Emily and Hamish White and their two young children are on their way to Bordeaux from southwest London this week. A French-Australian family has bought a five-room art deco style townhouse with a garden annex in the Ornano district.

Using Hamish’s great scope for hybrids working in the telecoms industry, they decide to move to France after ten years in London. Wedding photographer Emily said: “We were looking online and realized how much more of our money goes there than in the UK. “We wanted international school options, close to the ocean, the airport and a good TGV link to Paris. Bordeaux elegant, big enough but not too big.

Houses in the southwestern city of Bordeaux are definitely cheaper than the French capital, which is about two hours away by train. The average sale price of a property in Bordeaux is currently €4,982 per square metre, while Paris is half the price at €10,569, according to the French real estate association FNAIM.

However, it is still the fifth most expensive city in France, behind Paris, Antibes (€5,652), Annecy (€5,267) and Lyon (€5,005), and last year’s price increase – 3.2 percent – was much lower than in cities such as Montpellier, Nice and Marseille.

For those who can afford it, proximity to the sea and access to Paris means Bordeaux and its surrounding areas remain a target for remote workers, says Brad Turner of estate agent Legate Immobilier. Before Vivid, it was common for a partner to leave their job to facilitate the family’s activities, he said. Now that hybrid work is so widespread, such negotiations are often not needed.

The city provides its own job opportunities. In the year New businesses created in 2021 are 20 percent higher than in 2019. Ubisoft, part of the global gaming company Bordeaux, employs 300 people in the Basins à Flot (wet dock) area, where new apartments form part of it. District Renovation: “We’ve got American clients working for Ubisoft who rent in this area,” says Turner.

The average price of a second-class apartment in Bordeaux, which has increased rather than decreased during the outbreak, is currently at €4,777 per square meter. A new rent ceiling for new city center rental deals came into effect on July 15 to help cool the market by keeping buy-to-let properties smaller. “Investors may decide that rents are less attractive and offload their properties,” said Simon Lydiard of Leggett. At an average of only 3.4 percent, the overall rental yield on apartments in Bordeaux is “not exciting,” he says.

He points out that rents in Paris have been flat since July 2019 and the average rental yield is just 3 percent. Bordeaux’s new Green Party mayor, Pierre Hurmic, has also introduced a new rental permit system in a few areas of the city, including Saint-Michel. Owners must now apply for permission to rent out the property (owners of second homes are barred from letting their property out for short-term rentals like Airbnb).

The fact that their daughter is studying for a master’s degree in wine in the city helped convince Kim and David Lloyd to buy a second home in December, a two-bedroom house near the Jardines in Houston, USA.

“We love the truth. [the city] It’s very walkable,” says financial controller Kim—which is handy, because traffic in Bordeaux can be a drag. “The architecture is beautiful; we can be at the beach in an hour and we plan to stay for a few months when I retire soon. [with a long-stay visa]He said.

It’s still a very French market in Pila, but recently our first British customers are looking to buy rather than rent.

The quieter suburbs of Saint-Seurin, Ornano and Saint-Jeans are often favored by families, but the rise of remote work and improvements in transport links are making towns and villages outside the city more attractive to commuters, says Lydiard.

The existing fast rail links to the south-east of the city have helped to make the picturesque villages like Beautiran and La Brède popular with Bordelais looking for more space. Others are investing in sites on the new suburban metro, the RER (Réseau Express Régional) – on track until 2028.

The new line will connect the beach resort of Arcachon from east to west with the beautiful bastide town of Libourne in the wine growing area near Saint-Émilion. Sitting at the confluence of the Dordogne and Isle rivers, it takes 25 minutes to Bordeaux by train and the average property price is €2,400 per square meter, according to the property portal, SeLoger.

Nearby, in the heart of the Entre-Deux-Mers wine-growing region, Alyssa Foley, a native of Tasmania, bought a “petit château” in August 2020. The 16th-century three-bedroom property is a second home for a Londoner. Like going up on airbnb without using it.

The 40-year-old, who works in financial services, said: “I made a little ‘lock and release’ joke with the estate agent while buying a big chat with some friends. “I liked it, but I felt it was a good buy with a lot of investment in infrastructure.”

She also likes its access to the Gironde beach, where Bordelais can be a weekend escape or – since the pandemic began – a remote work during the week. To the south of the Bassin d’Arcacon, a large bay known for its oyster farms and protected by Cape Ferret, long pine forests, fishermen’s cottages and holiday villas.

The town of Arcachon – directly on the train line to the city – offers many apartments that are popular with retirees and holiday home buyers. “Bordelis families often buy a small apartment and rent it out when they’re not using it,” says Arthur Maxwell of Maxwell Bain, an associate at Christie’s International Real Estate.

Villas in nearby Pilla-sur-Mer can sell for more than those in internationally renowned Cap Ferret, with average prices of €10,220 and €9,599 per square meter respectively, according to Seloger. “It’s still very much a French market, but two weeks ago we had our first British client who wanted to buy a property in Pila rather than rent one every year,” he said.

It is fortunate that such villas were not reached in last week’s wildfires, which destroyed 6,500 hectares of thick pine forests that reached the coast from the car park to the Dune du Pilat, Europe’s largest sand dune.

Last month, a frontline six-bedroom property on Cap Ferret in need of major renovation sold at an online auction for €6.53mn, despite “submarine flooding, earthquakes and bushfires”. The “faded” 190 square meter property, complete with termites and asbestos, also needs new electricity and sits on a 2,000 square meter plot. Currently on the market for €3.36mn, it is one of the most common types of wooden cabins in the area.

Buyers have been looking at nearby Lacanau as an affordable option, suggests Maxwell-Bains Morgan Mutch. It offers the same long sandy beaches and a 2,000-hectare lake, with an average price of €5,145 per square meter, according to Seloger. “A British expat couple recently sold their place in the suburbs of Bordeaux to move there,” he said.

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What can you buy? . .

Three-room house, 798,000 euros

Three bedroom property in central Bordeaux near the Jardins population. The 135 square meter house has two bathrooms and a garage. Available through Leggett Immobilier International.

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Residence, outside Bordeaux, €1.9 million

A renovated manor house with a total of 11 bedrooms, 10 minutes’ drive from the center of Bordeaux. The 500 square meter property is currently used as a bed and breakfast. Available through Savills.

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New-build house, Arcachon, €4.95mn

New six bedroom house near Plage des Arbusiers in Arcachon Bay, 55 km from central Bordeaux. With 320 square meters of living space, the property has a large open plan reception area and an outdoor pool. Available with Maxwell-Bains.