The region south-west of Toulouse

For several decades, the region south-west of Toulouse has been chalking up constant population growth. This is true in the case of medium-sized towns located right at the exit of the city, such as Tournefeuille, others under 25 km away, such as Muret, localities with less than 10,000 people at the gateway to the “Pink City”, such as as Léguevin and Saint-Lys, and communes further out, such as Cazères.

Only 2 km south-west of the capital of Haute-Garonne and crossed by the river Le Touch, Tournefeuille with its 25,700 inhabitants has seen uninterrupted growth since the 1960’s. Together with its sprawling neighbour, it shares the leisure zone of La Ramée, known for its golf-course, lakes and cycling paths. It has a cinema and a concert hall with 3,500 seats. Nearby, along the RN 124 and on the borderline with Gascony, Léguevin, home to 6,500 residents, is edged to the north by the famous forest of Bouconne. The Colomiers expressway provides quick access to the airport in Blagnac, while the mediatheque, music school, crèches, intermediate school, swimming pool, gymnasium, sports fields, theatre and neighbourhood services cater for family life. 25 km from the Place du Capitole, Saint-Lys, the ancient “bastide” of Le Savès with 9,000 inhabitants, lies 14 km from Muret, which stands on the Garonne. The sub-prefecture of the region, Muret was inhabited as early as the neolithic age : today, it is linked to the City of Violets by bus services and SNCF commuter trains. Its agricultural zones have almost entirely disappeared, making way for residential areas and a few industrial plants, including Lacroix, the Pierre Fabre laboratory and Les Editions Hubert. Public services are also well represented : the 3rd Ordnance Regiment rubs shoulders with the offices of the DDE, the railway station, gendarmerie, tax offices and Post Office, together with the Clinique Polyvalente and retirement home. Thanks to a number of associations, culture and sport are not forgotten. Cazères with 4,700 residents is a 45-minute drive from Toulouse. The bridge over the Garonne, the Church of Notre-Dame and the riverbanks, which offer an unimpeded view of the reservoir dam, are among the town’s main tourist attractions.

“The market is relatively quiet due to the shortage of available properties. Those correctly estimated now sell without delay,” says Christian Castera of Immo-Logis, an agency with offices in Tournefeuille, Léguevin and Saint-Lys. Over in Tournefeuille, on the first ring, a house of 230 m2 built of quality materials, in grounds of 1,500 m2, is worth 680,000 €. Most transactions here lie between 300,000 and 500,000 €. Keen to get closer to urban amenities, first-time buyers, retirees and investors set their sights on apartments. A large example with 3 or 4 main rooms costs 220,000 €. Generous surface areas, also in apartment buildings, may rise to 300,000 € in the centre. In the second ring, Léguevin offers “pavillons” with 3 or 4 bedrooms in gardens of 500-1,000 m2, ranging from 250,000 to 350,000 € : they are popular among self-employed professionals, members of the medical staff at the Cancéropôle and engineers working for Airbus or ADS. Comparable houses in Saint-Lys, 30-40 minutes from Le Capitole as compared to the 20-30 minutes from Léguevin, range from 200,000 to 300,000 €. On the resale market, proximity to Toulouse guarantees a sale concluded more quickly than the average recorded in the south-west. Based in Muret, Roland Pince of Pince Immobilier regrets the current reticence for old buildings despite interest rates at their lowest ebb, which he partly attributes to “an imbalance caused by the massive influx of new developments, a sector largely assisted by tax incentives”. In the sub-prefecture, a basic house of 85 m2, opening out to a garden of 700-800 m2, costs around 200,000 €, while middle-class residences of 170-250 m2 with grounds of 1,200-3,000 m2, often enhanced by a pool, are offered at around 600,000 €. Most buyers here target individual housing for their main residences, leaving apartments to rental investors.

“While Cazères is 57 km from the capital of “département 31”, that’s to say, a 45-minute drive at most, it nevertheless benefits from basic infrastructures, including schools up to intermediate level, services including healthcare with a laboratory and a radiology centre, and shops, well represented through their association which boasts about 60 members,” enthuses Sophie Bonaud of the agency Immobilier de la Garonne. “The community, which also offers a cinema in place and stead of a former monastery, is pleasant and spared from the southerly wind. One can fish, play “pétanque” and enjoy a real art of living in general.” First-time buyers pay from 130,000 to 160,000 € for village houses of 90 m2 in good condition, on several floors, leading out to small gardens at the top end of the range. Older people, from all over France, invest from 180,000 to 350,000 €, the sum required for a recent home of 150 m2 in perfect condition, in grounds of 2,000 m2. Finally, investors, either private individuals or companies determined to meet rental needs, look for small buildings in need of refurbishment, such as this example : 70 m2 on each of three floors, giving three 2-bedroom apartments, likely to bring a monthly income of 500 € each, recently acquired for 125,000 €. Here, demand is steady and activity fluid, as long as one observes the rates currently practiced on the market. The majority of purchasers drive to the employment centres of Basso Cambo, Portet-sur-Garonne and Blagnac, or even commute by train to the centre of Toulouse. Others work 10 minutes from their homes, in Carbonne or Boussens, home to Siemens and Lafarge Cement.