The strip of coast west of the Phocean city, between the capital of the Bouches-du-Rhône and the Étang de Berre, is made up of communes such as Le Rove, Ensuès-la-Redonne, Carry-le-Rouet, Sausset-les-Pins, La Couronne and Carro. The beaches and little harbours nestling at the foot of the limestone creeks offer very beautiful scenery.

The “Côte Bleue” starts just after a part of Marseilles called L’Estaque. In fact, the mountain chain is known indifferently as the Massif de L’Estaque or Massif de La Nerthe. Reaching the sea is difficult on foot, and it is precisely this wild and rugged configuration that makes for the charm of the site. The blue of the sea, the white of the rocks and the green of the Aleppo pines, oaks and olive-trees compose a harmonious picture, a coastline 25 km long in all, including 10 km, ie. 7,500 acres, acquired and protected by the “Conservatoire du Littoral”. Most of the land is in fact classified as non-constructible woodland. The Marseille-Miramas railway line offers magnificent views... Of the “calanques” (or sheer creeks) from Niolon to Ensuès, the seaside resort of Carry, dear to Fernandel, the yacht marina of Sausset, the sandy beach of La Couronne and the ravishing fishing port of Carro.

“70 % of buyers are looking for year-round homes, work in Marseille or Aix, enjoy the peacefulness and maritime setting, just 20 minutes from the Prefecture of “département 13”, the home of Paul Cezanne, the TGV station at Vitrolles (Aix) and the Marignane airport,” explains Céline Siano of Carry Immobilier. They spend from 300,000 to 500,000 € for houses with 2 or 3 bedrooms in gardens of 500-600 m2, to renovate if they are around 300,000 €, in good condition when they reach 500,000 €. Rather rare, seafront properties start at 800,000 € though most are close on 1 million. Holiday residents from the region around Paris and northern Europe are looking for attractive 1-bedroom apartments with terraces and garages, facing the Med, in the 200,000-300,000 € price range, or villas in anticipation of retirement. The market remains active : demand outstrips supply, and this shortage of properties proves to be the main problem of the “Côte Bleue”.

In today’s tense economic situation, Ariel Marais of Immo Bellevue and Eric Houget of the Notre Dame agency in Versailles give priority to paying close attention to individual needs, proximity services and synergy between real-estate firms. If these two agences work together, it’s because Parisians are very fond of the destination, well-served by the TGV and airport. As they’re fond of saying : “You can get up in the morning in the French capital and lunch on the Côte Bleue”. Everyone appreciates this quiet and authentic world, the smooth flow of traffic and the lack of ostentatious luxury. The only fly in the ointment is the lack of good-quality homes and realistic value for money. Today, buyers are familiar with the market and won’t sign on the dotted line easily. Yet many owners still tend to overprice their properties. As evidenced by some which have been in the files for three or four years. Convenient and lively, Sausset and Carry win all the votes, thanks to their typical Provençal decor, harbours, shops and schools, both junior and intermediate. Fans of the “calanques”, forming a minority, choose La Redonne. Homes on the seafront are scarce and very expensive. The least “pavillon” of 100 m2 (two bedrooms) with a garden of 470 m2 costs from 800,000 €. Large surface areas range from 1 to 1.5 million euros. 1-bedroom apartments of 30 m2 in the Marines de Sausset, opening out to the Mediterranean or small private gardens, with price-tags from 130,000 to 150.000 €, also have their fans : 80 % are acquired by holiday residents, 20 % by first-time buyers. Whilst the financial crisis has had little effect on houses in the 300,000-500,000 € bracket, it has led to a clear downward revision of prices for small apartments.

“More interested in long-term appreciation than immediate returns, investors look for studios near the beaches or town centres. They spend 100,000 to 200,000 € for these pieds-à-terre which they then exploit as holiday rentals,” says Nicolas Desprat of Projet Immobilier. The locals are very fond of the region. Older people seeking convenience sell a house for 500,000 €, for example, then spend 300,000 € on a 2-bedroom apartment in Carry or Sausset. Quite often also, managers in their forties and fifties transferred to work at L’Etang de Berre (an important job-provider in the region), literally fall under the spell of this coastal strip. According to Nicolas Desprat, the term “slowdown” is more accurate than “crisis” for 2009. On the strength of first-quarter results, 2010 promises to be better.