Moliets-et-Maâ, a seaside resort typical of Les Landes
By Laetitia Rossi - 10 June 2011
Situated on the Côte d’Argent, between forests and the ocean, Moliets-et-Maâ is halfway between Mimizan and Bayonne. Built along the “départementale 652”, the commune has 820 residents in winter and over 28,000 in summer, drawn by the immense sandy beach, wind-surfing and countless hiking paths.
These sign-posted paths wind their way through the pines, some crossing the 1,526 acres of the nature reserve of Le Courant d’Huchet. Partly integrated into the Natura 2000 network, the coastal river linking Moliets, Vielle-Saint-Girons and Léon offers remarkable flora and fauna. Walkers and fishermen are really in their element around the water, while golfers appreciate the 18- and 9-hole courses covering about 207 acres of land, designed by American architect Robert Trent Jones. The site also offers tennis courts, highly popular in the summer season. “80 % of sales consist of holiday homes. Clients are predominantly French, from Paris, Bordeaux and Toulouse. The existence of two golf-courses well-known at European level often explains why they opt for this address,” says Maurice Wagnon of the Agence Alis. A distinction should be drawn between the village, 2.5 km from the ocean, and the seaside resort, lively from April to October. In the case of apartments, budgets range from 100,000-110,000 € - the amount required for a simple 1-bedroom apartment - to 180,000 € - bringing an apartment with 2/3 bedrooms facing the greens. The shoreline has been preserved from all construction, so none of the residences benefit from views of the deep blue sea. A 3-bedroom house of 100 m2 with a garden of 800 m2 and a pool costs around 300,000 € towards Moliets-bourg. Also in the village, intimate little developments are beginning to appear. One would pay 152,000 € for a new unit of 47 m2, an example which is unfortunately virtually non-existant in immediate proximity to the beach. Prices rise the closer one gets to the Atlantic. Maurice Wagnon notes a clear pick-up in activity, possibly a recovery, backed by stability in prices.
Christophe Bouilleveaux of Bastide Immo Moliets has noticed a growing number of senior citizens, often from Paris, wanting to benefit from a rural setting and a relatively mild climate. Still very active, these young retirees usually keep a pied-à-terre in their home town, making frequent round trips to the coast. They invest from 400,000 to 500,000 € in a villa with five bedrooms and as many bathrooms, set in a garden of 800-1,200 m2, some 500 metres from the golf-course and 800 metres from the beach. The locals are hard put to afford these prices. Buying a plot of land on which to build a home meeting their needs proves to be a good alternative. A building plot of 700-800 m2 costs 100,000 €, to which one must add a further 150,000 €, excluding a pool and exteriors. Nowadays, builders of timberframe houses propose turnkey homes of 100 m2 for about 200,000 €. Whether driven by the proximity of the coast or the appealing prices, the parties concerned work in Dax, Souston or Bayonne, three localities less than a 45-minute drive away. The choice of Moliets is also explained by the promise of the property’s appreciation over time. Of the last five sales, four were paid for in cash (between 400,000 and 500,000 €), three purchasers were retirees from outside the region, the fourth was acquiring a holiday home and the last a rental investment. An attractive and comfortable villa can be rented out for up to 4,000 € per week in July and August.