The area west of Toulouse, a market seeing an up-turn

Go-ahead activity seems to be the common denominator for localities in the area west of Toulouse, targetted by employees in the aeronautical industry. The choice of Tournefeuille, Pibrac or La Salvetat Saint-Gilles then becomes a matter of taste between urban or rural zones.

Crossed by the River Touch and accessed via the Arc en Ciel and Fil d’Ariane ring-roads, Tournefeuille accommod­ates 30,000 people around its 18th-century church and Louis XIII château. It shares the leisure zone of La Ramée with Toulouse. Founded in 1994, L’Usine marks the junction between art and an area offering public facilities including the Utopia cinema and a multi-purpose concert hall with 3,500 seats. Since 2006, the commune has held a “Festival Marionnettissimo”. Pribrac, very close to Toulouse on the Matabiau-Auch railway line, owes its reputation to its red-brick château and religious monuments, the Sainte-Germaine basilica and Church of Sainte-Marie-Madeleine. On the RN124, this commune with close on 8,100 residents has a young and active population, lots of clubs and associations. Its ancient architectural heritage and the natural spaces which surround it are much appreciated. In all, there are a score of convenience shops, a shopping mall and a medium-sized supermarket. Not forgetting healthcare practitioners, a retirement home, cultural centre and schools up to intermediate level. The forest of Bouconne hosts a leisure centre. La Salvetat Saint-Gilles with 7,050 residents lies 16 km south-west of Toulouse. A decree passed in 2007 listed its château as an historic monument. Surrounded by Plaisance-du-Touch, Léguevin and Fonsorbes, it is crossed by the river L’Aussonnelle and the stream of La Goutille.

“Executives in the aeronautical industry are drawn by Tournefeuille, an address where 70 % of the homes are owned rather than rented,” says Henri Sarrans of Guy Hoqu­et L’Immobilier. “There are lots of green zones and apartment blocks are only four floors high. It is on three bus routes, and it’s easy to reach the ring-road by car.” Everyone appreciates the cultural and social life, the Sunday market and biking paths. Tournefeuille benefits from a prof­essional (and soon a general) secondary school. Its property market has seen an up-turn since the beginning of January, fuelled by the arrival of employees transferred to the area. Recent sales orchestrated by the agency mostly range from 350,000 to 450,000 €, bringing a home of 120-140 m2 with a garden of 600-700 m2. The top end of the market starts at 550,000 €. The clientele here is much the same as that for Pibrac. With the difference that the latter is more rural and undulating, a layout for which Tournefeuille compensates by its proximity to the Rose City.

“Fans of Pibrac are often firmly set on their choice,” says Arnaud Antraygues of Une Autre Agence. “The site attracts a real colony of foreigners, English and Germans, drawn by the International School. Senior executives in the aeronautical industry, they give to priority to convenience and the quality of infrastructures provided for fam­ilies, such as schools and the TER train service, enabling secondary students to reach Colomiers easily.” Recently, a villa of 190 m2 in grounds of 1,000 m2 found a taker at 450,000 €. Most buyers, targetting the 350,000 to 500,000 € bracket, require four bedrooms and top-quality appointments. While mortgage rates are low, conditions for obtaining them turn out to be drastic. First-time buyers also find what they are looking for in the area west of Toulouse. As demonstrated by a development of 18 houses of 80 m2, semi-detached via garages, with priv­ately owned gardens of 250-300 m2, priced from 190,000 to 210,000 €, between La Salvetat, Plaisance and Tournefeuille. The switch to the RT 2012, which will mean a rise in construction costs of 10-15 %, should have an effect on the market for houses. Taxation also weighs heavily on investments. Many buyers waiting for the tax on capital gains are thus postponing their acquisitions.

“La Salvetat is close to Blagnac, Colomiers and Saint-Martin-du-Touch, in other words, job pools provided by Airbus and its subcontractors,” add Maïté Snoriguzzi and Sébastien Hoybel of Logisud Immobilier. “Buyers can then opt for a densely built-up area like Colomiers or a country setting such as that of L’Isle-Jourdain.” At least one of the two members of a couple tends to work in the aeronautical sector ; the other may well work in either Toulouse or Le Gers. Demand mainy concerns detached “pavillons” priced from 230,000 to 600,000 €, with a high concentration on the 200,000 to 350,000 € bracket. Among their recent transactions, our estate-agents mention a 3-bedroomed terraced house of 85 m2 prolonged by a garden of 200 m2, which sold for 230,000 €, and a villa of 180 m2 less than five years old with a garden of 1,200 m2 and a pool, at 430,000 €. A flat serviced building plot of 800 m2 in an outlying area near La Salvetat changed hands for 140,000 €, whereas building land can attain 250 €/m2 over towards Colomiers. Extremely prudent, potential buyers make lots of visits and compare. They need to have their confidence bolstered, something which only professional agents are capable of achieving. Service and assistance make

all the difference.