20 New Properties in 6 weeks

July 20, 2009

Over the last 6 weeks we have uploaded 20 new properties onto our website. We currently have another 3 “pending”. It’s easy to see what has been uploaded recently now. Just click on “new additions“, and the last 20 are listed in chronological order. We’ve highlighted properties that have been uploaded within the last 60 days in each category as well. If you have a look at the apartments we have for sale, you’ll see the apartments we have uploaded withing the last 60 days are listed first and marked “new”.

Hopefully this will make the navigation of the properties our site even easier.

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Posted by Gareth

L’Aquariaz water park in Avoriaz

June 8, 2009

I was reading the Morzine Mairie Bulletin this evening and came across a mention of the “L’Aquariaz” water park in Avoriaz. Currently we are selling apartments in the new Pierre et Vacances project via our Alpine Property website. We refer to this development as a “swimming pool complex”, it looks like we might be understating things a bit. The Morzine Marie bulletin refers to this swimming pool as a 11.6m euros “Aqua park”, that sounds like some swimming pool! I have done a little Googling to try and find some more information and the best I have managed is

” which will include a 400 square metre spa, a 600 square metre heated swimming pool and a 3,000 square metre aquatic and leisure area called Aquariaz. Based on the Center Parcs concept, the Aquariaz will have water rivers, jacuzzis, water trees, wave pools and slides, all at a constant temperature of 29 degrees Celsius”

This quote came from The Post.IE , this sounds quite a lot more impressive than “swimming pool complex” and in fact will provide a brilliant amenity for the whole area. Well done Morzine.

The Morzine Mairie Bulletin is full of details of other large capital projects in the area.

An abbreviated list appears here:
Major investments in 2009

  • Wood-fired generator and linked heating system: 2 800 000 €,
  • Improvements to the Tourist Office square: 2 470 000 €,

Projects scheduled for the current administrations tenure

  • Completion of public infrastructure linked to the Avoriaz 12 M € (communal participation of 5 M €),
  • Avoriaz aqua park (L’Aquariaz): 11.6 M € (financed by Pierre et Vacances),
  • Indoor pool near the Palais des Sports: 8.5M €,
  • New cable car link to Morzine-Avoriaz. 1st section from Prodains-Avoriaz to be completed by December 2011: 20 000 000 € financed by SERMA. 2nd section from Morzine-Prodains (surveys under way).

We have talked about the new cable car link on this blog. I should stress that only the first part from Prodains to Avoriaz is definitely going ahead, the rest is part of the plan!

Either way that is a pretty hefty investment programme that any small town would be proud of.


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Posted by Gareth

200 Properties for Sale

April 9, 2009

Alpine Property is approaching its 10th anniversary, but before we reach this milestone we have recently achieved another. This week is the first time we have had 200 properties available for sale on our website. In fact by Friday we’ll be on 205.

I know 200 doesn’t sound like a lot of properties for a web based agent. It is when you consider we operate like a traditional agent. We know each individual property and for each one we visit, take the photos and arrange a contract with the owner. We do not just “re-advertise” the properties for other agents.

It sounds like a lot to me. The reason for this is that Jo and I prepare the information and pictures and put each one on line. We have worked out how long (on average) each property takes to upload. Assuming we have to create a plan for the property (a lengthy task) then the whole process takes about 5 hrs.

So it made me wonder. How many properties have we put online in total? This is fairly hard to work out before 2002. And very easy to work out since 2002 (the year we went from a “static” HTML website to a “dynamic” database driven website). Since 2002 we have advertised 716 properties.

Thanks to Alexa’s “way back machine“, we can track how many properties where online on any given month since we went online. Here is the history for Alpine Property.

http://web.archive.org/web/*/http://www.alpine-property.com

This is also an interesting place to browse if you want to see what a property might have been worth 10 years ago!

So here is the data for number of properties visible on the website (so it includes properties “under offer”).  I’ve also added initials by the year each team member joined.

Spring 2000 – www.alpine-property.com goes online with 15 properties SN/CB which overed St Jean d’Aulps, Morzine, Les Gets and the Chatel Valley – AKA The Portes du Soleil

Spring 2001 – 24 properties GJ/JN

Spring 2002 – 28 properties – website mk 2

Spring 2003 – 32 properties

Spring 2004 – 37 properties  JD helping GJ

Spring 2005 – 109 properties – website mk 3 DB/JC, adding Samoens, Chamonix, Megeve

Spring 2006 – 110 properties VM, helping DB

Spring 2007 – 112 properties LM, helping CB

Spring 2008 – 160 properties – website mk 3.5 EC/RO, adding Les Carroz, La Clusaz and Le Grand-Bornand

Spring 2009 – 220 properties

The initials stand for

  1. SN = Steve Norris
  2. CB = Claudia Buttet
  3. GJ = Gareth Jefferies
  4. JN = James Norris
  5. JD = Jo Davison
  6. DB = Denis Barbier
  7. JC = JC Skiera
  8. VL = Valérie Maes
  9. LM = Lee Massey
  10. EC = Emma Casanova
  11. RO = Richard Owens

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Posted by Gareth

Apartment For Sale Sign

April 8, 2009

Another of the “non web” marketing strategies we have been employing.

We have just taken on an apartment in the centre of Samoens and the owner has given us permission to display our “for sale” sign.

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Posted by Gareth

Samoens, land for sale

March 28, 2009
a view of the land in Samoens

A view of the land in Samoens

Now online, Land les Vaisys, situated above the Samoëns valley in Le Grand Massif, a lovely position just 350m from the ski lift in Vercland. Planning permission has already been granted for a 6 bedroom and 6 bathroom chalet with a living area of 231m². This would be an ideal spot for either a holiday home or a business. Building costs are coming down, in 2008 we would quote 2,500 euros per m² to build a new chalet, now we think it is closer to 2,100 – 2,300 euros. This would mean that the building costs for this chalet may be closer to 500,000 euros.

Water and electricity are available near the site and the mains drains are accessible too.

Click here for further details

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Posted by Gareth

Le Petit Poucet, Megève

February 6, 2009

This apartment is part of a luxury renovation project in the sought-after location of Les Choseaux, close to the pistes and golf course of Le Mont d’Arbois.

The property was fully renovated to the highest standards with exteriors in natural stone and old wood throughout. Interiors are decorated with the best quality materials and designed in a modern style yet very much in keeping with the mountain atmosphere, with particular attention given to the bathrooms.

This property is on the top floor and comprises 3 double bedrooms each with bathroom, open plan kitchen and living room leading to a balcony, as well as a private garage. The residence has only 4 apartments and is a perfect example of the latest exclusive “new mountain” developments now in fashion in Megève. It will provide a mountain base with modern comforts without the trouble associated with the upkeep of a chalet.

More information for Apt 3, Le Petit Poucet can be found here.

And for Apt 4, Le Petit Poucet here.

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Posted by Gareth

Chalet in central Morzine

February 3, 2009

A 5 bedroom, ‘ready to go’ chalet, in the centre of Morzine.

Chalet Berger from Alpine Property on Vimeo.

We can arrange for “video tours” such as this one. They can aid the visualation of a property via the internet!

This chalet is set in a quiet location, yet right in the centre of Morzine. The ‘home run’ on the Pleney piste is approx. 100m away and the Pleney ski lifts are located just 200m from the chalet. In addition to the skiing, all the other local attractions (shops, bars, restaurants, banks, cinemas, skating rink etc.) are all within easy walking distance of the chalet.

Chalet Berger was constructed in 2000 and is offered for sale in excellent condition. Given it’s superb location, this chalet is ideally placed to give a good rental income during both the winter and the summer seasons.

Chalet Berger is a detached property with 170m2 of habitable living space. On the ground floor of the chalet is a very practical use of space with 3 garage areas, cellar and boiler rooms. The main living accommodation is situated on the upper two floors of the chalet giving it a very bright aspect, particularly in the open plan living room on the first floor.

For full details please click here.

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Posted by Gareth