a closer connection between two pools of employment. Prices attract first-time buyers, as does the very rural Guémené-Penfao, which rakes in more interest from Rennes than from Nantes. Blain will certainly benefit from the creation of the future airport. 80 % of properties here sell from 100,000 to 230,000 €. Experiencing a real boom thanks to the imminence of the tram-train service, Nort-sur-Erdre is treating itself to a facelift before taking delivery of a municipal swimming pool. As proof of its recent success, prices have risen 17 % over the past two years. Carquefou has 17,900 inhabitants and a 97 % quota of year-round residences. Popular among footballers, among others, this address has some enviable properties. The neighbouring Sucé-sur-Erdre is, in fact, the commune which pays the highest wealth tax in the Loire-Atlantique. Close to the Prefecture, Carquefou’s prices are close on those seen in Nantes : on average, houses cost 2,367 €/m2, apartments 2,650 €/m2. Three new zones could be developed by 2015. Sainte-Luce-sur-Loire is carrying out improvements and intensifying the area towards Thouaré, which is planning to build 1,500 additional homes by 2020, like Saint-Joseph-de-Porteri, in fact. Saint-Herblain is joining the general trend towards development : the Atlantis shopping centre with its 113 boutiques, 23 restaurants, cinemas and theatre is something of a standard-bearer. 1970’s blocks of apartments cost around 1,800 €/m2, those built in 2000, 2,500 €/m2, and new residences 3,100 €/m2.

“A 10-minute drive separates Carquefou from Saint-Mars, which enjoys a high-quality life-style and lots of amenities available in the town”, says Christine Colomez of Saint-Mars Immobilier. The specific feature of this market is a very diverse clientele. Young couples pay from 150,000 to 220,000 € for modernized “pavillons” of 90-100 m2 between Couffé and Mouzeil. The same type of house in Saint-Mars or Ligné attains 250,000 €, the budget available to local workers moving up to their second home. People transferred to the region pay 250,000-350,000 € for living space of at least 150 m2, built after 2005, with grounds of 1,000 m2 minimum. Fans of old stones and character, often from within the area, appreciate “longères” and wide open spaces. One of them has just acquired a property of 250 m2 on almost 10 acres of land for 480,000 €. “Green” houses are fashionable, building land too. A plot of 600-800 m2 costs 70,000-90,000 €, with construction ratios ranging from 0.15 to 0.25. Thanks to the historically low level of interest rates, tax incentives and, of course, prices which have dropped by 15-20 %, last year turned out to be a good vintage. “2011 promises to be busy. Though we have to study the initial effects of the new Zero Rate Loan, given that we are in zone C,” comments our estate-agent. At the moment, a fairly-priced property sells within less than one month.

“25 minutes from the centre of Nantes, Sautron draws senior executives and managers of SMEs capable of investing from 250,000 to 600,000 € in a home, even more on rare occasions,” says Jean-Charles Poirier, manager of Sautron Immobilier and President of a group called Agences Réunies. The wooded area between the valleys of Le Cens and La Chézine, as highly-prized as Carquefou, is certainly not lacking in charm. Among the most recent transactions handled by the agency : a 5-bedroom residence of 160 m2 in grounds of 1,000 m2 sold for 420,000 €, and another house of 100 m2 with grounds of 1,400 m2 for 350,000 €. Based in the region - which visibly benefits from the ever-widening attraction of the capital of Loire-Atlantique - since 1995, Jean-Charles Poirier has noticed many changes, including the growing popularity of houses as compared to apartments. The balance-sheet for 2010 proves to be relatively encouraging, and seems to confirm the end of the crisis.