From Guérande to Herbignac, diverse offerings

The reputation of this illustrious address needs no introduction, though Saint-André-des-Eaux and Herbignac, set back from the coast, also propose persuasive arguments and attractive prices. Our estate-agents act as our guides in the Loire-Atlantique.

Home to 15,230 people, Guérande stands on a peninsula surrounded to the west by the Atlantic, to the east by the marshes of Brière, to the south by the Loire and to the north by the Vilaine. It has a lively service sector and over the past two decades, tourism has continued to make good headway. Visitors never fail to fall for the charm of the fortifications, listed as an historic monument in 1887. Located in the Regional Nature Park of Brière, Saint-André-des-Eaux, with 5,230 residents, is 9 km from Guérande and 7 km from Saint-Nazaire. In the north-western part of the “département”, Herbignac falls within the urban area of Saint-Nazaire. It has four schools, kindergarten, junior and secondary. It is 10 km from the 45 km of hiking trails along the Atlantic. In this small town popular among active young families, 39 % of the population are under 30 years old. Two-thirds work outside the town, even though it hosts 45 farms and several good-sized employers, mostly focusing on the food industry.

“With excellent infrastructures - shops, services, healthcare centres, a theatre, gyms, a bowling alley and swimming pool -, Guérande draws seniors from outside the region, ready to pay 300,000 to 600,000 € for a home,” says Catherine Vermote of JCB Immobilier. They deliberately opt for the town centre, the neighbourhood with the most amenities, enjoying a strategic location not far from the beaches of La Baule or La Turballe. The stretch between the main town and the well-known seaside resort attracts the favours of a more mixed population, capable of paying up to 800,000 € for either a year-round or holiday residence. Elevated positions and views of the ocean or the bay are inevitably highly-prized. As for the hills and La Brière, they provide fall-back solutions for buyers with budgets of 250,000-300,000 € looking for main or holiday homes, often with the charm of old stone. Following a rather jagged pattern, the market is dependent on sales performances chalked up in urban areas between La Baule and Paris : Nantes, Angers and La Mayenne. Newcomers in fact pay cash after selling their main homes in these addresses. The difficulty then lies in matching their financial capabilities with the type of property they are hoping for. Among her last three sales, Catherine Vermote cites a house of 200 m2 in La Nantaise in grounds of 3,800 m2, priced at 750,000 €, a stone building of 70 m2 with a garden on the hils, at 220,000 €, and a contemporary home of 130 m2 in grounds of 800 m2, towards Saint-Lyphard, at 250,000 €.

“Back-to-back with La Brière, Saint-André-des-Eaux is close to the coastal strip. By looking at its demographic curve, you learn a lot about its development potential,” warns Christelle Tréguer of Saint-André Immobilier. It is important to distinguish the town centre, the hamlets and the domains of the international golf-course of La Baule. Generally speaking, the quality of the environment, its peacefulness and open spaces appear to be the criteria commonly adopted by interested parties. Local workers, sometimes first-time buyers, pay 200,000 to 300,000 € for homes of 80-110 m2 with gardens of 500 m2, while “young” French pensioners invest from 300,000 to 500,000 €. This second clientele always insists on a property in impeccable condition and close to amenities. Priced at 424,000 €, this central house of 160 m2, built in 2001, with a garden of 960 m2, should not wait long to find a buyer. Occasional residents fond of tranquillity, security and luxuriant scenery head for the golf-course. Noting the quality of construction and the appointments, this type of buyer from Paris and Nantes shares the area with the locals and is prepared to invest from 500,000 to 1.5 million euros. Others, less well-heeled, set their sights on apartments in tourist residences - with 1 bedroom from 125,000 € - or ‘pavillons’ from 450,000 €. The markets for both sales and rentals are doing well.

“15 minutes from Guérande and 10 minutes from the streches of sandy beaches, Herbignac is lively year-round, offering its residents no less than three supermarkets, schools, sports associations and a library,” says Catherine Lucas of Activa Immobilier, established in the town for the past 20 years. It is an ideal compromise between urban and rural settings. 80 % of buyers are are looking for main homes. In 2011, the average transaction has been around 200,000 €, ranging from 180,000 € - the sum required for living space of 80 m2 in need of a lick of paint - to 300,000 € - bringing a comfortable villa of about 200 m2 in grounds of at least 1000 m2. Nowadays, only properties which have been correctly estimated are likely to sell. The price-bracket below 180,000 € sees the most activity, the category obviously concerning first-time buyers. Similarly, building land has a rosy future. A plot of 400 m2 at the heart of Herbignac with a COS of 0.40 is worth 50,000 €. You then need a budget of 1,000-1,300 €/m2 depending on whether you want to build a home all on one level or more. Beyond 250,000 €, supply outweighs demand, which apparently tapers off. Beyond 400,000 € - the price required for living space of at least 260 m2 with a certain cachet, in enclosed, luxuriant grounds - activity kicks back into gear.