Artist's impression — not contractualLE PHOENIX
Bordeaux (33)
STUDIO · T2 · T3 · T4 — Delivery T4 2025
Atlantic
From Arcachon Bay to the Basque coast, the Atlantic seaboard draws a clientele looking for a family second home, more discreet than on the Mediterranean. The right question, from the outset: hold it in personal ownership, or through a company?
Arcachon Bay · Cap-Ferret · Biarritz — Basque coast · La Baule · Île de Ré
An ocean coast, discreet and family-minded
The Atlantic has its own character: the ocean and the tides, the pines and the oyster huts of the Bay, the seaside elegance of La Baule, the surf culture and art of living of the Basque coast around Biarritz. People come as families, often for generations, for a summer use that now spills over into the shoulder seasons.
It is a coast less ostentatious than the Riviera, but just as rare to build on. The second home here is almost always thought of as a family property, meant to last and to be passed on.
Very rare coastal new-build, tight demand
Here too, the Coastal Act and the protection of natural spaces make land scarce: new operations are few, often set back from the seafront, and much in demand. Pressure is strong in areas such as Cap-Ferret, Île de Ré or the Basque coast, where new-build supply remains well below what buyers want.
- The Coastal Act and protected spaces: scarce new-build, often set back.
- Strong pressure on Cap-Ferret, Île de Ré, the Basque coast.
- A family second home dominates, designed to last.
- The reduced acquisition costs of new-build in a market dominated by existing property.
Currently on the market in this territory
Artist's impression — not contractual
Artist's impression — not contractualClos Belharra
Anglet (64)
T5 · T6 — Delivery T4 2027
Artist's impression — not contractualCOLLECTIONS
Arcachon (33)
T1 · T2 · T3 · T5 — Delivery T2 2027
Artist's impression — not contractualBELLE EPOQUE
Arcachon (33)
T3 · T4 · T5 — Delivery T4 2025
Artist's impression — not contractualSKYLINE
Bordeaux (33)
T4
Artist's impression — not contractual82 Quai des Chartrons
Bordeaux (33)
T4 · T5 — Delivery T4 2026
Non-exhaustive selection, shown for illustration — availability may change. This is not an offer for sale: every project begins with a personal study.
Request your studyPersonal ownership or an SCI: settle it at the point of purchase
Holding a second home in personal ownership is simple; doing so through a family SCI opens other possibilities for passing it on, at the price of formalities. Beware a common misconception: on the IFI, the SCI is neutral — it does not reduce the base. Its point is to pass on the shares gradually, possibly only their bare ownership. It is a trade-off to settle from the purchase, because changing the form of ownership later has a cost. We set out the terms; the choice is made with your notaire.
Personal ownership or an SCI: two readings of the same property
- Profile
- Senior executive, 63, married, two children, household liable to the IFI.
- Project
- New-build second home (off-plan), Arcachon Bay / Cap-Ferret area, around €1m (new-build acquisition costs of around 2 to 3%).
In personal ownership
The simplest form of ownership, with no cost or corporate formalities.
- No set-up costs and no accounts to keep: the couple owns the property directly.
- Passing it on in fractions creates undivided joint ownership between the children, which is more rigid: a co-owner can in principle force a sale (partition) (art. 815 of the Civil Code) — a risk that a joint-ownership agreement (art. 1873-1 of the Civil Code) or a donation-partage (art. 1075 of the Civil Code) can keep in check.
- You can gift the bare ownership of the property while keeping the usufruct.
- Second home in the IFI base
- 100% of the value — art. 965 CGI
- Bare ownership gifted (donor aged 63)
- 60% of the value — scale under art. 669 CGI
- Structure cost
- none
In a family SCI
Formalities added, but governance and transfer organised.
- Articles, a manager and approval clauses: passing on the shares is steered and avoids imposed joint ownership.
- In return: set-up costs, accounts and annual meetings; an SCI with no real substance is exposed to reclassification (art. L64 of the Tax Procedures Code).
- You gift the bare ownership of the shares gradually, at the pace of the allowances.
- Second home in the IFI base
- 100% of the value — the SCI is neutral on the base
- Bare ownership of the shares (donor aged 63)
- 60% of the value — scale under art. 669 CGI
- Structure cost
- set-up + annual accounts
A project in this region?
A wealth study starts from your actual situation: a first structuring outline and the property types suited to this region, followed by a thirty-minute scoping call.
Request your study