Buying a ski chalet
Discussion
I would quite like to buy a place which is a good base for skiing but also the occasional summer visit.
I wondered if anyone had suggestions of resorts or areas to look which offer a good balance between value but also a nice location for both seasons? Ideally with some rental potential.
French Alps is the preference but I would look elsewhere too.
We could also look outside of the major resorts but drivable, and possibly get a small house instead of an apartment.
Budget up to £400k for a reasonable sized 1 bed.
I wondered if anyone had suggestions of resorts or areas to look which offer a good balance between value but also a nice location for both seasons? Ideally with some rental potential.
French Alps is the preference but I would look elsewhere too.
We could also look outside of the major resorts but drivable, and possibly get a small house instead of an apartment.
Budget up to £400k for a reasonable sized 1 bed.
It really depends how you would use it.
If you are flying in and out for short trips you'd really want to be in a ski resort to maximise piste time.
If it is to be a base for longer trips then you could get accommodation that would driving to the lifts and back again. This is no good if your idea of a day on the slopes involves bars and restaurants.
If you are flying in and out for short trips you'd really want to be in a ski resort to maximise piste time.
If it is to be a base for longer trips then you could get accommodation that would driving to the lifts and back again. This is no good if your idea of a day on the slopes involves bars and restaurants.
If you want summer activity, I'd have thought somewhere popular with MTB'ers would be good. Whilst you may not be a MTB'er, they bring trade, which brings other activities and means restaurants and bars are open in the summer. And if looking at skiing long term I'd want access to high altitude slopes.
Porte du Soleil ticks that box. My preference would be Morzine, as it's in the middle and gives easy access to Avoriaz in poor snow conditions. Alpe D'huez and Les Deux Alpes also have a good bike season. I've biked in Les Gets and also Morzine in the summer and both are great. We're off to Les Deux Alpes next month and can let you know it compares.
A mate has recently purchased a place in Saint Gervais for the combination of summer and winter activities. Next year will be his first trip as the apartment has been bought off plan.
Porte du Soleil ticks that box. My preference would be Morzine, as it's in the middle and gives easy access to Avoriaz in poor snow conditions. Alpe D'huez and Les Deux Alpes also have a good bike season. I've biked in Les Gets and also Morzine in the summer and both are great. We're off to Les Deux Alpes next month and can let you know it compares.
A mate has recently purchased a place in Saint Gervais for the combination of summer and winter activities. Next year will be his first trip as the apartment has been bought off plan.
smifffymoto said:
Personally I would hold off a year or two and see how the snow/lack of snow develops.
A lot of people are going to get burnt very badly.
Location is very much key to its success.
Exactly my thoughts when I saw this thread. I would want somewhere that also offered great Summer ops, like MTB ing as a hedge against poor snow in winter - it does feel to me like the trend is set, which is a major reason (along with exponentially rising costs) I have pretty much given up on winter skiing in the Alps after doing it for over 30 years.A lot of people are going to get burnt very badly.
Location is very much key to its success.
JQ said:
If you want summer activity, I'd have thought somewhere popular with MTB'ers would be good. Whilst you may not be a MTB'er, they bring trade, which brings other activities and means restaurants and bars are open in the summer. And if looking at skiing long term I'd want access to high altitude slopes.
Porte du Soleil ticks that box. My preference would be Morzine, as it's in the middle and gives easy access to Avoriaz in poor snow conditions. Alpe D'huez and Les Deux Alpes also have a good bike season. I've biked in Les Gets and also Morzine in the summer and both are great. We're off to Les Deux Alpes next month and can let you know it compares.
A mate has recently purchased a place in Saint Gervais for the combination of summer and winter activities. Next year will be his first trip as the apartment has been bought off plan.
Another vote for Morzine. Porte du Soleil ticks that box. My preference would be Morzine, as it's in the middle and gives easy access to Avoriaz in poor snow conditions. Alpe D'huez and Les Deux Alpes also have a good bike season. I've biked in Les Gets and also Morzine in the summer and both are great. We're off to Les Deux Alpes next month and can let you know it compares.
A mate has recently purchased a place in Saint Gervais for the combination of summer and winter activities. Next year will be his first trip as the apartment has been bought off plan.
As a kid and younger adult, ski in/out accommodation almost seemed essential. I guess when you've only got 1 or 2 weeks in the year you really do want to maximise piste time, and as a kid carring kit felt like a chore.
Now I'm older and have done several full seasons I'd much rather better accommodation a shortish drive or bus over a tiny apartment in a resort.
Now I'm older and have done several full seasons I'd much rather better accommodation a shortish drive or bus over a tiny apartment in a resort.
ChocolateFrog said:
As a kid and younger adult, ski in/out accommodation almost seemed essential. I guess when you've only got 1 or 2 weeks in the year you really do want to maximise piste time, and as a kid carring kit felt like a chore.
Now I'm older and have done several full seasons I'd much rather better accommodation a shortish drive or bus over a tiny apartment in a resort.
Yes it seems there is a trade off here.Now I'm older and have done several full seasons I'd much rather better accommodation a shortish drive or bus over a tiny apartment in a resort.
You can get a small apartment up the mountain and in resort but they are a bit uninspiring until you get to silly money.
Outside of the resort your money goes further.
I would probably do 3 x 1 week trips in the season and 2 weeks over the summer.
I quite like the skiing in Alpe de Huez but can’t quite picture it in the summer.
I also like Zell Am See and Kaprun in the summer but I heard the skiing is quite technically advanced and I’ve had a bad run of snow in Austrian resorts.
Saalbach-Hinterglem has come up in my research.
Morzine I will check out - thanks.
Any thoughts on Chamonix? I haven’t visited.
S600BSB said:
JQ said:
If you want summer activity, I'd have thought somewhere popular with MTB'ers would be good. Whilst you may not be a MTB'er, they bring trade, which brings other activities and means restaurants and bars are open in the summer. And if looking at skiing long term I'd want access to high altitude slopes.
Porte du Soleil ticks that box. My preference would be Morzine, as it's in the middle and gives easy access to Avoriaz in poor snow conditions. Alpe D'huez and Les Deux Alpes also have a good bike season. I've biked in Les Gets and also Morzine in the summer and both are great. We're off to Les Deux Alpes next month and can let you know it compares.
A mate has recently purchased a place in Saint Gervais for the combination of summer and winter activities. Next year will be his first trip as the apartment has been bought off plan.
Another vote for Morzine. Porte du Soleil ticks that box. My preference would be Morzine, as it's in the middle and gives easy access to Avoriaz in poor snow conditions. Alpe D'huez and Les Deux Alpes also have a good bike season. I've biked in Les Gets and also Morzine in the summer and both are great. We're off to Les Deux Alpes next month and can let you know it compares.
A mate has recently purchased a place in Saint Gervais for the combination of summer and winter activities. Next year will be his first trip as the apartment has been bought off plan.
I have two friends who are lucky that they can work from anywhere with a laptop and an internet connection. They've rented a chalet in Morzine for three months of the season for the last three seasons, however in the last two they have basically written off skiing for the last month, because the snow has been so dire.
I know there's a lot of anti-climate change rhetoric on PH and I love nothing more than a noisy V8, but Greta and her mates might have a point. I would worry about those bad seasons being a permanent thing rather than a cyclical blip.
A couple of massive dumps of snow and all that worry goes away, but if I was in the position to drop that much money on one I would be giving serious consideration to the longevity of the skiing in the resort.
muscatdxb said:
Any thoughts on Chamonix? I haven’t visited.
Chamonix is great as it's an all year round town, dedicated to outdoor pursuits, and has the advantage of height.The actual slopes are in outlying areas from the main town centre, so you are reliant on a car or the ski bus service to get to most of the lifts, so buying "outside" the resort is a thing that doesn't deny you closeness to the slopes. Take a look at the piste map to see what I mean.
It's got the advantage that it's a lively town all year round, so if you were looking to rent it out at any point to cover costs then there is a bigger market for that in Chamonix, I would expect (no practical experience, just my observation as a 2 x visitor).
However, as per my post above, I would exercise caution. This article is 11yrs old but doesn't paint a great picture regarding the snow base:
https://www.theguardian.com/environment/2013/mar/3...
I like the idea but 400k will buy you a life time of ski holidays with change to spare. I think I'd be looking at something not on the mountain that will still have value if in 20 years skiing is limited/non existent.
A lot of the smaller airports are seasonal so I'd also bare that in mind too. You could edge your bets and base yourself somewhere near a glacier. Just off the top of my head somewhere in the Ötzal valley you'll have access to numerous ski areas, Solden, Obergurlgl, Kuhtai but you may find in the off season you'd need to fly to Munich.
I'd try a long term rental for a season or two see what works for you before committing that kind of cash-some of the resorts you've mentioned are a bit chalk and cheese Saalbach and Chamonix for example.
A lot of the smaller airports are seasonal so I'd also bare that in mind too. You could edge your bets and base yourself somewhere near a glacier. Just off the top of my head somewhere in the Ötzal valley you'll have access to numerous ski areas, Solden, Obergurlgl, Kuhtai but you may find in the off season you'd need to fly to Munich.
I'd try a long term rental for a season or two see what works for you before committing that kind of cash-some of the resorts you've mentioned are a bit chalk and cheese Saalbach and Chamonix for example.
would you consider bourg st maurice? down in the valley, but has the funicular straight up into les arc. has the snow train/ TGV from paris arriving into the station. you have val d’isere / 3 valleys easily within day trip distance…..
in summer you have the full array of summer stuff- mountain biking, road biking, climbing, walking, canoe/ kayak/ white water rafting, lake/ sand beaches. plus it’s a year round ‘working’ town.
obvious downfall to all this is you need to drive/ travel to do any of these activities!
plus you say you would consider/ want to rent the place the out, but would you be looking to use it for peak weeks (christmas/ new year/ half term)??? if so it really reduces the profitability of renting out
in summer you have the full array of summer stuff- mountain biking, road biking, climbing, walking, canoe/ kayak/ white water rafting, lake/ sand beaches. plus it’s a year round ‘working’ town.
obvious downfall to all this is you need to drive/ travel to do any of these activities!
plus you say you would consider/ want to rent the place the out, but would you be looking to use it for peak weeks (christmas/ new year/ half term)??? if so it really reduces the profitability of renting out
TGCOTF-dewey said:
Also worth looking further east into the eastern Europe and the balkans. A fraction of the cost and growing rapidly. I work with a Bulgarian chap and he raves about the skiing, mountaineeting and MTB.
Yes. Slovenia. I cannot believe how cheap some of the property is, so long as you stay away from the area immediately around Lake Bled. I've skied there regularly over the last 10 years.malks222 said:
would you consider bourg st maurice? down in the valley, but has the funicular straight up into les arc. has the snow train/ TGV from paris arriving into the station. you have val d’isere / 3 valleys easily within day trip distance…..
in summer you have the full array of summer stuff- mountain biking, road biking, climbing, walking, canoe/ kayak/ white water rafting, lake/ sand beaches. plus it’s a year round ‘working’ town.
obvious downfall to all this is you need to drive/ travel to do any of these activities!
plus you say you would consider/ want to rent the place the out, but would you be looking to use it for peak weeks (christmas/ new year/ half term)??? if so it really reduces the profitability of renting out
+1in summer you have the full array of summer stuff- mountain biking, road biking, climbing, walking, canoe/ kayak/ white water rafting, lake/ sand beaches. plus it’s a year round ‘working’ town.
obvious downfall to all this is you need to drive/ travel to do any of these activities!
plus you say you would consider/ want to rent the place the out, but would you be looking to use it for peak weeks (christmas/ new year/ half term)??? if so it really reduces the profitability of renting out
Great for winter and summer activities.
As it is a working town all year around, you have everything you need close to you. Many skiing stations are great in the winter but absolutely dead in the summer, Bourg st Maurice is very busy in the summer as well.
As someone who used to work for a ski company I'd echo the "wait" thing, the snow seems to be getting worse and worse, however some resorts are adapting. Morzine/Les Gets opened their mountain bike park in December last season due to the lack of snow.
However, if you just want a base to give you the outdoor lifestyle, then I don't think you can go too wrong with Chamonix. A Mecca for the outdoors, with good skiing when the snow is good, and only an hour or so from Geneva.
However, if you just want a base to give you the outdoor lifestyle, then I don't think you can go too wrong with Chamonix. A Mecca for the outdoors, with good skiing when the snow is good, and only an hour or so from Geneva.
Unless you are ridiculously loaded 400k seems a lot to tie up, particularly when you will only use it a few weeks a year. The rest of the time will try to rent it out? And all the hassle that goes with that, advertising, change over, cleaner, keys, maintenance, tax. Just to (hopefully) make a few quid a year? Hmmm…what’s the advantage of buying? Will you be happy going there year after year instead of somewhere else?
I had two foreign properties. Both easily rented to long term tenants because they were in good position/ areas of a city. No real problems, paid my fees and country taxes. I sold the first one for a very healthy profit and I now live in the second one, in Portugal.
I had two foreign properties. Both easily rented to long term tenants because they were in good position/ areas of a city. No real problems, paid my fees and country taxes. I sold the first one for a very healthy profit and I now live in the second one, in Portugal.
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