An exception in Bordeaux as seen by Bordeaux Sotheby’s International Realty
While the career of Anne-Valérie Colas, Manageress of two Sotheby’s Realty agencies in Bordeaux and Le Pyla, is logical, it is neverthess unusual. A glance at the origins of these agencies specializing in luxury.
After 16 years as a notary, wide expertise in wine-producing companies and family law, Anne-Valérie Colas dreamt of confronting the soil and assisting buyers of vineyards, but also châteaux and prestigious properties. A few years later, the four windows on Cours de Verdun drew the attention of the great Sotheby’s Realty. The agency in Le Pyla was to follow. The portfolio of properties, some of the most prestigious in Gironde, starts at 1.2 million euros. 80 % of buyers are targeting residential homes, 20 % invest in big buildings in the centre of Bordeaux, requiring restoration. The average price is around 2 million euros, whereas stone of quality ranges from 6,000 to 7,000 € per sqm, sometimes attaining 10,000 € in Le Pyla and on Cap Ferret. No fewer than seven employees work in the two agencies, dealing with a total property volume representing over 100 million euros. The “sole agent” service is synonymous with a personalized approach guaranteeing owners, mostly French, that their properties will sell in double quick time. Buyers, both international (10 %) and French (45 %), fall for the charm of this city just over 2 hrs from Paris, listed in UNESCO’s World Heritage, and its generous surface areas near the sea and mountains. Its employment pool is increasingly active in electronics, the aeronautical, wine and tourist industries.
The property market is now particularly buoyant. The current focus is on high-quality stone and premium addresses. The strength behind the Sotheby’s International Realty brand is not, of course, dissociated from the agency’s success, whether for its cutting-edge marketing, the meshing of branches in all four corners of the world or its department offering expertise in property valuation. Among her most recent sales, Anne-Valérie Colas mentions a house of 450 m2 in grounds of 1,600 m2 with a pool, between Jardin Public and Croix-Blanche, priced at 2.8 M €, an apartment of 218 m2 on Place Gambetta, priced at 1,550,000 €, and a villa of 250 m2 in grounds of 1,500 m2 in the Hermitage neighbourhood in Arcachon, priced at 1.7 M €.
Bordeaux Sotheby’s International Realty (05 56 79 63 62).
