Highly-prized addresses east of Toulon

Mourillon, Serinette, Cap Brun… This is where you’ll find the most sought-after residences and villas in the capital of the Var. Between land and sea, the area just east of Toulon is seen as a sound investment where properties are always in high demand.

Even though urban planning is far from homogeneous in the area east of Toulon, it is here that one finds the highest concentration of desirable neighbourhoods. At the edge of sandy beaches, new luxury residences rub shoulders with lovely Provençal villas. A village within the town, Le Mourillon, a real seaside resort with charming narrow streets, shops and botanical gardens, is well-known beyond the borders of Toulon. In terms of its property market, this luxuriant neighbourhood on the seafront functions as an independent microcosm with a very wide range of prices depending on the type of property and view prop­osed. Large family residences, old fishermen’s houses with colourful facades, new blocks of apartments with irreproachable appointments… A wide choice of homes.

“The popularity of Le Mourillon is very real, we see it on a daily basis,” says Christèle Pinault, managing director of Mourillon Immobilier - Agence de la Poste, based in the neighbourhood for the past 53 years. After an international career, Christèle Pinault took over the agency a few months ago. “The market here is clearly dominated by buyers. They take more and more time, and make more and more visits before taking a decision.” To acquire a town house with a small garden, one would pay on average from 450,000 to 500,000 €. “We are seeing rising demand for apartments with one or two main rooms at around 100,000 €. But in this area, this type of property is virtually non-existent,” adds Christèle Pinault. As for sellers, they continue to value their homes on the upside, especially as a lovely sea view in Le Mourillon can send the price per sq. metre soaring to 8,000 or even 10,000 € in a residence with top-notch appointments. To be compared with the rest of the town, where the average lies between 3,000 and 3,500 € per sq. metre. Clients include executives who have just been transferred from the region between Lyon and Paris, a number of high-ranking military personnel, pre-retirees from Paris looking for their future year-round home, and even foreigners, including a few from Qatar who have recently shown an interest in the area. “These clients are looking more for land on which to build a contemporary villa. Once they have found a plot, we put them in touch with an architect to carry out their project,” explains Christèle Pinault.

For Serinette Immobilier, this year’s sales have been relatively stable despite an “exceptionally quiet” summer, according to agency manager Nathalie Camus. Properties tend to be over-valued, which leads to long periods of negotiation. In her opinion, “the gap between buyers and sellers is getting wider : clients now want to pay 400,000 € for a house on offer at 500,000 €”. The right price has to be determined somewhere in the middle. A few appealing properties are, however, available in the guise of inherited houses up for sale and requiring renovation. Prices may also prove to be more affordable for pretty villas with gardens, built from 1900 to 1960. As for the top end of the market, desirable properties with pools and enchanting views cost close on 900,000 €, attaining 1.5 M € if they also offer direct private access to the sea.