If localities lying to the east of the Prefecture of the Var face Toulon, those to the west turn their attention to Marseille and the Bouches-du-Rhône. Whether they face the Mediterranean or stand amidst the luxuriant countryside, they offer a diverse and relatively expensive property market.

Wines exported from the port of Bandol, boasting the AOC label since 1941, contribute to the reputation of this enchanting seaside resort with 8,750 inhabitants, located 17 km from the capital of “département 83” and 54 km from Marseille. With 1,600 boat moorings, Bandol is home to the largest yacht harbour between Hyères and Marseille. Here, the share of holiday homes is as high as the price per square metre and the average age of owners. In fact, 40 % of buyers are at least 60 years old. The casino and train station in the town centre directly serve the tourist industry, the main activity of this destination dear to Aldous Huxley, Thomas Mann, Raimu, Pagnol, Mistinguett and Fernandel. Sanary-sur-Mer, a peaceful and highly-prized commune with 18,000 residents, experienced a boom in its population in the 1980’s and 1990’s. If it does not want to belong to the greater urban community of Toulon, it does accept some form of inter-com-munal cooperation via the SIVU. Languishing around the Bay of Les Lecques, St. Cyr, with 11,560 residents, has three fishing harbours and a sandy beach 2 km long, surrounded by pinewoods and vineyards. From the 18-hole golf-course of Frégate or the coastal path leading to Bandol, the view is really breathtaking. La Cadiere d’Azur, with 5,000 inabitants, offers a rural version of Provençal authenticity. Facing Le Castellet, this fortified village surveys areas allotted to vine-growing and the immense blue sea in the distance.

“Since January 2010, there has definitely been a lot of interest in the area. Numerous visits, and an encouraging number of sales,” says Mathieu Vallier of Mathieu Immobilier Arthur l’Optimist. Seniors in search of the sun and 50 year-olds anticipating retirement, French and north European buyers are setting their sights on the west part of the Var. A sea view is the criterion most commonly mentioned, though La Cadière compensates by offering generous grounds ranging from 2,000 to 5,000 m2. Whatever town you target, the starting price is 3,000 €/m2, 5,000 €/m2 on average and up to 10,000 €/m2 when the property is on the seafront. The price correction has not exceeded 5-10 % and the slowdown, said to be due to the crisis, is more related to the number of transactions than prices themselves. The area is still seen as a sound investment, a first-rate choice for the longer term. In Bandol, a house of 110 m2 with a garden of 500 m2 and a glimpse of the sea starts at 650,000 €. As for detached houses, the majority of transactions revolve around 850,000-900,000 €, bringing living space of 150 m2 in grounds of 800 m2 with a swimming pool, with peaks in excess of one million. Prestige apartments, on offer from 450,000 to 600,000 €, arouse quite a bit of enthusiasm, as do small flats close to the centre, from 180,000 to 250,000 €, without sea view. Over in Sanary, prices are comparable, though the area offers some housing between 300,000 and 350,000 € which the locals can afford. For the same budget, La Cadière promises larger living space, more comfort and character, in residences with extensive wooded parks. “Enjoying excellent amenities, Saint-Cyr still has a rural atmosphere on the outskirts. It is the most popular resort in the heart of people from Marseille, only too happy to benefit from a harbour on a human scale, a 30-minute drive from their base, while people living in Toulon prefer Le Lavandou,” says Stéphane Arnaud of the Agence Arnaud. Over the past 15 years, the balance between main and holiday homes, long in favour of the latter, has reversed. Offerings of apartments are limited, like the number of residences with elevators. 2-bedroom family apartments cost around 250,000-300,000 €, while villas range from 450,000 to 800,000 €, with a few exceptions. More recently, the luxury market, fueled by buyers from Marseille, Lyon, Paris, northern France and a few foreigners, has come into its own in the guise of gated and guarded residences such as La Frégate or the Port d’Alon.

Laurie Warton of Canat & Warton, an agency with a broad portfolio of properties near or turned towards the Mediterranean, takes the demands of national and international clients in her stride. “They are all looking for a particular type of property and have a certain idea of the holiday home, but are not set on any particular postcode. From the moment they express a desire to be close to the sea, we take them to Bandol, Sanary, Six-Fours and Saint-Cyr. Afterwards, their choice of orientation enables us to fine-tune the search. If they prefer the quiet of the back-country, we head for La Cadière, Le Castellet and Le Beausset. Nobody wants to stray too far from Marseille, the Saint-Charles TGV station or the Marignane airport.” Among recent sales, Laurie Warton mentions a house of 140 m2 with a garden of 800 m2 in the town of Bandol, sold at 700,000 €, a villa of 280 m2 on the hills decorated in ultra-contemporary fashion, in grounds of 2,500 m2 overlooking the sea, at 1.4 million euros, and a house of 180 m2 in a garden of 1,500 m2, also enjoying a sea view near Six-Fours, at 1,050,000 €. Further inland, she cites a “bastide” of 220 m2 in a vineyard of about 10 acres with pool and tennis court at Le Castellet, sold for 1.1 million euros, and a property of 250 m2 of ultra-contemporary design with grounds of 5,000 m2 at La Cadière, which changed hands at 1,250,000 €.