The centre and west side of Toulon
Radia Amar - 29 February 2016
On the Mediterranean coast, between Saint-Tropez et Marseille, almost 167,000 residents live in this, the sunniest town in France. Focusing on tourism, commerce and administrative services, Toulon’s economy is also founded on its large military port. To the west, Ollioules and Sanary provide additional housing possibilities.
Lively and multi-facetted, Toulon is an urban address with a variety of architectural styles. Ending to the east in the Giens peninsula and to the west in that of Saint-Mandrier, the waterfront is considered to be one of the loveliest in Europe. Residential areas surround the centre along the seafront, while the heart of town is visibly split into two distinct parts above and below the Boulevard de Strasbourg. “The lower town offers more affordable prices,” explains Jeanine Ducou of the Immo de France agency. “A good number of investors, now returning to the market, look here for small properties bringing a satisfactory return when rented out to one of the 15,000 students attending the university. 1-bedroomed apartments are on offer from 80,000 €. The upper town, comprising in particular the main roads around Place de la Liberté, consists of fine Haussmann buildings with large bourgeois apartments which have retained their noble old features : parquet floors, fireplaces, moulded ceilings… They find favour with numerous local buyers who pay from 150,000 € for 2-bedroomed apartments. Demand for houses is still steady in the 400,000-450,000 € bracket. Locals always set their sights on stable, promising markets : Mourillon and Cap Brun on the coast, for both houses and high-end apartments in quiet gated residences, the most recent priced around 3,000 € per sq. metre.”
Specializing in areas west of Toulon and the neighbouring communes of Ollioules, Sanary-sur-Mer and Six-Fours-Les-Plages, Christel Weber of the Weber Immobilier agency proposes a wide array of properties. “This area is evenly shared out between the countryside, urban and seaside settings,” explains our expert, whose clientele consists of local families looking for year-round homes as well as buyers from the Parisian region, Belgium, Switzerland and the UK, in search of a pleasant holiday home near the beaches. “Retirees are especially keen on Sanary for its quality living conditions and the numerous activities they can pursue year round. Here, prices of houses to renovate, on an estate, start from 320,000 €, while high-end villas with top-notch appointments can attain 2 million euros. Active families wanting to live on the outskirts of Toulon set their sights on Ollioules, which posts lower prices due to its distance from the coast. It does, however, benefit from two entrances to the motorway, a factor appreciated by working people. Another strong point, as far as families are concerned, is that Ollioules plays host to the Externat Saint-Joseph in La Cordeille : a private school with a reputation for excellence.” Houses here range from 250,000 to 1,200,000 € depending on the neighbourhood. Availabilities are, however, limited as the market is getting a shot in the arm from the Seaty university campus and the Technopôle de la Mer, welcoming 1,500 new highly-qualified employees.” Implementation of the PLU allowing for further urban development is thus awaited more impatiently than ever by all the players on the local property scene.