The average price per m² in Plougonvelin is 2 640 €/m² for an apartment, based on actual notarised (DVF) sales. About 28 transactions are recorded each year.
Mood illustration of Plougonvelin, at the pointe Saint-Mathieu, between the mer d'Iroise and the rade de Brest, in the Finistère.
In Plougonvelin, the average price of apartments stands at 2 640 €/m², according to the sales actually recorded in the DVF database of the notaries. That average covers a stock where the detached house is very largely dominant, the apartment remaining a minority in this municipality at the tip of the Finistère. Gaps come from the sector, between the village centre, the seaside resort of Trez-Hir and the surroundings of the pointe Saint-Mathieu, from closeness to the coast and to the mer d'Iroise, and from the condition and the energy performance of the home. These notarial figures give a municipal benchmark; a reliable valuation then rests on comparable properties.
Prices from the DVF file (Demandes de valeurs foncières, published by the DGFiP), transactions actually recorded at the notary at municipality level. Cross-referenced with the Notaires de France - INSEE indices. Learn more about our methodology.
The Plougonvelin market is driven by its coastal setting at the tip of the Finistère and by the closeness of Brest. Working households and families from the metropolitan area look here for a house with a garden, some twenty minutes from the city, in a quieter maritime setting. To that resident demand is added the demand for second homes, drawn by the Trez-Hir beaches, the coastal paths and the mer d'Iroise. This twofold demand bears on a stock dominated by low-rise detached housing, where the supply of well-placed houses remains limited and finds a buyer quickly.
The quality of the location and the energy performance drive most of the price gaps. A home close to the seafront, with a view or quick access to the beaches, and correctly rated on the energy performance certificate sells faster than an energy-hungry property or one far from the coast, on which buyers ask for a discount. The low vacancy rate and the high share of second homes keep a certain tension on seafront properties. Dependence on employment in Brest and the seaside appeal of the pays d'Iroise remain the main drivers of the local market.
Plougonvelin sits above Brest and Landerneau, two neighbouring hubs of the roadstead, and a little below Guipavas, another municipality of the Brest metropolitan area.
The name Plougonvelin comes from the Breton Plou, the parish, combined with a local saint, Konvel; the form Ploeconvelen is recorded as early as 1330. The present municipality was born of the merger, in 1793, of the former parish of Plougonvelin, of the trève, a dependent chapelry, of Lochrist and of the small parish of Saint-Mathieu-de-Fine-Terre, at the western tip of the Finistère. Set some twenty kilometres west of Brest, on a territory of about eighteen square kilometres open onto the mer d'Iroise and the rade de Brest, the municipality long lived turned towards the sea, fishing and the guarding of this strategic headland.
The pointe Saint-Mathieu concentrates the history of the municipality. The ruins of the abbey of Saint-Mathieu de Fine-Terre, a Benedictine monastery whose church was built between 1157 and 1208, have been listed as a historic monument since 1875. Offshore, the naval battle of Saint-Mathieu took place on 10 August 1512. The site suffered from war: on 29 July 1558, an English and Flemish raid destroyed the church and many houses. In 1690, Vauban had the Toul-Logot battery built to defend the entrance to the roadstead. A lighthouse was lit at the foot of the abbey ruins in 1835; it was in turn listed as a historic monument in 2010.
The seaside turning point came at the beginning of the 20th century. The opening, in 1903, of the tramway linking Brest to Le Conquet gave the Trez-Hir beach over to holidaymaking; the line closed in 1932, but the tourist vocation remained. The fort of Bertheaume, built on an isolated rock to guard the cove of the same name, and the memorial to the sailors who died for France, at the pointe Saint-Mathieu, complete this maritime heritage. Plougonvelin is today a residential and tourist municipality of the pays d'Iroise, valued for its beaches, its coastal paths and its position between the ocean and the closeness of Brest.
Plougonvelin has 4 521 inhabitants, according to INSEE, the French national statistics institute. It is a coastal municipality with two faces: a resident population living there year-round and a strong presence of second homes, which account for close to 35 % of dwellings, against about 63 % of main residences, according to INSEE. The stock is very largely dominated by the detached house, around 82 % of dwellings, the apartment accounting for a little under 18 %, according to INSEE. Among residents, a large majority own their home, around 85 %. Buyers are mainly families and working households from the Brest area, along with people looking for a second home or a place to retire by the mer d'Iroise.
The average price of apartments in Plougonvelin is 2 640 €/m², according to the DVF transactions completed before notaries. That average mixes properties of varied sectors and conditions, from the home close to Trez-Hir or to the pointe Saint-Mathieu to the one set further back in the village centre. Location, sea view, storey, general condition and energy performance explain most of the gaps. In a market where the house dominates, a reliable valuation rests on comparable sales rather than on the municipal average alone.
Clearly to houses. According to INSEE, about 82 % of the dwellings of the municipality are detached houses, and the apartment remains a minority, concentrated in a few developments and near the village centre or the seafront. That structure of the stock steers family and seaside demand towards buying a house, often with a garden. Properties close to the coast, with a view or quick access to the beaches, are the most sought after when they come to market.
Yes, clearly. According to INSEE, close to one dwelling in three is a second home, which reflects the seaside appeal of the municipality and of its Trez-Hir resort. That holiday demand, coming from Brest as from further afield, adds to the demand from year-round residents and supports prices, in particular on properties close to the coast and to the mer d'Iroise. The low rate of vacant dwellings points to a fairly tight market, where supply remains limited.
The municipality is organised around the village centre of Plougonvelin, the seaside resort of Trez-Hir, on the shore, and more rural hamlets inland. The pointe Saint-Mathieu, at the western end, with its abbey, its lighthouse and its paths, marks the landscape. The sectors close to the beaches and to the seafront, with a view over the mer d'Iroise, are the most highly valued, while the districts set back offer houses at more accessible levels.
Plougonvelin lies some twenty kilometres west of Brest, on which it depends for employment, services and shops. The link is mainly by car, on the roads of the pays d'Iroise, complemented by the coach lines of the department and metropolitan networks. That closeness to Brest, combined with the maritime setting and the beaches, explains the appeal of the municipality for working families as for second-home buyers.
This analysis is published by Immover, an independent observatory founded by Antony Barbier. Data sourced from official sources (DVF, INSEE, Notaries of France).