That conclusion is the result of a survey of house prices carried out by the regional newspaper 'La Dépêche' which examined the various indices for the region, as well as undertaking a survey of estate agents and notaires.

Property professionals are reporting renewed interest from buyers, spurred on by lower prices and interest rates, but actual sales remain substantially down on 2008. Most buyers appear to be seeking a sizeable discount on the asking price that few sellers are willing to concede.

Country properties have been worst affected, with sales down by up to 40% in some areas. In a region traditionally popular with British buyers, prices are down by up to 20%. The paper considers that the lower number of British buyers has been a significant contributory factor to price falls in these areas.

Within the towns, the picture is a contrasting one, with prices in smaller towns in rural areas having dropped in line with country properties, while in popular areas such as Arcachon, Bayonne, La Rochelle and Rochefort, prices are more stable. City centre prices in Bordeaux have also resisted, due in the main to continuing strong interest from buyers from Paris.

The following table shows the average price per m² of houses in and around the main towns of each department in the region, together with the price change over the past year. Both the figures for prices per m² and the change over the year are given as a range in order to better reflect the realities of the market.