Tarnos and Soustons, two addresses in Les Landes

The first is only 6 km from Bayonne, and thus serves as an important fall-back market for the “BAB” region (Bordeaux-Anglet-Bayonne). The second is 48 km from the capital of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Its location attracts buyers of both main and holiday homes.

In Le Seignanx on the Côte d’Argent, Tarnos can be reached from the RD 810 and RD 817, with Biarritz airport only 15 km away. The fifth largest town in the “département” with close on 11,000 residents, it is the departure-point for 106 km of Landaise beaches. Despite its industrial traditions, 75 % of the 6,670 acres comprising its territory are made up of natural and agricultural zones. Lahonce, Bayonne, Boucau and Anglet lie to the south. Tarnos makes its living from port activities, industry, aeronautics, commerce and the tourist sector. Soustons, home to 7,500 people, also draws members of the working population, from Dax, 26 km away, or the Basque country, a 30-minute drive, as well as those seeking holiday homes. Together with Vieux-Boucau-les-Bains, it shares the port of Albret, north of Seignosse. It has two beaches, one on the lake, the other on the ocean.

“Proximity to Bayonne and much more appealing prices are the main assets offered by Tarnos,” says Stéphane Canovas of Guy Hoquet L’Immobilier Tarnos. Qualities enhanced by a quiet leafy environment and fine sandy beaches. Reassured by the presence of a hypermarket, neighbourhood shops, medical services, sports facilities and schools up to secondary level, retirees and people employed in the BAB show an interest in the site. Many are looking for 3-bedroom houses of 100 m2 with gardens of 700 m2, priced from 230,000 to 280,000 €. However, this type of housing is thin on the ground or frequently over-priced in the agencies’ files. First-time buyers usually aim for 2-bedroom apartments of 60-70 m2 in good condition, in residences with terraces, lifts and garages, ranging from 160,000 to 180,000 €. Overall, there are fewer buyers than in the past, with lower budgets. In order to carry through their plans to sell, owners are obliged to drop their prices. If they don’t get any visits, it’s often because the property is over-valued.

“Soustons lies within the third ring around the BAB,” says Marc Dargelas of Guy Hoquet L’Immobilier Soustons. “The commune itself benefits from an on-site pool of employment, though Bayonne and Dax provide a lot of home-hunters.” The municipality in fact foresees a rise in its population figures, set to grow from 7,500 to 10,000 residents. This estate-agent is participating in the pre-marketing phase of a development with 150 units, comprised of apartments, houses and building land. A plot of 600 m2, allowing for a home of 200 m2, starts at 94,000 €. This price-tag proves to be competitive when one learns that a “pavillon” of 100 m2 with a garden of 500 m2 is worth about 250,000 €. Apartments are in less demand, as people living in Soustons are prepared to drive a certain distance on condition that they can return to a detached home with an outdoor area to enjoy. 1-bedroom apartments range from 100,000 to 110,000 €, 2-bedroom apartments from 130,000 to 140,000 €. Investors are making a comeback, drawn by a particularly buoyant rental market. Over and beyond 250,000 €, activity is currently in the doldrums. Yet the top end of the market could offer high potential. Hossegor and Capbreton are only 15 minutes away. Their occasional residents are sometimes known to set their sights on properties of 180 m2 in grounds of 1,600 m2, on offer at 500,000 € over towards Soustons.