Mérignac : appealing dynamism

A town chalking up constant economic and population growth since the 1950’s, Mérignac now provides an important pool of employment in a pleasant residential setting. An address which is also more affordable than Bordeaux which is, however, just close by.

Now home to over 65,000 inhabitants (the second largest town in Gironde, third largest in Aquitaine), Mérignac enjoys popularity which never seems to run out of steam thanks, in particular, to its privileged environment very close to Bordeaux. The commune also benefits from the tramway (currently undergoing extension) and the ring-road around Bordeaux (A630). It also plays host to the head-offices of large firms, several spearhead industries and Bordeaux’s airport, all making it a lively job pool. As for amenities, the people of Mérignac dispose, among other things, of 30 nursery and primary schools, four “collèges”, two secondary schools, a hospital centre and a wide array of shops.

In terms of real estate, “offerings are abundant and highly diversified,” says Sandrine Faivre, manageress of Sandrine Faivre Concept, an independent agency launched in 2010 covering Mérignac, the neighbouring communes of Saint-Médard-en-Jalles, Le Haillan, Le Bouscat, Pessac, and the Bordeaux neighbourhood of Caudéran. “In the centre, for example, prices of apartments can easily double : prices per sq. metre for those in old buildings without lifts are around 1,800 €, whereas they can attain 4,000 € in recent residences. For houses, one can expect to pay the same rates as in the highly sought-after Parc Féau area : over 3,000 € per sqm.” Another highly-prized neighbourhood : Arlac with its “Arcachonnaise” houses ranging from 320,000 to 450,000 €. “Otherwise, you can find houses of 120-130 m2 built in the 1980’s with good-sized gardens, priced at around 300,000 € in the suburban area of Beutre, and small terraced houses on estates from 280,000 to 350,000 € in areas undergoing full development such as Chemin-Long and Les Eyquems.” As for building land, there are several options : “A few plots are available, including wooded ones of about 1,600 m2 currently on offer in Beutre at close on 190,000 €. Otherwise, existing houses have to be demolished - as often happens in Capeyron -, or land has to be split up”. The cost of construction ranges from 1,500 to 2,000 € per sqm.

Founder and manager of Map’Immo, an agency covering the entire CUB (Urban Community of Bordeaux), backed by experience in real estate since 2000, Pascal Depo confirms the wide diversity of accommodation in Mérignac : “As well as a vast choice in residences - ranging from studios at 80,000 € to large apartments at over 400,000 € -, the town also offers small houses, homes built of stone, “échoppes”, “Arcachonnaises” and contemporary villas”. Over towards the ring-road, houses cost about 230,000 €. “Though prices can rise very quickly : for example, we are now proposing an elegant villa near the centre at 745,000 €. Benefitting from 4 bedrooms, it offers living space of over 200 m2 in a garden of almost 770 m2.” What about building land ? “In high demand and rather rare, building plots sell in the centre or in popular neighbourhoods such as Mondésir from 250,000 to 300,000 € for 150 to 300 m2. For larger plots of around 1,000 m2, you have to move out farther from the centre.” According to Pascal Depo, these prices are declining due to tough and systematic bargaining on the part of buyers. Who are mainly, in fact, people realtively well-off, looking for a desirable home.

”Here in Mérignac, the majority of buyers now dispose of substantial means. They are executives and company dir­ectors, or retirees who have sold their properties and thus often pay cash. As for young first-time buyers, we see fewer and fewer of them,” says Sandra Baudin, manageress of SCB Immobilier, an agency opened in 2008, mainly covering Mérignac, but also Saint-Médard-en-Jalles, Le Haillan, the entrance to Caudéran, Martignas-sur-Jalle and Saint-Jean-d’Illac. In the case of apartments, she mainly receives enquiries for those with 2 bedrooms : “This type of apartment sells from 130,000 € in Capeyron to 230,000 € in a new or very recent residence”. Her last two sales of houses demonstrate the diversity on offer : on a small recent estate, a 2-bedroomed house of 65 m2 with a garden of 80 m2, priced at 205,000 € ; and in Le Parc Féau, a restored house of 220 m2 (4 bedrooms including a master suite of about 30 m2) with quality appointments and grounds of 700 m2, at 650,000 €. “As for new properties, relatively easy to find on the commune, we recently sold low-energy BBC houses of approx. 120 m2 in Arlac, priced at 3,200 € per sqm.”