With respectively 43,800, 44,700 and 47,000 residents, these districts, more or less well-catered for in terms of transport, enjoy a strategic position within the Phocean city. The proximity of amenities, access roads, infrastructures, sporting and cultural facilities determine the ratings of the various neighbourhoods.

Crossed by tramlines 1 and 2, the 6th “arrondissement” is home to Lodi, Vauban, the Palais de Justice, the Prefecture, Place Castellane and Notre-Dame du Mont, a church where the ilustrious Chopin once played. Of the three districts covered here, it is probably the one that enjoys the most fall-out from the highly-prized 7th and 8th “arrondissements”. The 5th accommodates Rocade du Jarret, the cause of lots of traffic, and the hospital of La Timone, a huge supplier of employees needing to be housed. In addition to its Museums of Natural History and the Fine Arts, the 4th can lay claim to the Plateau Longchamp, an open area enhanced by a plant garden and the zoo... Attractions that contribute to the success of the Cinq Avenues, a vital crossroads at the entrance to the town centre. Finally in this area, La Blancarde plays host to the city’s second multi-modal station.

“Fans of the 6th “arrondissement”, an ultra-urban universe, give priority to convenience in terms of shops and services and the nearby heart of the city, even if they have to take out a parking subscription in this area,” says Alain Lieutaud of the agency of the same name. The less fortunate do without an elevator, even when living on high floors, while the better-off opt for elegant bourgeois buildings from the first half of the 20th century on Rues Saint-Jacques, Sylvabelle, Breteuil and Paradis. Prices range from 1,800 to 3,000 €/m2, the amount required to benefit from spacious rooms or high ceilings. The area is home to 80 % of inhabitants born and bred in Marseille and 20 % of employees transferred to the city, mostly families looking for convenience. Most want 2-bedroomed apartments of 85 m2 costing around 250,000 €. Residents point to the neighbourhood’s quality of life, probably explaining prices 15 % higher on average compared to those in the 5th and 4th districts.

“If shopkeepers in the 5th suffered when the tram was being built, they are delighted with the 2-minute ride that now takes them to the heart of town. Three main roads, Chave, Baille and Jarret, two of them noisy, run through the neighbourhood. The street market, bars and restaurants make for a pleasant liveliness in the plain,” says Stéphanie Bourelly of Era Chave. Just 5 minutes from the motorway and Saint-Charles train station, the site offers quiet streets and handsome old buildings with generous living space. First-time buyers share the market for 1- and 2-bedroomed apartments priced from 1,900 to 2,800 €/m2. Investors focussing on studios below the 100,000 € mark have contributed to the good level of transactions achieved despite the crisis. Accounting for up to 30 % of acquisitions, they can expect a return of around 5-6.5 %, largely supplied by the Faculty of Medicine. 60 % of residents live in rented accommodation. And they usually remain loyal to the area when they are able to buy their own property.

“Except on the Cinq Avenues and at Sébastopol, costing 2,500 €/m2 just like Boulevard Chave, the 4th “arrondissement”, occasionally deprived of shops and public transport, is characterized by aging buildings, often needing to be freshened up and priced at around 2,000-2,100 €/m2. These apartments are struggling to find buyers because, even though it’s a compromise, it makes more sense to choose the 3rd “arrondissement” at 1,700 €/m2. The most sought-after type of accommodation is the 2-bedroomed apartment of 60 m2 costing 130,000-150,000 €. Yet two other categories are holding up well,” comments Guy Saragossa of Connexion Immobilier. Houses with gardens at Chute-Lavie, priced from 280,000 to 350,000 €, indeed have their fans, though for properties in higher price brackets, buyers prefer the 12th “arrondissement”. Secondly, rented properties bring in a yield of 7-9 %. An apartment of 100,000 € provides living space of 40 m2 and can easily be rented for 550 € per month. Fans of houses, representing 20 % of buyers, share the cake with 33 % of investors. The decline in the number of transactions, which began in the 6th, 5th and 4th “arrondissements” in the autumn of 2008, has not, however, led to a dramatic drop in prices.