Rare and original addresses in Marseille

The oldest city in France has an architectural heritage full of contrasts, the result of 2600 years of history. In its old industrial neighbourhoods and historic streets, original properties draw the attention of buyers in search of unique homes.

Now become a crossroads between Europe and the Mediterranean, Marseille boasts a vast territory of 59,280 acres marked by the development of flourishing maritime trade in the second half of the 19th century, coupled with large-scale industrial activities. Urban planning has transformed rural scenery into a vast entity encompassing 110 villages, and each neighbourhood in the town has its own style with facades reflecting both past and present.

”All over the town, properties in loft style can be found. The Docks area, neighbourhoods to the north and the Belle de Mai neighbourhood are good hunting-grounds for this type of property due to their many warehouses,” explains Jérôme Louis of the Espaces Atypiques agency, based in Marseille for the past four years. Expertly rehabilitated, some industrial premises have been transformed into vast contemporary apartments which find favour with clients in search of a modern life-style. “Old apartments in Haussmann style have also been treated to spectacular transformations,” says our specialist who mentions, among his recent sales, a bourgeois apartment of 300 m2 in the Préfecture neighbourhood. On an upper floor, offering sweeping views, it has been remodelled throughout by an architect who has succeeded in making the most of the available space. This prestigious property has just been acquired by a Marseillais as his main home, for 650,000 €. “What people like today is to redistribute the space to allow for a more flowing modern layout,” explains Jérôme Louis. This niche market is holding steady, especially as the overall fall in prices over the past two years, coupled with low mortgage rates, has sparked the interest of numerous buyers with a flair for unearthing opportunities. “Our clients, from Paris, Marseille and abroad, are looking for properties lending themselves to a new kind of housing, as permanent or holiday homes, or rental investments. Budgets most frequently range from 400,000 to 700,000 €, and we propose properties from 250,000 to 5 million euros.”

Based in Marseille since 2008, the Référence Immobilier agency has a good number of properties in unusual styles on offer. A few old properties which have been renovated in the neighbourhoods of Le Panier and Le Vieux-Port, small buildings, such as one of 200 m2 in the Saint-Antoine neighbourhood, on offer at 385,000 €, and, above all, properties proposing rare features and outstanding locations. By way of example, the agency’s manageress, Florence Sellam, mentions a contemporary property in the 8th arrondissement. Built about ten years ago, it offers living space of 350 m2 in grounds of 2,000 m2 with a pool and jacuzzi. A self-contained studio, summer kitchen, and a master suite with a hammam form part of its long list of high-end amenities. Its price ? 2,900,000 €. Another example, in the Grotte Rolland area : a house of 240 m2 built in 1970, renovated and remodelled throughout in contemporary style in 2010. Proposing a hybrid appearance somewhere between town house and villa, it benefits from a prime location and is priced at 980,000 €. “If these rare properties are fairly priced, there isn’t any bargaining. The market in Marseille is currently retrieving its vitality and stability,” adds this estate agent, whose clientele is mainly comprised of local families and Parisians looking for a pied-à-terre in an ideal location. Such as an apartment of 96 m2 up for sale at 470,000 €. Overlooking the Old Port, it offers picture-postcard views of Marseille.