Real estate trends

With a shortage of building sites, the department is characterized by prices constantly on the rise, from 6% per year in Dax to 20% and above in Mont-de-Marsan. However, you can still find village houses to restore starting at 100,000 € in the back country. Expect to pay 300 to 500,000 € for a Landes farm with 250 m² of habitable space.
According to La Vie immobilière (http://www.lavieimmo.com), the southern end of the department is pricier than the north. Apartments go for around 2,000 € per m² in Biscarrosse, but will cost you twice that in Hossegor or Capbreton. In Mont-de-Marsan, you can still negotiate down to below 2,000 € per m², a threshold that's been passed in Dax.

Traditional housing

Built in the heart of an airial (clearing), the oustaù, the traditional Landes forest house, was a half-timbered wood framed building filled in with cob or bricks. Its three-sided roof was said to be "en coda de paloma." Houses face east to take advantage of the cool morning air. The west side of the roof was built very low, to shelter the home from heavy weather off the ocean.

Location

Between Gironde and the Basque country, the Landes combine invigorating Atlantic air with southern heat. The department is served by the Bordeaux Mérignac, Biarritz Parme, and Pau airports. You can reach Dax from in 4 hours and 20 minutes by TGV.

Scenery and activities

From Biscarrosse to Tarnos, along vast stretches of pristine dunes, the Silver Coast is home to seaside resorts renowned for their endless beaches, crashing waves, and surfing spots famed throughout the world: Hossegor, Capbreton, Mimizan, as well as more family-oriented Messanges. Crisscrossed by bicycle trails, the coast line awaits you, from lake to pond, for you to explore at your leisure.
The forest range covers two-thirds of the department. This pine forest was planted in the Nineteenth Century to stabilize the marshy, sandy soil of what was at the time the French desert. Since the Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park was created in 1970, several ecomuseums have been telling the history and economy of the mainly coniferous forest.
The cities of Dax and Mont-de-Marsan, as well as Roquefort, have much to tell about the human adventure through accounts of the Middle Ages (fortresses, Romanesque churches, etc.) and even Prehistory. The Lady with a Hood, the oldest known sculpture, was discovered here, in the cave of Brassempouy.

Weather

The Landes enjoy a maritime climate. While sea breezes keep the shoreline pleasantly cool, summer days are hot inland, because of the presence of sand. However, the department features a wide range of temperatures and nights remain cool.

In town

• Mont-de-Marsan: the prefecture, a city of 30,000 inhabitants, is flourishing around administrative buildings built during the 1st Empire. The climate, mild in winter and hot in summer, is benevolent to the palm trees, magnolias and oleanders dotting the gardens.
• Dax: France's premier thermal city, whose waters have been harnessed since the Roman period, welcomes 60,000 guests come to take the waters every year. The community of communes of Grand Dax is home to some 50,000 inhabitants, with the population continually on the rise. Besides rugby and bullfighting, community and cultural life are quite intense.
  

The most recents ads - Landes

DR5457 - House 181 700,00 € 40120  SARBAZAN Real estate SARBAZAN House	DR5400 - House 275 200,00 € 40240  BETBEZER D ARMAGNAC Real estate BETBEZER D ARMAGNAC House
DR5371 - House 133 750,00 € 40190  VILLENEUVE DE MARSAN Real estate VILLENEUVE DE MARSAN House	DR5358 - House 170 775,00 € 40190  LE FRECHE Real estate LE FRECHE House
DR5331 - House 192 700,00 € 40120  SARBAZAN Real estate SARBAZAN House	DR5330 - House 80 250,00 € 40190  VILLENEUVE DE MARSAN Real estate VILLENEUVE DE MARSAN House