Pornic Property Insight

Pornic is a town of 13,600 inhabitants located in the Loire-Atlantique departement. The commune encompasses the villages of Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer and Clion-sur-Mer. On the Atlantic coast, it is famous for its castle and its ancient port. Indeed, the name of the town came from its Gallo-Roman name, « Porniti ». Its principal ressources are tourism and sea products. Beside the beautiful beaches it possesses, Pornic is also famous for its casino, its earthenware factory, its spa centre, its 18-hole golf course and its strawberry field.

Overview

Pornic stands on the Côte de Jade in the Bourganeuf bay and its rocky coast is scattered with coves. The town grew around its port, built at the foot of a beautiful castle, on the banks of the Canal de la Haute Perche. Formerly, the commune of Pornic was pretty small and comprised only the current centre. Sainte-Marie-sur-Mer was the present western part of the commune and Clion-sur-Mer represented essentially the current hedged farmlands from north to the east. Today, Pornic represents one of the four largest communes of Loire-Atlantique.

Its history, constituent of its identity, is mixed with the one of the whole Bretagne. Indeed, Pornic is a part of what is today called the historical Bretagne. During the 10th century, a duke of Bretagne erected a stronghold in the valley of Pornic to protect the town from the Vikings. After, it became one of the residences of Gilles de Rais, more ominously famous under the name of Bluebeard (who became the main character of one of Perrault’s tale).

Pornic became a well-known sea resort during the 19th century. This facilitated the arrival of the train already in 1875. At this time, many artists liked to spend time in this sea resort. It was the case for the writers Gustave Flaubert or Robert Browning, but also for numerous painters such as Renoir inspired by Pornic and its charming surroundings.

Pornic Immobilier & Property Market Trends

Pornic is a highly appreciated sea resort with 45% of the whole properties being second homes. Thus, it is an expensive town of the Loire-Atlantique, as it is also the case for the other coastal ones. The good news is that a drop in prices occurs since January 2008. The prices decreased from €3,750/sq m to €3,250/sq m in April 2009. The prices now approach the national average which was around €3,200/sq m at the beginning of 2009. Generally, the kinf of properties that can be found in Pornic are detached houses with only 10% of apartments. Dwellings are usually large, with more than 60% of them comprising at least two bedrooms. Only 3% of the properties are studios.

To get updated info about the property prices in Loire-Atlantique, please browse our French Property Market Reports published in the News Section every month.

4 Reasons to Buy a Property in Pornic

• Culture: several celebrations remain from formers days, such as the celebration of the sea that takes place during summer. It enables everyone to participate and ship out on a fishing boat. A mass is celebrated on this date, follows by a reception, concerts and marine songs at the old port. Another important celebration is the Saint-Gilles one, who is the patron of the town. During two days, Breton traditions are celebrated. Bagpipe melodies, dances, music and mass are so many elements that constitute this celebration holds every year in August.
• Activities: a range of activities can be practiced. Beside the usual activities that can be found in every sea resort, Pornic gives the opportunity to discover its lovely coast by foot, by bike, by boat or by doing horse riding. Rowing, sailing, archery, golf, tennis, fishery or even quad or paintball can be done. An adventure park is also present in Pornic. The town is not only animated during the day, because many facilities such as cinemas, bars, night clubs or a casino enable to spend pleasant evenings. The port is especially lively during the evenings, thanks to the numerous restaurants and bars it counts. Besides, lots of street animations or festivals are organised during summer.
• Markets: the market of Pornic is one of the most lively of the region. Situated on the height of the town, it is quite large and diversified. The town also comprises a renovated covered market which is really splendid. The markets take place every Thursday and Sunday morning.
• Rental opportunities: the fact that around half of the properties are second homes attests that the sea resort is highly popular. It attracts many tourists during summer and the properties can be let to a very high price, especially during the month of August when everybody is on holidays and wants to rent a property in Pornic.

Property Styles and Architecture in Pornic

• Villas: during the 19th century, rich families built splendid huge villas that really represent an architectural treasure, situated on an urbanism area protected by the commune. The villas comprise beautiful friezes and coloured balusters of wood.
• Cottages: many cottages can be found in Pornic. These single-storey houses are usually made of rendering and their roof is made of tiles. Thus, they are constructed in length in comparison to the town houses that are often made of two storeys but are more narrow. Often, the facades are paint in white or very light colours and are ornated with coloured shutters in wood.

Click here for more info about the Architecture in Pays de la Loire.