La Teste-de-Buch and the surrounding area

Home to the famous sand dune of Le Pyla and the Ile aux Oiseaux with its typical huts on stilts, La Teste-de-Buch has made an important contribution to the renown of the Bassin d’Arcachon. An address highly-prized for its outstanding environment…

A commune lying south of the Bassin d’Arcachon, between Arcachon and Gujan-Mestras, La Teste-de-Buch (pop. approx. 25,000) is certainly not lacking in persuasive arguments : offering access to the lagoon and the Ile aux Oiseaux to the north, it also plays host to the seaside resort of Pyla-sur-Mer to the west with its famous sand dune on the Atlantic, as well as the nature reserve of Le Banc d’Arguin and many popular beaches. To the south, one also finds the Étang de Cazaux et de Sanguinet, one of the large lakes in Les Landes, while a good part of La Teste’s territory is covered by one of the rare natural forests in Les Landes de Gascogne. An oyster-farming area for over 150 years, La Teste also has three harbours dedicated to this activity, and the so-called “cabanes tchanquées”, wooden huts on stilts used by for oyster-farming which have become one of the symbols of the Bassin.

“La Teste-de-Buch, just like its neighbour, Arcachon, has also benefited from urban restructuring with renovation of the town centre, construction of new housing and development of commercial activities,” explains Nadia Courty, backed by 17 years of experience in local real estate and manageress of ERA Immobilier Nadia Cabanes Tchanquées, an agency opened in the hyper-centre of La Teste in 2014, proposing sales in La Teste and Arcachon (where a second branch has also just opened its doors). “Prices in La Teste are in fact appealing : for example, 1-bedroomed apartments here cost from 150,000 to 200,000 €, whereas in Arcachon they start from around 180,000 €. As for houses, they range from 200,000 € to just under 1 million euros, while in Arcachon they fetch from 300,000 to over 1 million euros.” Shared out between old and new, the market in La Teste is evenly split between year-round and holiday homes, with a good number of rental investors, “unlike that of Arcachon, mainly comprised of second residences with the accent on old properties and prestige villas”. Around the Bassin, Nadia Courty reports steady sales and relative price stability despite some bargaining, “hence the need to set prices that correspond to market reality”.

Manageress of Alpha Conseil Immobilier, an agency opened in La Teste in 1999, specializing in rentals/management and sales of new properties in La Teste, Arcachon and Gujan-Mestras, Emilie Bajan talks about a lively flow of transactions “which, however, take longer than before for old properties. Minor bargaining can be seen, though prices are steady overall, now pegged at around 3,000 € per sq. metre. New homes, on the other hand, have registered a slight up-turn due to the area’s development and rising demand, now attaining a level of about 4,000 € per sqm”. Another trend : “Growing enthusiasm on the part of retirees from other regions, especially Paris and its surrounding region. And this phenomenon is unlikely to run out of steam : the LGV scheduled for 2017 will in fact mean that Bordeaux is only 2 hrs 30 from Paris. Otherwise, we receive enquiries from first-time buyers looking for homes more often in Gujan and Le Teich, where prices are more affordable, and a few foreigners”. Building land is scarce and prices inevitably high : “The price per sq. metre ranges from 150 to 200 € depending on the location, and may rise to 300 € in the most popular areas”.

Manageress of Martine Toulza Immobilier, an agency opened in 1985 handling sales, rentals and property evaluations, Martine Toulza covers the southern part of the Bassin d’Arcachon and the northern part of Les Landes thanks to two branches in Gujan-Mestras and Biganos : “The local market has been very lively, especially since the beginning of this year, with serious and committed buyers, and prices which are stabilizing following a setback of about 10 % over the past two years”. For recent apartments of 40 to 45 m2, one can now expect to pay 120,000-130,000 €, while those of 55 to 70 m2 range from 150,000 to 180,000 €. “Houses of 70 to 90 m2 requiring renovation, with small gardens of 500 to 700 m2, cost from 160,000 to 220,000 €, while recent town houses of about 90 m2 with terraces or small gardens fetch from 220,000 to 250,000 €. As for detached houses, those of 90-120 m2 on estates with gardens of 600 to 1,000 m2 range from 280,000 to 350,000 €, while those offering larger surface areas - 140 to 180 m2 - in highly-prized residential neighbourhoods sell from 400,000 to 650,000 €.” Martine Toulza”s clients include first-time buyers and families with higher budgets, working in the area or in Bordeaux, as well as retirees and pre-retirees, often from the Paris region.