Apartments for sale in La Marsa

In central La Marsa the square metre most often falls between 3,000 and 5,000 DT, and you pay considerably more as soon as a balcony faces the sea. This is not the most expensive district in the country (Gammarth and certain Lac 2 addresses go higher), but it is the one with the most buyers, which leaves little room to negotiate on well placed property.

The listings for apartments for sale in La Marsa gathered here come from private owners, developers and agencies. The page also covers Ain Zaghouan and Aouina, two neighbouring areas where new build is available at more accessible prices.

Sea view or no sea view: the question that sets the price

A sea view apartment in La Marsa means a limited number of buildings: the corniche between Marsa Plage and Marsa Cube, a few developments in Sidi Daoud on the heights, the Gammarth road. Move two streets back and the price falls by 20 to 30 percent for the same floor area. That is where the good deals are for anyone who wants to live in La Marsa without paying for the postcard.

Marsa Erriadh remains the favourite area for families: an S+3 (three bedrooms plus a living room) in a 2000s development with parking often sells for between 450,000 and 700,000 DT. At that price it is worth comparing with the houses for sale in La Marsa. An apartment for sale in an older Marsa Ville building, with no lift, costs less per square metre but will need electrical and plumbing work.

Softer prices for new build in Ain Zaghouan Nord and Aouina

Ain Zaghouan Nord has become in ten years the leading new build market in the northern suburbs. Developers deliver gated schemes with S+1, S+2 and S+3 units at prices per square metre 25 to 35 percent below Marsa Erriadh. The location, between La Marsa and Berges du Lac 2, explains the success with young couples working at the Lac.

An apartment for sale in the older part of Ain Zaghouan, in the streets near the La Marsa road, offers less in the way of finish but real neighbourhood life. For a rental investment, a recent apartment in Ain Zaghouan lets easily; to live in, choose according to how much building work you can tolerate nearby. If you are buying to let, the apartments to rent in La Marsa show the rents actually being asked.

Aouina, on the airport side, offers lower prices again: an apartment for sale in Aouina in a recent development stays under 3,000 DT per sq m in many cases. The newest schemes, the ones people look for as Jardins de l'Aouina, back onto Les Jardins de Carthage and are better finished than old Aouina. For any apartment for sale in Aouina, drive the commute on a weekday morning: the La Marsa road is blocked between 7.30 and 9.

Old Marsa property or a new development, what changes

Old Marsa property has qualities you do not find in new build: ceiling height, thick walls, a corridor layout that keeps the bedrooms apart. Its faults are well known: damp on the sea side, no lift, building management that sometimes does not exist. New build offers parking, a caretaker and clean finishes, but watch the advertised floor areas, which include balconies and common parts.

Either way, an apartment in La Marsa resells well. It is one of the few markets in the country where liquidity is almost guaranteed, which matters if you are buying on credit and expect to sell in ten years. To measure the gap with the rest of the capital, the apartments for sale in the Tunis governorate give the comparison.

The buying process, from the loan to the co-ownership minutes

Banks generally finance up to 70 or 80 percent of the price, over fifteen to twenty five years, and require an individual land title: ask about it at the first viewing. Allow around 6 percent for registration duty and land registry fees, plus agency fees where applicable. Ask for the minutes of the last co-ownership general meeting: they reveal the works voted through and the unpaid charges.