ILess than twenty years ago, investing in a building in La Jarrie, Villedoux, Ferrières or Le Thou meant choosing an off-center life, made up of back and forth trips between La Rochelle and its dormitory town. The counterpart was obvious: a price much lower than in La Rochelle and its first crown, favorable to the most modest classes.
Today, with the explosion of real estate prices in the sector and the increase in the number of inhabitants, these municipalities – still so far from the city center of La Rochelle – in the second and third rings have acquired an attractiveness on which few would have bet.
According to statistics provided by Adnov and taken up by the notaries of Atlantique Poitou, the sales prices of old houses have exploded in many towns on the outskirts of La Rochelle. Thus, over the last five years alone, we have seen, for example, an increase of 66% in Aigrefeuille-d'Aunis, 61% in Saint-Xandre, 50% in La Jarrie, 46% in Marans, 45% in l’Houmeau, 41% in La Jarne and even 38% in Surgères.
Extended journeys
“By moving to La Rochelle, we found prices similar to those in the second ring of the Paris region. Here, it is the equivalent of 91 ! », Says Laurent, who decided to leave Essonne three years ago to return to his native region. With his wife, they invested in Courçon, a twenty-five minute journey for him between his home and work, up to an hour for her. “Not very different from the Paris region after all…” he laughs. “Even remote villages that no one wanted to settle in back then have become super expensive! », Remarks the new owner.
Similar observation for Léa and her companion. She was transferred to La Rochelle two years ago and they settled north of Marans in a small house, for 250,000 euros. The couple, without children, nevertheless earns more than 4,000 euros per month, but could not invest closer to La Rochelle: “We looked for the first and second crown, like Puilboreau. It was completely out of budget for us. » “When we moved to Toulouse a few years ago, it was much easier and we were only ten minutes from the city center,” she remembers. Today, it takes her forty minutes to get to work.
Few offers, many requests
Profiles like Laurent or Léa, Tom Bucelloni, real estate agent in the La Rochelle sector, accompanies them almost every day. “More and more people from Rochelle and first-time buyers are having difficulty purchasing,” he assures. “We felt a real wave after Covid. Many people wanted to settle in La Rochelle, two thirds of our clientele always come from outside, admits the real estate agent, as a start of an explanation. To this, we must add the comfort of life that La Rochelle offers and the fact that it always remains less expensive than other cities on the Atlantic coast. »
“Even the second ring of La Rochelle has become unaffordable for middle-class people”
For Stéphane Villain, mayor of Châtelaillon-Plage where the sale prices of old houses have increased by 61% in five years, this increase is due to increased tension on the department: “We can clearly see that when properties become available, they are immediately taken back. In Châtelaillon, we no longer have much land available and we don't want to build high-rise buildings, so the city won't really be able to expand. It increases the scarcity of goods and, then, it’s the law of supply and demand…”
Towards possible stabilization
“Even in Aigrefeuille, it becomes difficult to invest,” laughs Élisa sadly, who currently lives in La Rochelle, but had to build in Surgères to settle her little family there with her partner. “Even the second ring of La Rochelle has become unaffordable for middle-class people,” she believes. “Today, we do everything in town by bike. There, we will have to get up much earlier to take the train, returning later. But we had no choice if we wanted to invest,” assures the mother.
With such increases, one wonders if towns like Surgères will not, in turn, become inaccessible in five years? “It is unlikely to see such increases again in the next ten years, unless there is another crisis like Covid which has led to a form of disproportionate euphoria,” says Tom Bucelloni cautiously. However, you shouldn't count too much on a drop in prices either. It should rather stabilize, as we saw in 2024.”
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