Pyla-sur-Mer and Le Moulleau : safe bets

Seaside resorts of international renown, Pyla-sur-Mer and Le Moulleau offer an appealing village life in the midst of the dunes, beaches and forests at the entrance to the Bassin d’Arcachon. Oceanfront addresses long seen as blue-chip investments…

Closely linked by their geographic proximity, Pyla-sur-Mer and Le Moulleau, neighbourhoods on the communes of La Teste-de-Buch and Arcachon respectively, complement one another : the wild, wooded and sand dune side of Pyla-sur-Mer (home to the famous Dune du Pyla) is in perfect symbiosis with the friendly, festive and commercial spirit of Le Moulleau, which is lively year-round. Smart and residential, these seaside resorts also boast the most beautiful beaches of white sand around the Bassin d’Arcachon, a real little inland sea allowing for quality sailing within the reach of all boating fans.

Properties here inevitably post high prices. “In the case of apartments, with very limited offerings, the price per sq. metre is close on 6,500 €, ie. about 300,000 € for a 2 bedroomed apartment near the beach, or 450,000 € with a sea view,” explains Marina Tonneau, manageress of Coldwell Banker Silver Coast Int. Realty, an agency belonging to the Coldwell Banker network - worldwide leader for prestige real estate -, based at the heart of Le Moulleau and proposing a full array of premium property services (legal, administrative, technical and personal assistance, multi-cultural and multilingual team…). “As for houses, a market with more choice, their prices depend on their closeness to the beach and shops : large villas on the front row cost from over 3 million euros, while small houses in Le Moulleau range from 600,000 to 900,000 €. Larger examples, from 150 to 200 m2 in at least 1,000 m2 of grounds, fetch over 1 million euros. Particularly active on the renovation scene, the market is confronted by strong demand. Prices thus remain high and stable.” For this area, the agency’s clients, mainly foreign and non-resident French, consist of families in search of holiday homes and retirees coming to the region to acquire a residence large enough to welcome their families.

Moulleau Immobilier, a neighbourhood FNAIM agency, also based in Le Moulleau and specializing in sales and more recently rentals of prestige properties near the sea in Le Moulleau, Pyla-sur-Mer or Pereire, is receiving enquiries from a new clientele : “Seniors, especially from the region around Paris, now prefer to be further away from the coast to obtain a quieter setting. Further back, the choice is also wider and the prices of some properties are negotiable,” says director and manageress, Julie Lemoine. Nevertheless, closeness to the beach remains the N°1 criterion : “We have just sold, for example, a house corresponding precisely to this demand, priced at 1.3 M €, in hardly less than a week”. Other recent sales include : a villa of 150 m2 in need of a revamp, priced at 900,000 € ; and, in a high-end residence right at the water’s edge, a 2-bedroomed split-level apartment with a terrace of over 100 m2, at 2 M €, a 1-bedroomed apartment of 65 m2 at 850,000 €, and a studio of 20 m2 at 250,000 €. “For those hoping to build a home, building plots are rare. They therefore have to fall back on houses to be demolished to liberate the land : an old house set in grounds of 800 m2, for instance, is currently on offer to this effect at 500,000 €.”

”Le Pyla is in high demand from Parisian, English and Swiss buyers, as long as the properties offer quality appointments and, preferably, a view of the sea or proximity to the beach,” comment Pylat natives Sophy and Christophe Vaissié of the Barnes International agency, spec­ializing in sales and rentals of top-notch properties. “For villas with sea views, the price per sq. metre ranges here from 6,500 to 8,500 €. Among this month’s sales : a villa of 250 m2 with sea view in the neighbourhood of La Chapelle Forestière, priced at 1,860,000 €, a villa of 180 m2 in need of renovation, with sea view, in Super Pyla, at 1,250,000 €, and a recent villa of 200 m2 designed by an architect in the Ermitage neighbourhood, at 1,855,000 €.” As for seafront villas, they change hands at prices starting from 15,000 € per sq. metre. “A little pearl on the Bassin d’Arcachon, Le Moulleau wins the vote, all generations combined, for its village life and the possibility of doing everything on foot. Prices here are higher than in Le Pyla, with the few properties available soon finding takers.” The agency’s most recent sales in this area : two Basque villas priced between 7,000 and 8,000 € per sq., and a contemporary villa of 300 m2 at 2.4 M €. “Pyla and Le Moulleau are micro-markets where long-term family investments are secure” add Sophy and Christophe Vaissié. “Discerning investors, both French and foreign, are not mistaken : they don’t hesitate to pay substantial prices, without batting an eyelid. The economic slowdown has not affected this highly privileged sector, which is a real-estate niche due to demand always outstripping supply for villas with sea views or near the beach. The quality living conditions offered by these two idyllic addresses and fast train connections to Bordeaux and Paris, soon to be enhanced thanks to the future LGV - the Arcachon/Paris trip will be only 2 hrs 30 -, ensure both a steady market

and stable prices.”