Everyone at Alpine Property is passionate about the environment that surrounds us. That is why we live in the Alps! We are all aware that we mostly “take” from our surroundings, giving back is harder to do.  That’s why we’re involved in initiatives like 1% for the Planet. It allows us to make a real […] The post Ecotrivelo in Chamonix appeared first on The Alpine Property Blog ..read more

Winter Season It’s April, at the end of the winter season 23/24, it is snowing outside and the forecast for the next few weeks is for the temperature to remain in single figures. In fact last night was the coldest April night ever recorded in some parts of France. What a contrast to this past winter season! It will be remembered as warmer and wetter than the historical average. For much of the season the snow depths above 1500m were normal. So at Avoriaz/Flaine the conditions were generally very good. And on the ski areas around Chamonix they had more snow than usual. This contrasted with dif ..read more

Total donated by Alpine Property so far 41 940€ We give 1% of our turnover to local groups dedicated to supporting our local environment . That’s 1% of everything, not just profit. We pay this out even if we make a loss. So if you work with us, 1% of the commission we charge you goes to supporting local environmental organisations. These donations are audited by the French 1% for the Planet organisation. We started this in 2022, our first year has just been audited. Donations in 2022 Montagne Verte 12 100 Association un Rêve d’Abeilles 7 600 Ecotrivelo 3 100 Inspire 640 1% for the ..read more

We took part in a Webinar hosted by Lumon (currency specialists), we answered 22 questions about buying a property in the French Alps, these questions had been put forward by our audience. The panel members were: Gareth Jefferies – French Property Expert at Alpine Property Fiona Watts – Finance specialist at IPF Dennelle Taylor Nizoux – Visa specialist at Renestance Jonathan Watson – Currency Specialist at LUMON The full video is available on the video posted below. However you can jump to a relevant question by clicking on the time-stamps below. 00:00 Introduction 07:29 Looking for a propert ..read more

The government in France is trying to rebalance the housing situation in favour of primary residences and renters. This is raising many questions. The press in the UK is often reporting this as a tax on British second home owners, however these taxes concern everyone, the French included. Briefly Taxe d’Habitation has been abolished for primary homes, taxe d’habitation is payable only on furnished properties that are not primary homes, this mainly concerns second homes that are not rented out. Owners of furnished rentals should declare the rental income in France (wherever they live), this me ..read more

Les Gets gets its name from an old French word that describes the channels cut through the forests. These are used to drag the wood down the mountain after it has been cut. But like so many alpine towns the people don’t survive on agriculture now. However they do still make their living off the natural resources of the land. Namely skiing, mountain biking and the wonderful views. Les Gets is the quintessential alpine village, made up of lots of individual chalets nestled amongst the trees and pistes. When we are asked by photographers where to go for the classic shots of skiers passing by snow ..read more

Since the pandemic, as everyone probably knows, the second home market has been frenetic in destinations around the world. I’ve written several times here about demand outstripping supply for holiday homes of all shapes, sizes and budgets here in the mountains, and how a drive for the good life in fresh, clean air, with easy links to an international airport, delivered us unprecedented numbers of enquiries from domestic and international buyers. Here at Alpine Property, it’s a trend that we saw ripple through into the primary home market. And by this I mean those looking for a permanent family ..read more

If you read my last report , written in December 21, you’ll remember that I used the words ‘frenzy’, ‘inflation busting prices’ and ‘busiest market in 20 years’. This trend continues; the local property market remains exceptionally busy right now. The massive surge we experienced in August last year (2021) carried into the winter season, that’s certainly the case for our French buyers, however British buyers had a short wobble in December when travel restrictions between the UK and France were frustratingly reintroduced and it looked like the Winter 21/22 season might not begin for people comi ..read more

That is usually how the question is phrased. Otherwise, we could pick from the following Will there be snow if I go skiing at Christmas? Will there definitely be lifts open at Christmas? To stop the question appearing silly, you have to look at the context. The person asking it is thinking about committing a lot of money, time and emotional capital to booking a holiday. So when you consider the context the question does not appear quite so nuts. The answer is “Who knows?”, it’s like asking if a property will increase in value. The only thing we can do is look at history and make an educated ..read more

Tesla drivers probably don’t need to read on. They have had a good charging infrastructure for years now, so driving to and from the Alps is no issue at all. Travel to and from the Alps has changed somewhat since COVID. Now people are looking for “greener”, cheaper and perhaps healthier ways to travel. I’ve had a small EV for 6 years. It was a great second car and worked well for us where we live in the French Alps. I’ve been surprised at how quickly electric cars have developed in that time and recently upgraded to a much bigger EV. Now our electric car is the main car in the household. We do ..read more