Prestige at the water’s edge
They represent a micro-market and each one is unique. Villas right at the water’s edge are truly exceptional properties which have found in the Var a setting on a par with their high, or even excessive, status.
Honour where honour is due… Saint-Tropez is one of the world’s top 5 seaside resorts. As soon as the sun makes its appearance, the happy few meet up here and the town begins to live 24 hours a day. This testing-ground for all kinds of new trends has played host to events such as Mick Jagger’s wedding in 1971 and more recently, in 2010, a Chanel fashion show, coached by Karl Lagerfeld himself. However, celebrities such as François Pinault, Vincent Bolloré, Stéphane Courbit, Kate Moss and Marcel Dessailly are only heirs to the precursors who discovered Saint-Tropez and gave it its letters of nobility. Among them, Colette, who bought a house here, “La Treille Muscade”, declaring joyfully that : “Nothing can compare with this gulf, this blessed countryside, its greenery. What a climate ! It’s a miracle !” An on-going miracle, for this little Eden has kept its powers of seduction totally intact. The sandy beaches play their part in the lovely natural landscape, and villas at the water’s edge are the flagships of the Saint-Tropez property market. Villas which are really at the water’s edge, those that give directly onto a beach, or have a path offering more or less easy access to the shore. Several areas share the market : “Les Parcs de Saint-Tropez”, Tahiti, Pampelonne, Les Graniers and L’Escalet. Ranging from 10 to 30 million euros, and much, much more, the price bracket for these outstanding properties is expandable almost to infinity !
”The market for villas at the water’s edge is comparable to the art market,” explains Alex Filippini of the Alex Agency. “You can’t rationalize everything but, as a general rule, the buyer is a fan of the sea and most often the owner of a boat.” From “Les Parcs de Saint-Tropez”, a private, extremely prestigious, gated estate located a dozen or so metres above the waves, residents reach the beach via a coastal path. A budget of 20 million euros is required for a property in need of refurbishment. “In this sector, the average price is around 30 million euros,” says Pia Frei of Saint-Tropez Home Finders. In the Tahiti neighbourhood, one finds the “Capilla” estate where Brigitte Bardot’s ex-husband owned a house. The starting price here is 17 million euros. Though for a property in an elevated position, with lovely grounds of about 50 acres, comprised of the main residence, a house for guests and another for guardians, one would be looking at a price-tag of 50 million. At the foot of the southern side of the Citadelle, Les Graniers offers a wilder, natural setting. It has a few fine examples of villas at the water’s edge. Such as a property surveying the Gulf of Saint-Tropez and proposing, in exchange for 23 million euros, a private mansion of approx. 370 m2, a guardians’ house of 80 m2, and top-quality appointments, all set in 3,580 m2 of wooded and landscaped grounds. At Pampelonne, a villa of 250 m2 requiring renovation, in grounds of almost 2.5 acres, with a glimpse of the sea, will cost from 10 to 15 million euros. Finally, the beach of L’Escalet, protected by the Conservatoire du Littoral, posts slightly lower prices. This address mostly offers villas on the hillside and the rare examples at the water’s edge do not come up for sale. Estate agents in Saint-Tropez are unanimous : villas at the water’s edge are not bound by elementary rules, and do not sell very quickly. Considerations naturally include the location, a view of the sea (or not), a private beach or access to a beach, any likelihood of renovation work… Nevertheless, the “love at first sight” factor is still of great importance. In the case of other properties, turnover is high : owners only keep their homes for six years on average. But for villas at the water’s edge, the level of attachment is higher and longer. Potential clients have a choice and, in this sector of the market, their decisions are often ordained by the famous “love at first sight”. 30 to 40 % of buyers are French, from the worlds of business, fashion or showbiz, and thus usually from Paris. Foreign buyers mostly hail from northern Europe, and it’s worth noting that Saint-Tropez is seeing the return of English buyers who had pretty much deserted the town after a delicate spell on the currency market.
Still in the Var, between Cassis and Sainte-Maxime, the supply of villas at the water’s edge obeys the same observation : it does not meet demand. Apparently for the same reasons ; owners are keen to hold onto their properties. “A property at the water’s edge, facing due south with a beautiful sea view, will be of considerable value,” says Ghislaine Faure of the Agence du Regard. On these two communes, prices can also soar to several million euros without, however, beating records set by Saint-Tropez. As it’s very clear that the closer one gets to this legendary address, the prices climb ever higher. Less in the spotlight than the village where “Et Dieu créa la femme” was filmed, the other towns give priority to privacy and a certain authenticity. In Sanary, for instance, a contemporary-style villa at the water’s edge, facing west, with a pool and direct access to a creek, is up for sale at 2,100,000 €. When prices seem low, at around 1 or 1.5 million euros, one can expect to be faced with extensive renovation, likely to cost about 700,000 €. While rare, outstanding properties deserving all the superlatives do, however, exist. One such example is to be found in Le Pradet, priced at 35 million euros ; a 19th-C. residence of 1,000 m2 boasting very lovely architecture and top-notch appointments, with access to its creek and a seafront cavern fitted out as a changing room. Then there are fishermen’s cabins, also at the edge of the sea. Their prices are justified by their rarity, as today they are no longer built. To acquire living space of 20 to 45 m2, without a window giving any view, one would have to pay at least 500,000 € and be prepared to undertake renovation to make it livable and optimize the available space. One would then dispose of a very small pied-à-terre at the very edge of the Mediterranean, with charm inversely proportionate to its surface area.
100 % of properties at the water’s edge are in fact holiday homes, very often only occupied by their owners for one month a year. They are a classic example of impulse buying. An acquisition motivated by the need to see one yacht’s moored in front of one’s home, the desire to combine the joys of the sea with a high level of comfort on land. If possible, in a unique and idyllic setting. Very few owners rent out this type of property. If they do, the average price is 25,000 to 30,000 € per week. Though there again, it’s hard to give a price bracket. Villas at the water’s edge are properties which are negotiable on an individual basis.
By Cécile Olivéro
