From the Côte de Jade to the Nantais vineyards

Between the shores of Loire-Atlantique, the prefecture and areas dedicated to vines, one discovers a pleasant area for living. Closer to the ocean, it is popular among seniors and occasional residents ; south of Nantes, it is acclaimed by locals working in the area.

The Côte de Jade is the coastal part of the Pays de Retz, bounded by the Loire estuary to the north and the Marais Breton to the south. The upper part, from Saint-Brévin-les-Pins to La Plaine-sur-Mer, offers vast sandy beaches, wooded dunes and small cliffs, while the lower part as far as Les Moutiers is wilder, composed of coves interspersed with large piles of rocks. The Nantes vineyards occupy over 37 acres of land along the river, from the seafront to the hills of Anjou. They owe their reputation to their white wines, fresh and lively. In these two worlds, the towns and villages offer a very diverse array of properties.

Françoise Torrini-Bessonnette of Guy Hoquet L’Immobilier covers the Pays de Retz, in Saint-Brévin, Pornic, La Plaine, Préfailles, La Bernerie and Les Moutiers. This is mostly a coastal area, with some inland communes posting more affordable prices. 50 % of potential purchasers, from Paris, Le Mans, Tours, Angers and Nantes, are treating themselves to holiday homes. Some pay from 100,000 to 200,000 € for 1-bedroom homes in blocks of apartments or low-rise residences situated near the sea. Others spend from 300,000 € - the budget required for a 3-bedroom house in an urban area - to 500,000 € - the sum required to obtain living space of 150-170 m2 with a garden of 500-700 m2 not far from the water. Most of the year-round residents work on site, with some spending five days a week for their work in the capital of Loire-Atlantique, 45 minutes from Pornic, La Bernerie or Les Moutiers by road or train. First-time buyers are thin on the ground. Estate-agents still feel the effects of the financial crunch in the 250,000-350,000 € bracket, caused by a lack of coherence between budgets, customer expectations and available properties.

With long experience in the markets of La Bernerie and Les Moutiers, resorts more intimate and family oriented than Pornic, Sylvie Vincent-Desgraviers of the Agence de la Mer mentions a massive influx of retirees from the region between Nantes and Paris, accounting for 25 % of today’s buyers. Drawn by the quality of the setting and able to invest at least 250,000 €, they hope to obtain a property in good condition, a comfortable and convenient address in an urban centre. In addition to a “bassin” where you can swim even at low tide, La Bernerie has a good array of shops and amenities, lively all year round. Les Moutiers plays on authenticity. The site has two large estates free for construction. Very successful since they came on the market, building plots here cost 65,000 € : with 200,000-270,000 €, one can obtain a finished property for use as a permanent or occasional residence.

Carole Gadel of Gadel Immobilier covers the entire southern Loire, from Nantes to the vineyards. Saint-Sébastien, Vertou, Basse-Goulaine and Rezé are her favourite addresses. Sometimes urban, sometimes rural, this inland area served by the tram and “busway” and slightly more affordable than the region north of Nantes, is 45 minutes from the Côte de Jade, but more importantly close to the periphery. A bridge separates the main town in the “département” from Saint-Sébastien, quite densely built-up, while Vertou and Basse-Goulaine offer a good choice of housing possibilities. With 200,000-300,000 €, people emp-loyed in Nantes can target 3-bedroom houses. From 350,000 €, a level competing with prices in the city itself, properties take longer to sell. Similarly, apartments built from 1960 to 1975 are falling victim to the new energy performance diagnosis requirement. Demand in this sector mainly focuses on studios and 1-bedroom apartments, when it comes from investors wanting to enjoy the benefits of the Scellier scheme and a net return of 5 % ; and on 2-bedroom apartments in the case of full-time residents. The numerous developments built in recent years have had a negative effect on the chances of older properties.