Soorts-Hossegor, a bouyant market

Between the forest, ocean and lake, this resort on the coast of Aquitaine draws steady demand. The European capital of surfing offers a very busy agenda of cultural and sporting events, from a leg of the Quiksilver Pro to the Grand Prix des Landes golf tournament, not forgetting L’Enduro, the Book Fair and a large “braderie” (clearance sale).

Well-known for its long tradition of hospitality, this commune next to Seignosse and Capbreton is in the forest of Les Landes en Maremne. It is home to about 3,630 year-round residents. The marine lake offers very pleasant walks around its shoreline 5,750 metres long, edged by gardens and charming villas which fans of architecture are sure to appreciate. In addition to infrastructures for oyster farming, the lake offers several beaches. Every year in September, the world’s top surfers meet up for a heat in the professional world championships. 100,000 fans also turn up for the clearance sale of surfing gear. Hossegor’s popularity is certainly not new : its many fans have included personalities such as François Mitterrand, Francis Cabrel, Virginie Ledoyen and Alain Juppé.

“The market is bearing up well,” announces Irène Mirakian of the Agence Immobilière Atlantic. Out of 13 sales completed by the agency in 2011 (out of 19 contracts signed), nine concerned holiday homes with prices ranging from 400,000 € - paid by an English client for a 3-bedroom terraced house in good condition with a garden of 500 m2 - to 1 million euros - for an apartment of 200 m2, in the centre, prolonged by a terrace of 90 m2. The buyers included one foreigner, a self-employed Parisian who paid 628,000 € for a villa of 120 m2 in grounds of 1,000 m2 and a client from Toulouse who paid 615,000 € after falling for a lovely single-storey house of 190 m2 built in the ‘seventies, in grounds of 1,050 m2 opening out right onto the golf-course. Of the three year-round residents, a clientele motivated by pretty much the same criteria and equipped with similar budgets, one works in the area, two were buying homes for their retirement. The town centre and the neighbourhood known as Entre Lac et Mer are as highly-prized as ever. From activity observed in the month of January, last year’s trend seems to be confirmed. Many buyers pay cash, and neither the international context nor the elections seem to be putting a brake on their purchasing plans. Many arrive with a precise idea of where they want to live. Hossegor tops the bill. Seignosse and Capbreton serve as fall-back options, as long as the property is near the beach.

“Usually, buyers are initially set on the stretch known as Entre Lac et Mer, a wooded and well-preserved area, particularly fashionable within the town. The budget for holiday homes, from 700,000 to 1 million euros, has not changed,” say Franck Sellier and Jérôme Laffabe of L’Agence des Golfs. However, available properties are both rare and expensive. Fairly estimated, they require unusual rapidity on the part of buyers. Others demonstrate the sellers’ greed. With the new legislation on capital gains, the problem of scarcity could well become acute. Perfectly aware of these factors, it is in the estate agent’s interest to teach a few lessons. Which means discovering other areas : the immediate surroundings of the golf-course or the eastern side of the lake, for example. Recently, a Parisian with 700,000 € to spend visited homes “between the lake and the sea”, and in the centre, without success. Really forcing himself, he finally agreed to drive 1.5 km to visit a property of 100 m2 in elevated grounds of 1,500 m2, benefitting from a pool, at 650,000 €. Love at first sight ! He bought it on the spot. The wooded setting of Seignosse, its shoreline, golf-course and slightly lower prices are also well worth the detour. A “pavillon” of 80 m2 with a garden of 1,000 m2 found a taker here at 420,000 €, thanks especially to its possibilities for extension.

“Last year was really characterized by lots of business,” comments Serge Pilke of Terres & Océan. “Even the fourth quarter brought lots of activity. Nevertheless, you have put this in context, with an artificial swelling of sales due to the law recently introduced on capital gains.” 2012 has set off to a good start, but prudence is still necessary. Estate agents are, in fact, expecting a setback in terms of offerings. More than ever before, bricks and mortar are looked upon as a safe haven. “You can recover cash by selling, OK. But where are you going to invest it ?” asks our specialist. Even so, Hossegor remains a very appealing proposition. As witnessed on a daily basis by the enthusiasm of seniors from outside the region, tele-workers and even heads of families prepared to go back and forth on business trips, using the train station in Dax or Biarritz airport. Of all the spots in the Landes, Hossegor is still the most renowned and the most chic. Turned more towards the urban area of Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz, less than a 30-minute drive away, than towards its prefecture or sub-prefecture, the town thus posts some of the highest prices in the “département”. A building plot of 1,500 m2 with a construction ratio of 0.18 ranges from 400,000 to 450,000 €. Another on the Seignosse golf-course - 700 m2 with building rights for 150 m2 - sold for 340,000 €. The owner of another plot of 3,000 m2, set back from the liveliness of Capbreton, is asking 320,000 €. Location certainly seems to be the most decisive factor. A 2-bedroom apartment of 64 m2 at the heart of Hossegor is worth 387,000 €. Prices over and above 6,000 €/m2 apply in the case of a central location, a top floor, with elevator, and parking facilities. Finally, a villa of 160 m2 in grounds of 2,000 m2 sold for 930,000 €, with virtually no bargaining, after being on the market for only three weeks. Its location between the lake and the ocean no doubt explains the buyer’s on-the-spot decision.

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