Alpine Home Swap

May 24, 2012

Alpine Home Swap – I am not taking the Piste!

The following article is written by Chris Byrne from Alpine Home Swap, we are happy to promote property related articles on this blog, though this is a subject we cannot vouch for!

If, like me, you already own a home in the Alps, you may be wondering what would ever convince you to swap your cherished home for someone else’s idea of a perfect ski holiday property. But think about it more carefully, as I did, and you may be surprised at the many advantages that such a venture could bring. And if you are thinking of buying this could be a solution to the main issue (other than finance) for prospective owners ie being tied to one resort.

I first conceived the idea of Alpine Home Swap with a group of friends over après-ski drinks. We all owned properties in Alpine resorts but realised that the perfect scenario for most of us would be to sometimes ski in other resorts without incurring additional rental costs. We all loved our ‘home’ resorts but recognised the fact that we, and our families, might occasionally feel like skiing elsewhere and, in fact, many of us did continue to ski elsewhere even after buying. And, to be fair, this idea (which originally came from the USA) seemed to be right for today’s less prosperous times.

Grimentz, not far from the Portes du Soleil as the crow flies

www.alpinehomeswap.com gives you access to a network, a community if you like, of like-minded property owners in different resorts. If you start thinking about the number of weeks you do not use your own place and the fact that ski properties are almost always second homes so that there can be non-simultaneous exchanges agreed between owners, you will start to see how this concept can work. So you and your family could potentially be skiing in Klosters at Christmas and snowboarding in Chamonix at Easter!

Unlike most other websites, our site focuses on the Alps and only the Alps because our research indicated that few owners actually skied regularly in North America. Unlike most other global home exchange sites there is no need to search through hundreds of listings in the wrong parts of the world – you can search by country or by recognised resort – and (and I know this from personal experience of other home exchange sites) you will not be bombarded with requests from people in places you would never wish to visit as you will with most global home exchange sites. You also can use an availability calendar to show (in real time) exactly when you have a gap to swap.

If the idea of swapping your Alpine property captures the imagination as it did for us, please take a look at the site: www.alpinehomeswap.com. We welcome your comments and feedback on the site or, if you want to find out more, please email us at info@alpinehomeswap.com.

See you on the site soon…

Chris – www.alpinehomeswap.com

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Posted by Gareth

Mountain Paintings / Mountaineering Books

May 11, 2012

I have a connection with Tony Astill of  Mountaineering Books  and Mountaineering Paintings  because of my interest in mountaineering. I would not say that I am a collector of mountain memorabilia but I do have an interest in how the environment has changed over recent history. The Alps were “discovered” by Victorian mountaineers in the mid 1800′s, they were extremely commercially minded and documented everything they found which has left us with a rich resource of books and paintings from the time.

The Summit of Mt Blanc 1853

The Summit of Mt Blanc 1853, taken from a NARRATIVE OF AN ASCENT TO
THE SUMMIT OF MONT BLANC 21ST SEPTEMBER 1853 BY J. MACGREGOR, ESQ., M.A. – available from Mountaineering Books

I came across a book written by Edward Whymper when I was about 16, I was alone and hitch-hiking to Scotland to go hill-walking. I found myself needing to shelter from the rain near Skipton and dived into a little bookshop. I started browsing the books there and came across “Scrambles”. As it is well and truely out of print Google have been kind enough to archive it at the following link:

http://books.google.fr/books?id=k6uScEubYogC&lpg=PP1&pg=PP1#v=onepage&q&f=false

now the digital version does not do justice to this book. It’s a large format, and full of maps and etchings. I remember that it was for sale for about £50, that was 1987. I decided to save my money and bought a rope a few days later. The funny thing is that ropes still cost £50 and that book now costs about £1000. The rope was more usefull.

Through Tony I have since bought a later edition of Scrambles. In addition I’ve added a less well known book to my collection. “The Eagles Nest” by Alfred Wills.

http://books.google.fr/books?id=oDoBAAAAQAAJ&dq=alfred%20wills&pg=PR3#v=onepage&q=alfred%20wills&f=false

this second book is very topical as near where I live there is a refuge named after Alfred Wills and many of the walks he describes are on my local hills.  I often claim that Alfred Wills started the first “Brit” chalet in the Alps. In fact it still stands today. Not habitabble but interesting nevertheless.

So if you are interested in this sort of thing,  or if you are just looking for some old paitings and books to add to your chalet then you know where to go. Some of the prices might come as a bit of a shock but then again, if you buy well then they may end up being excellent (and interesting) investments. On that subject Tony will be able to suggest some topical books that will be valued in the ten’s instead of the thousands of pounds.

If you are interested in the history of mountaineering there is a Himalayan Trust UK Charity Fundraiser coming up on the 29th of May. Details follow:

The Sir Edmund Hillary Memorial Lecture
Royal Geographical Society (Exhibition Road entrance) London SW7 2AR
nearest tube South Kensington or Cromwell Road
Tuesday 29 May 2012 at 6.00 for 7.00pm.

Alan Hinkes OBE presents Kangchenjunga Finale and the 8000m Peaks Hinkes is the first Briton to climb all the world’s fourteen 8000m peaks. His final peak was Kangchenjunga, climbed in 2005, fittingly almost 50 years to the day after George Band and Joe Brown made the first ascent in 1955. To include a tribute to the Trust’s much loved late Chairman, George Band OBE.  Introduced by Rebecca Stephens MBE

Tickets £17.50 from www.himalayantrust.co.uk
or email  astill.tony@gmail.com  Tel. 02380293767
If I lived closer to London I’d definitely be going.

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Posted by Gareth

TV opportunity

April 24, 2012

Ricochet productions have been on the phone looking for young people looking to move out to the Alps to set up a business. Now if you watch TV you’ll have seen plenty of programmes made by Richochet. They have a link to their work here.

In their words “We are currently in the early stages of development on a BBC documentary series about young British people who are moving abroad to start a business. We are looking to speak to couples, friends and siblings who are emigrating to start their new life, and we are eventually hoping to follow people as they relocate and get their business up and running. The programmes will highlight great work opportunities for people abroad, and detail what is involved in an move such as this.”

This is the webcam image from Avoriaz from Monday 23/April. Click on the link for the current picture!

Featuring on a TV programme might not be high on everyone’s list but if you are starting a business it can offer a fantastic marketing opportunity! Ricochet  has sent this flyer too.

Letsstayforever

Or you can contact

Naomi Gayler|Development Producer
Naomi.gayler@ricochet.co.uk

If this is up your street, let me know how you get on!

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Posted by Gareth

Avoid slippery slopes with your ski resort property

April 8, 2012

This is a guest post promoting a new company Snow Swappers, we are not endorsing them. Even though it’s an interesting idea…..

Now is as good a time as any to invest in a ski resort property. Why shouldn’t it be? The European winter season has been simply amazing for its fantastic snow conditions, which is sure to boost skier numbers next year and if you’re a UK buyer, why not invest your money where you might see some growth and get to ski once in a while?

IMG_1919

I took this picture a couple of weeks ago when on a ski tour not far from my home in St Jean d’Aulps

The majority of buyers looking to buy property in the mountains are keen skiers as well. Often they know the resort because they have been back time and time again. They like the skiing, the atmosphere, the bars and restaurants and the people. It’s an easy decision to make, why choose anywhere else? But often enough, you might be looking for the right place to buy and can’t decide on the perfect spot.

So you’ve got to ask yourself a few important questions. Firstly the country is pretty important. France offers a great variety of ski resorts and many property options from small studios to large chalets. It is also relatively accessible from the UK by car or plane and prices can be less than some of the other alpine countries. If the skiing is the most important factor then ensure the resort has a good snow record and high altitude ski lifts. If it’s more about the town then what’s the après ski like, or the restaurant scene. Some of the smaller and less well known resorts offer some good bargains with the promise of future development and growth, but if you need an immediate rental income then they might not be the best choice.

If you aren’t an expert on ski resort facts and figures then it’s worth talking to someone that is. Maybe a friend that has already bought in a resort or an estate agent that could guide you to the type of resort that would suit you best.

One of the most promising areas of growth is the summer market. This is why it’s crucial to choose your resort wisely when buying. What happens to the resort when the snow melts? There will always be an off season, but those crucial summer months in the right location can provide just as much income as an average winter week. Activities like mountain biking, walking and climbing are the obvious starting points with big events like the “Ultra Trail” in Chamonix http://www.ultratrailmb.com/ or the Pass’Portes du Soleil in the Portes du soleil http://www.passportesdusoleil.com/ bring in thousands of people in the summer.

Choosing a location which holds other possibilities for special interest holidays during the summer months will keep your property ticking over until the cows eventually come home, which they tend to do by October.

One company that had an idea to increase visitors to their own property whilst taking advantage of trying somewhere new is Snow Swappers. Property owners in ski resorts anywhere in the world can become members and swap their homes with others as co-founder Tessa explains, ‘I saw a gap in the market for myself as I own an apartment in a French ski resort. I love skiing there, but I also want to explore new areas, although because of the extra cost, it just didn’t seem worth it. Swapping with other likeminded people means that I can now ski in other resorts in accommodation that costs me nothing’.

For prospective buyers or current owners, expanding the mountain holiday away from the ski slopes is something which is providing extra opportunities. As the resorts get better at promoting their summer trade, owners will take advantage of the increased visitors throughout the year.

This post was written by Robert Stewart of The Skiing Department > www.theskiingdepartment.com

Snow Swappers is a brand new service for property owners in mountain resorts anywhere in the world. Swap your home with like-minded people and explore new resorts with no accommodation costs. www.snowswappers.com

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Posted by Gareth

Lac de Montriond in the Portes du Soleil

March 28, 2012

A few weeks ago during an unusually cold spell of weather here in the Alps I had a spare hour to kill in between my office work and family duties .

I decided a walk around Lac de Montriond would suffice. It’s about the same distance from Morzine as from St Jean d’Aulps. In fact you pass buy it on the way to Ardent if you are going to ski at Avoriaz. The lake is situated 2kms outside of the village of Montriond at 1064m, it is the third largest lake in the region of Haute Savoie ( after Geneva and Annecy ) it’s surface covers an area of 33 hectares, it is 1320m in length and 235m wide with a depth of 19m .

Sian Hughes took these pictures

As I pulled into the carpark at the west end, the temperature gauge in my car read -16 c !!  The first thing that struck me was how much more snow there was here than in the village on Montriond that I had just driven through. This is mainly due to the fact that the lake is shaded by 500m high cliffs along the length of it’s southern flank keeping the lake and it’s shores void of direct sunlight for most of the winter , this in turn creates an amazing frozen alpine winter wonderland, it was truly stunning with everything preserved in a sparkling frozen layer.

I decided to go in an anti clockwise direction heading out under the ice clad cathedral like cliffs.  As I wandered along the footpath come cross country ski trail it dawned on me what an astounding contrast this silent still scene was compared to that of an average day in August when the lake has full sun and is a hive of activity with families making the most of all the summer goodness.

As I continued to walk the snow squeaked under my boots, a true indication of just how cold it was. It took me twenty minutes to reach the far end where the Bout de Lac restaurant is situated. Normally it emanates a warm inviting ambiance but not today in this Arctic scene, it was inbetween business hours, lunch had finished and it was too early for dinner service and without a single light illuminating the building it looked as stark and cold as the frozen rocks that surrounded it .

I took this photo of one of the frozen icefalls above the Lac a few years ago.

I continued on my way along the North shore path constantly glancing across at the awe inspiring shale cliffs when I noticed a group of people wander out onto the ice. As I approached I could see they were carrying equipment, I realised that they must be going ice diving which I knew took place here in the winter months but had never witnessed first hand . Keen to get a closer look I made my way to the point where they left the shore and headed out onto the ice . When I arrived they had just finished re chainsawing the dive hole, the ice appeared to be about 1m thick , after a quick chat with one of the rubber clad divers , I discovered that the water temperature was a balmy 2 to 3 degrees centigrade and that they dive to a depth of 8 to 10 metres, all very interesting I thought as they donned their face masks and breathing apparatus and plopped into the slushy hole disappearing from my sight.

I made my way back to the car feeling thoroughly refreshed and slightly inspired, what a great way to spend an hour I thought to myself as I started the engine and cranked the heating on full blast, I sat there warming up imagining an under ice experience when I was swiftly brought back to reality with a text message from my wife reminding me it was my turn to collect the kids from school.


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Posted by Gareth

Samoens hits the big time?

March 23, 2012

I am often asked where I think the “next big thing” will be in the French Alps. What I am really being asked is “which resort should I invest in to see the best return on my capital”. Now if I knew that I’d not be sat here…..

But if pushed I have been plugging Samoens. But only because I like it. Personally I don’t live there but I often think that if I was to choose again I might. It has everything I want from a place to live.

  • A nice “authentic” village, much of which is pedestrianised.
  • Access to great skiing (Flaine / Le Grand Massif)
  • A flat bottomed valley. I like this because I enjoy cycling and I have a young family.
  • Quick access to Geneva airport (about 1 hr)
  • Good access to some other ski areas, Les Gets / Portes du Soleil is 20 minutes, Praz des Lys, 20 minutues and Chamonix only about 45min.
  • Some of the best walking in the Alps.

I took the picture above last week. Snowshoeing above Samoens beneath the Dents d’Oddaz.

It looks like Samoens is growing in popularity. It’s been featured in the press a few times recently.

  • The Telegraph, “Samoens is the best resort in France?”

http://www.telegraph.co.uk/travel/snowandski/9148590/Ski-France-is-Samoens-the-countrys-best-resort.html

  • In the Guardian, “Secret Satellites”

http://www.guardian.co.uk/travel/2007/oct/28/skiing.france?page=2

  • The Times, “Is this the prettiest resort in the Alps?”

Times Article, Is this the Prettiest Resort in the Alps?

The picture above has been provided by the Tourist Office in Samoens

We currently have 40 properties for sale in Samoens ranging from:

Appt. Hotel Fleuri, 3
134 620 €uros
http://www.alpine-property.com/index.php?page=prop_1_apptfleuri3

to the magnificent

Château du Bérouze
2 250 000 €uros
http://www.alpine-property.com/index.php?page=prop_1_chateauberouze

One of my favorites is:

Chalet Falcon
1 800 000 €uros
http://www.alpine-property.com/index.php?page=prop_1_falcon

Too bad I can’t afford it!

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Posted by Gareth

Mortgage rates

February 24, 2012

We don’t often get to quote French mortgage rates. The banks are generally quite touchy about advertising the rates. In France the rules concerning “false advertising” are very strict and the problem with mortgage rates is that they change constantly. The actual rates will depend on the loan they are offering and it’ll depend on your circumstances (I think this might be a euphemism). The higher risk you present the higher rate you pay!

We work frequently with BNP Paribas and have done for a number of years. They have an English speaking office that is set up to deal with Foreign buyers of French property. They tell me they are “reducing their margin in a considerable way by proposing a significant decrease between 0.30% and 0.40% on most products in capital repayment and interest only, variable and fixed.”

So now all variable rates are below 4%!

- 3.30% to 3.55% in standard variable rate

- 3.50% to 3.95% in capped variable rate

- 3.70% to 3.90% in interest only variable rate

Low fixed rates are from 4.20% to 4.85%.

“These promotional rates will be available for sale for all new applications received from February 22nd until April 5th. After this date, these exceptional rates will no longer be available”.

What could you do with this money? Possibly put it towards a 6 bedroom chalet  10 minutes from the skiing?

Click here for more details of this chalet

Chalet Preles

At 372,000 euros this alpine chalet does seem to be a fair bargain?

All a bit dry? I suppose so.  It’s Friday today so in theory I might be allowed out to ski this afternoon. I’ll try and take a picture. It should be good, blue skies, loads of snow and warm as toast!

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Posted by Gareth

Social media and Alpine Property

February 10, 2012

We have been upgrading our web presence. It started with the development of a mobile compatible website.

m.alpine-property.com 

We had been approached by various people offering us iphone and Android apps. We decided a mobile optimised website would be a good idea. It would mean that people looking for property in the Alps could access all our information on their mobile phones when they are out in the Alps, we could make the website download much quicker and reduce their roaming charges at the same time. Because it’s not an “App” it won’t go out of date or need downloading, we could also make it do just what we wanted to.

this links to the mobile optimised website for alpine property

Many of our customers already try and view our website on their mobile phones. We were aware that it wasn’t a great experience. Now when you go to Alpine Property on your phone you’ll go automatically to the mobile site.

Scan this QR code with your mobile and you’ll be taken straight to the mobile webpage.

We’ve also been upgrading our “social” credentials on the internet, by improving our Linkedin profiles, you can access mine from this link Go to my linkedin prfile or the company profile here Go to my linkedin prfile.

The same goes for Facebook, we have a Facebook page , this will [obviously] be used for promoting the “social” side of our life in the French Alps!

We’ve have a twitter feed for a while 

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Posted by Gareth

100% Pure Wool in Les Contamines

February 1, 2012
100% Pure Wool
Lampposts covered in wool, stripey colours around signs, trees with scarves, you could think you were dreaming, but you’d be wrong. You’re in the centre of Les Contamines.
 
This year, the village has decided to embrace a recent phenomena called ‘Knit Graffit’ or ‘Yarn Bombing’, an american born tradition of dressing up public property in coloruful knitted sections. Both knitters and crocheters who indulge in this pastime add handmade creations to buildings and all manner of urban supports. For les Contamines, many volunteers joined in for this event and you can see the results here. This street art has been called “Les Contas, 100% pure wool” and more details are on the Office de Tourisme website.
 
It’s not been restricted to just les Contamines, a friend of mine hosted her yarn bombing get-together in Chamonix last year, on the very first international day for the pastime. The Chamonix sign, which marks the entrance to the town, was “bombed” in the early hours of the morning. You can see here.
Street art? Pointless? Whatever your view, it certainly adds a dash of colour on a grey claggy day.

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Posted by Gareth

Starting a Chalet Business in the Alps

January 27, 2012

I used to get asked this question twice a week.

“How do I start a chalet business in the Alps?”

I think 2005/6 was the peak. Everyone wanted to move to the Alps, sometimes it was 1 in 3 of the enquiries we received . I have learnt over time that the question should really be phased a bit better. Perhaps:

“how can I make a living in the Alps?”

would be more appropriate. The thing is that most people that have gone skiing have witnessed at first hand a chalet business. The holiday cost them €600 so the embryonic business plan started over the dinner table.

€600 x 10 people staying in the chalet = €6,000

€6,000 x 16 weeks for the season = €96,000

Obviously you need a chalet, there are the usual bills, food and linen to pay for too but surely there is a fair living to be made? And that’s not including the summer business. Right, sign me up, where do I start?

Alpine Property Team Meal 2011

Well I’ve been there. Although I now make my living from my full time job with Alpine Property I’ve also worked a couple of winter seasons, I’ve run a chalet business (mostly summer based) for 10 years and now I live in the Alps with my wife and 3 children. Surely living proof that it’s a good idea? Well “Yes” and “No”. I’m now going to give my advice. Feel free to take it with a pinch of salt!

My first bit of advice is “don’t do it”. Well don’t start the chalet business that is. Living in the Alps is a great idea! Have a look at your skills, can you carry them over to the Alps and keep working? That’s a possibility? And it might be better in the long term. There are plenty of people that live in the Alps and make a living here or based from here. These are the trades I know of:

Accountants, #pilots, #lawyers, journalists, IT experts, various consultants and #project managers, guides (walking / biking / climbing), ski instructors, electricians, carpenters, plasterers, plumbers, builders, bankers (in Geneva), doctors, nurses, #engineers, estate agents, interior designers, graphic designers, photographers, artists, writers, teachers, taxi drivers, hotels owners and hospitality workers….

The professions marked as # generally work away from home and use the Alps as a base. There are bound to be more, these are just the ones I know personally.

So if you don’t feel that you can carry over your current skills and you still think running a chalet is the way forward then hang on! You’ll have to wait until next week for the “how to” section.

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Posted by Gareth

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