La Ciotat has the wind in its sails !

Sheltered by Le Bec de l’Aigle and Cap Canaille, the old working-class town in the crook of the bay has been transformed into a real seaside resort offering Provençal charm. Conveniently located between Toulon and Marseille, this commune with 35,000 residents is enjoying a real boom.

Indissociable from the town, the first shipyards were built in 1622, and soon became the most reputable in Europe. They were shut down at the end of the 1980’s, but in 2007 activity was resumed and, once again, La Ciotat quickly became an international benchmark, this time for maintenance and repairs of luxury yachts. Making a 180° about-turn, the town is now focusing on tourism : more shops are opening, neighbourhoods are being renovated, a casino has been inaugurated near the port, a Marriott hotel is soon to open its doors on the seafront… The boom in the yachting sector continues to be a strong point for the town which, with its four harbours, can justly lay claim to high-quality facilities for sailing enthusiasts. The municipality has also undertaken an extensive urban planning policy, aiming to meet requirements for new housing and the rehabilitation of an aging stock of homes. Since 2009, La Ciotat has witnessed the appearance of a good number of new developments, shared out between blocks of apartments and estates with villas.

“Our current clientele for villas mainly consists of families with budgets this side of 400,000 €,” says Marc Hedoux of the Solvimo agency. “Estates such as the one we have recently marketed, with detached houses priced at around 370,000 €, meet everyone’s criteria. In fact, we were sold out after just one week !”... La Ciotat is, in fact, a strategic address for members of the local working population : prices here are lower than those on neighbouring communes, and the town’s location is ideal when one member of a couple is working in Aubagne, the other in Toulon, for example. “The market for new properties is doing well. Several developments have been delivered over the past few years.” By way of example, Marc Hedoux cites estates with both apartments and detached “pavillons”, such as Le Parc de la Tèse or Les Jardins de Capypso in the northern part of the town, where apartments cost around 3,700 € per sq. metre. In residential neighbourhoods such as Roumagoua, particularly popular among retirees, prices tend to range from 4,200 to 4,300 € per sqm. In the centre, small apartments appeal to investors who rent them out to students from the IUT or yachtsmen having work done in the shipyards, then to tourists in the high season. “Apartments with one main room can be found from 90,000 €.”

Didier Bei, associate manager of the Cap Immo agency, says that the market is steady, though still rather slow. “There are fewer buyers, and they are very demanding. They hope to find locations or appointments that are not always feasible with their budgets. 2-bedroomed apartments from 200,000 to 300,000 €, and villas under 400,000 € are the most sought-after properties.” He mentions a terraced house of 85 m2 with a small garden of 50 m2. Offering 3 upstairs bedrooms and being in immediate proximity to main amenities in a neighbourhood on the periphery of the town centre, it just sold for 354,000 €. What about high-end properties ? The average price in La Ciotat for homes of quality is 4,000-4,500 € per sqm, with exceptional properties offering sea views attaining 7,000 to 10,000 € per sqm if they are on the front row. By way of example Didier Bei mentions a desirable apartment of 120 m2 with a terrace of 90 m2, on offer at over 1 million euros. Properties which struggle to find takers, despite a definite revival of interest in this town with a promising future.