Lège-Cap Ferret : strong personal ties

Sandwiched between the Atlantic Ocean and the Bassin d’Arcachon, the Cap Ferret peninsula is highly-prized by holiday makers. Its market for second residences mainly concerns the coastal areas, with year-round homes found further inland.

“The N°1 priority for our buyers is a property’s location,” says Céline Leblanc, manageress of the Agence de l’Estérel. “Its condition and appointments are, of course, important, but what often takes precedence is closeness to the Bassin. Not only there, however. Clients often return to spots in which they spent their holidays when they were young : they want their children to enjoy the same experience. Our agency offers a wide choice of properties ranging from studios to front-row villas worth several million euros, enabling us to meet most of our clients’ requirements.” The agency is currently proposing a 1930’s house of 110 m2 with lots of character, giving directly onto the Bassin d’Arcachon. Offering a garden and a terrace with direct access to the beach, it is priced at 1,050,000 €. “People who acquire houses at the entrance to the cape usually spend more time in their holiday homes than those who opt for La Pointe (the tip of the cape),” adds Céline Leblanc. “Many of them, from Bordeaux, buy at the entrance to the peninsula, in Claouey, Les Jacquets, Piquey or Piraillan-Le Canon. They enjoy the atmosphere offered by the Bassin while benefiting from faster access to their homes, which encourages them to come more often, on weekends for example. The closer one gets to the tip of the cape, owners are above all seeking proximity to the Bassin and the ocean, that they can reach on foot or by bike in just a few minutes.” At the heart of Cap Ferret, the Agence de l’Esterel is currently handling the sale of a contemporary villa of 198 m2 set in grounds of 990 m2 with a pool and jacuzzi, priced at 2,205,000 €.

Brigitte Baillet runs the local branch of the Agence Grisel, an institution in the Gironde since 1945. She believes that the agency's reputation, combined with client confidence and a high-end stance, plays an important part on the confidential market of Cap Ferret : “We mainly deal with prestige properties, though we also sell homes starting from 600,000 € and rising to several million euros on the shores of the Bassin. In this kind of market, it is important to win the client’s confidence. Especially as these acquisitions are often family projects for our buyers : they want the property to be a place where the whole family can get together. Each sale is determined by the buyer’s past history with the site, so the properties you propose have to be very well targetted”. The agency recently sold a 5-bedroomed villa in need of renovation on the Bassin side, with a garden of 1,167 m2, at under 1.6 M €. “On Cap Ferret, you can find all kinds of houses. Our buyers often have the means to renovate or restructure the properties they acquire, in which case they are more concerned by the location than the house itself. Though it’s true that houses built of wood in “cabanon” style are highly sought-after,” adds Brigitte Baillet. She currently has a property of this kind for sale : a wooden villa in “cabanon” style, with a garden of 900 m2. On offer at 1,050,000 €, it is comprised of 4 bedrooms, a living-room with an open-plan kitchen and covered terrace, plus a “cabanon” for guests. “The market here is all about memories and the heart. All our acquisitions have a link with our clients’ personal backgrounds. It is thus rare to come across rental investors in the area.”

Lège-Cap Ferret does not, however, solely consist of the peninsula. Further inland, one finds Lège-Bourg. The clientele here differs from that of Le Piquey or Le Four. Valérie Faure, manageress of the Agence Pallester based in Andernos-les-Bains, explains that the main difference as compared with the cape is that here one finds year-round homes : “The local clientele is mainly comprised of families, though there are also retirees who settle in Lège-Bourg. There are few first-time buyers as prices are high : from 2,800 to 3,100 € per sq. metre on average. The majority of our buyers are in the upper socio-professional bracket, looking for houses rather than apartments. And as properties here are rather old, that usually means Basque or Arcachonnaise houses, sometimes with refurbishment on the cards. New properties nevertheless have their fans”. She offers the example of a new town house in the very centre of Lège-Cap Ferret. Offering living space of 98.36 m2, a garden, parking space and a garage, it is close to shops and schools, and bears a price-tag of 269,000 €. While the property market in Lège-Bourg is clearly different from that of Cap Ferret, it is similar to that of another town not too far away. According to Valérie Faure : “In Andernos-les-Bains, we also have lots of year-round homes. Closeness to the dual carriageway and easy access to Mérignac make the area rather attractive. There are also lots of retirees who come from many different horizons. They like the natural environment, the biking path, and the town centre with its shops. Our clientele also includes people in their forties, looking for classier houses which will become family assets”. Primarily, however, Andernos-les-Bains remains a holiday address. The agency is currently proposing a house in Arcachonnais style, facing the Bassin, and priced at 510,000 €. It offers living space of 110 m2 and a wooden ter­race in a leafy setting, for making the most of summer evenings.

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