Hossegor : a luxuriant “cité-parc”

This seaside resort so popular among surfers is surrounded by the forests of Les Landes, on the shores of the Atlantic Ocean. The best-known locality in the “département”, it attracts an ever-growing number of occasional residents to its coastal area, while the locals tend to prefer the town itself.

Every year in September, this town of 3,600 inhabitants, bordering Capbreton and Seignosse, hosts an event in the surfing championships : at Easter, fans of clothing designed for the sport, totalling some 100,000 each season, turn up for the annual sales. Hossegor is also home to the headquarters of Rip Curl, Billabong, the trendy Pull-in brand of underwear and the French Surfing Federation. In the “Enduro” event held in January, 300 bikers demonstrate their skills on the sand, while golfers meet up for the “Grand Prix des Landes” in the month of August. Finally, oyster-lovers head for restaurants around the marine lake with its oyster-farming facilities.

“Since 2008, there has been a real slowdown in activity,” says Serge Pilke of Terres & Océan. “During the crisis, the drop in prices was particularly sharp in inland areas, sometimes attaining 20-25 %. In Hossegor, the situation was different : the only properties that suffered were either overvalued, subject to some kind of nuisance or in need of complete restoration. In fact, properties of real quality were not affected at all.” If there is still a certain amount of hesitation, mainly due to the level of sellers’ demands, the market is now doing better. 60 to 65 % of the clientele are looking for holiday homes, and most intend to live here year-round once they reach retirement age. People from Toulouse, Bordeaux, Paris as well as German, Spanish and British clients are very fond of the destination. Our estate agent cites the recent sale of a terraced house of 85 m2 between the lake and the sea, acquired by a group of English clients for vacations for 420,000 € - a reasonable price for the area -, and a renovated villa of 220 m2 in good condition and close to the beach, acquired by German clients for 1.2 million euros. Some buyers, in search of contemporary accommodation both comfortable and functional, are prepared to move a little further out. One family has just paid 850,000 € for a house of 192 m2 with a garden of 700 m2 over towards Capbreton, a 10-minute walk from the centre of Hossegor. Senior citizens, people working in the “BAB” (urban area of Bayonne-Anglet-Biarritz) and executives employed in large French cities, willing to make business trips back and forth, are looking for main residences - living space of 200 m2 in good condition, in grounds rarely less than 1,500 m2 thanks to town-planning regulations - with budgets generally between 650,000 and 900,000 €. It should, however, be noted that properties meeting these criteria, located between the lake and sea, at the heart of the resort or near the golf-course, range more from 800,000 € to one million euros, and beyond.

“Over the past six months, activity has intensified, almost catching up with the volume of business observed before the crunch. Even the high end of the market is making a comeback,” says Michel Moser of the Moser Immobilier FNAIM agency. With a few exceptions, buyers often know exactly where they want to be. For equivalent properties, Capbreton posts prices 15-20 % lower, Seignosse 20-25 %, than Hossegor. Besides the traditional upper-crust reputation enjoyed by this lovely address in the Landes, it boasts a luxuriant and well-preserved environment, less dense and more horizontal housing. In this respect, planning constraints are very clear : 1,500 m2 is the minimum surface area required in order to obtain a building permit, and for every felled tree, three must be planted. Hossegor’s “cité-parc” nickname is certainly not a myth. Building land ranges from 300 to 400 €/m2 with spikes of 600-800 €/m2 in the most desirable neighbourhoods. In 2009, one couple demolished a house of 120 m2 that they had just acquired for 750,000 €, to build a home of 250 m2 in grounds of 1,700 m2. A panoramic view of the lake largely replaces one of the ocean, which is very hard to find unless one opts for the Plage Centrale, especially as the lake is more sheltered from the vagaries of the climate.

“It’s hard to talk about Hossegor without drawing a distinction between the village of Soorts and the seaside resort,” adds Thomas Cornet. Though rubbing shoulders, these two worlds display prices and arguments that are diametrically opposed. The inland area attracts a majority of year-round residents, prepared to pay from 300,000 to 450,000 € for houses of 120-140 m2 with gardens of 800-1,000 m2. The starting price for the same type of property in immediate proximity to the ocean or in the area between the lake and sea is 600,000 €. The manager of Hossegor Immobilier notes a rising number of clients willing to spend around 1 million euros in a holiday home. Curiously, the stock of properties available in this bracket seems to be witnessing reconstitution - or rather, constitution : in fact, over the past eight years, perfectly-appointed prestige properties have made their appearance on the market. Referring to his three most recent transactions, Thomas Cornet describes a villa of 160 m2 set in grounds of 2,400 m2 between the lake and sea, sold for 1,040,000 € ; an apartment of 70 m2 in a central residence sold for 280,000 € ; and finally, a property of 125 m2 in satisfactory condition with a garden of 700 m2 in the village, for 330,000 €.