Fuveau and La Ciotat : markets under constraint

Radia Amar - 12 September 2023

Offering privileged settings near Aix and Marseille, the property markets of Fuveau and La Ciotat are nevertheless hampered by tougher access conditions for buyers, as everywhere else in France.

Under the joint management of Mickaël and Myriam Tostivint, the Stéphane Plaza Immobilier Sainte-Victoire agency located in Fuveau covers the entire area lying east of Aix-en-Provence.

“We specialize in both sales and rentals. Villas on the periphery of Aix-en-Provence are highly sought after and comprise the main core of demand. In the current context, our market is still lively though marked by longer completion times for sales, and insufficient availabilities. Even so, we are less affected than certain other sectors by the tougher conditions for obtaining mortgages, as most of our clients dispose of significant down payments. Furthermore, we can call on the services of a financing broker who validates each application before an offer to purchase is made.”

Our specialists note that buyers are now more cautious, to such an extent that the market now has pretty much the same characteristics as before the Covid crisis. “We have just acquired a second Stéphane Plaza Immobilier agency at 190 rue Corindon, in Éguilles - west of Aix-en-Provence. This new address will enable us to diversify our offerings in order to respond more efficiently to buyers’ demands.?We will welcome future clients there as from September, 2023.” Ideally located in La Ciotat, facing the Lumière Beach, the Nouvelle Agence de la Plage works within a perimeter stretching as far as Ceyreste and Saint-Cyr, mainly devoting itself to sales under the management of Corinne Cartier.

“The majority of clients coming into our agency are looking for 2-bedroomed apartments in immediate proximity to the sea, though we are also contacted by clients wanting to acquire houses or rental investments.”

Corinne Cartier has noticed that properties at a distance from the shore are selling more slowly. “We are now dealing with a good number of buyers who work in Marseille but choose to live in La Ciotat to benefit from a privileged lifestyle while being a 20-minute drive from their workplace. Prices range from 3,500 € per sq.m in the town centre to 10,000 €, or even 13,000 € per sq.m for seafront properties. At the end of the pandemic, prices posted a sudden rise, attaining up to 25 %. We are now seeing a slight decline, and a significantly lower number of buyers due to tougher lending conditions and rising interest rates. Buyers still capable of taking up a position are thus subject to a reduction in their acquisition budgets, while sellers refuse to lower their prices. The market is therefore getting close to a worrisome situation in which it is blocked. It would be a good thing if the government rapidly undertook measures to stimulate the sector, as all players in real estate are under threat.”