Laurent Garzetti, Agimmo (04 42 45 74 13), Hervé Badet, Laforêt Immobilier (04 42 13 24 40), Nathalie Régis, Agence Nouvelle (04 42 45 03 10).
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The Blue Coast
The area bordering the Estaque district in Marseilles can boast a pristine environment, peacefulness and proximity to the sea and the city. Its surprising landscape embraces deep rocky inlets and pine forests.
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Near the centre of Carry-le-Rouet, this new four-bedroom villa offers spacious rooms.
950.000 €. Laforêt Immobilier (04 42 13 24 40).
Three-bedroom house in the countryside on 1,000 m2 of land.
470.000 €. Agimmo (04 42 45 74 13).
Villa with 156 m2 of living space in Carry-le-Rouet on a 1,615-m2 plot of land with direct access to the sea. 990.000 €. Agence Nouvelle (04 42 45 03 10).
This four-room villa is in the centre of Carry-le-Rouet (plus self-contained one-bed flat). 649.000 €. Laforêt Immobilier (04 42 13 24 40).
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M & A : What are the main villages on the Blue Coast ?
Hervé Badet : Six villages lay in the northern parts of Marseilles’ roadstead. Carry-le-Rouet and Sausset-les-Pins are highly prized villages by the sea. They are more expensive than Ensuès-la-Redonne where only the Calanques area (of deep rocky inlets) in on the coast. Buyers who can’t afford Carry and Sausset head for la Couronne and Carro, two villages growing strongly. While Le Rove isn’t directly on the shores of the Mediterranean, it still attracts people working in Marseilles.
Laurent Garzetti : Each town has more or less direct access to the sea and to the labour pools of Marseilles or Martigues. Cove lovers head for Ensuès and Le Rove, while beach fans opt for Carry, Sausset, La Couronne and Carro. A studio in Carry varies between 140,000 and 160,000 €. A villa with terrace and garden fetches 330,000 to 350,000 €. A smarter villa with 100-120 m2 of living space on 1,000 m2 of land costs 400,000 to 550,000 €, or more depending on quality.
Nathalie Régis : Until this year, we mainly worked on the Blue Coast, an area popular among executives employed around the Berre lake (petrochemical area). Prices have skyrocketed twice in six years and are now becoming unaffordable for small budget buyers and uninteresting for investors. The extension of the business park towards the less expensive areas of Martigues and Marignane is providing new solutions. Villas on the Blue Coast are generally purchased as main homes and apartments for holidays.
How much have prices risen, and to what extent ? What do you foresee ?
N. Régis : From 2000 to 2005, prices increased by up to 150 %, then dropped in 2006. The trend for the future looks set to be one of stability.
H. Badet : Asking prices are high-er than last year but negotiations are more intense than in the past.
Would you say this is currently a buoyant market?
L. Garzetti : As housing remains a necessity, the market is still buoyant. The Blue Coast has great appeal but demand is declining nonetheless. After a period of readjustment, property professionals, especially my colleagues from Service Inter Agences (SIA), are now working in a more rational market. Sea views and locations by the deep rocky inlets have a high impact on prices. A fairly valued villa sells in no time.
N. Régis : Following the slowdown that began early in 2006, supply is exceeding demand. Yet, some owners still tend to overvalue their properties. There are still some buyers at the top end of the market (above 1.5 M €), as well as locals who would rather settle for something small than leave the region. Meanwhile, families wanting a villa now hesitate to pay out the 450,000 € minimum required.
Is there a typical buyer profile for the Blue Coast ?
N. Régis : Workers in their forties or fifties with children and people from Marseilles nearing retirement and willing to leave the city. The former are often transferred workers looking for a villa with a garden and a pool, while the latter prefer spacious apartments near the town centre and the sea.
H. Badet : Buyers are mainly wealthy and French, seduced by the views of the Mediterranean and the quality of life.
What main new developments are under construction ?
L. Garzetti : These areas have managed to preserve their natural environment ; new developments are few and far between.
H. Badet : La Couronne and Car-ro still have some available building land and are accommodating the only new developments on the Blue Coast.
N. Régis : We are selling a complex comprising two- and three-floor apartments ranging from 60 to 104 m2 in La Couronne, within a stone’s throw of the beach. The units come with terraces and small gardens and will be ready at the beginning of 2009. The price tag on them ranges from 286,000 to 437.000 €.
A word about your most recent transactions ?
L. Garzetti : A 3-bedroom villa in good condition on 460 m2 of land with a pool, for 390,000 €. A 4-bed-room Provençal house on 725 m2 of open land, for 405,000 €.
H. Badet : A 70-m2 village house in Sausset for 285,000 €. A one-bedroom villa in the same village, in a recent development close to the sea, for 172,000 €. A 114-m2 villa with a panoramic view over the beautiful briny for 450,000 €.
N. Régis : A 100-m2 apartment in Carry in very good condition, with direct access to the sea, for 390,000 €. A superb 150-m2 villa in Sausset on 831 m2 of land with a beautiful pool for 593,000 €.
Any message for sellers and buyers...
N. Régis : After ten unsuccessful viewings, sellers should definitely revise their price down. As for buyers, times are good : there is a lot to choose from and significant room for negotiation.
Interview by Laetitia Rossi
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