Victoria Beckham and kids Brooklyn and brother Christian  hit the slopes in the French ski resort of Courcheval this week having taken a break from property hunting in the US. Maybe like many British holidaymakers she is  considering buying property rather than renting accommodation in French resorts .
 
Many Brits choose to buy property in the year-round resorts of the ever-popular Alps. Property prices in the Alps are rising steadily to the levels that homeowners have previously experienced in Britain. Changes in the market trend are being driven largely by British buyers, with one in three buyers being foreign and 70% of those being British. Be it a traditional Alpine chalet or a modern studio apartment, the cost of buying can often prove cheaper in the long term than renting. It is true that some of the major resorts such as Val d’Isere and Chamonix can command premium prices for property but bargains are there for the taking in the surrounding villages and lesser-known resorts. Particularly good value can be found in purpose built Alpine apartments.
 
Daniel and Lorraine Gillan from Hertfordshire bought just such a studio apartment in the Haute Savoie region of the French Alps last year. After searching the northern French Alps the Gillan family finally settled for the resort of Bernex. Daniel explains, “The decision to buy was a simple matter of calculating the costs. Owning our studio apartment costs around £70 per month whereas renting was often costing more than five times that per week.” This has also proved to be a sound investment, with Daniel realising a 30% increase in the value of his property in just one year. He explains that he plans to utilise the buoyant rental market to reduce costs still further.
 
A daughter of school age forces the Gillan family to travel during the school holidays when most holiday companies significantly raise prices. Finding suitable family accommodation was proving a challenge and certainly not cheap. “Owning our own apartment in Bernex has such significant advantages. We can travel when we choose and not be limited by the raised prices during holiday periods” he explains. Even short break visits have proved to be possible and very reasonably priced. Easyjet fly direct from London Luton to Geneva, which is just an hour’s drive from Bernex. With flights available, often from as little as £50 return, this makes a weekend break to your mountain retreat a feasible option.  
 
Bernex is situated midway between the historic market town of Evian-Les-Bains set on Lake Geneva and the famous Portes-du-Soleil area which includes such well known resorts as Morzine, Avoriaz and Chatel. The Portes-du-Soleil area is one of Europe’s premier mountain biking regions with an extensive mountain bike trail complex that converts itself perfectly for winter skiing once the snows arrive.
 
 While only a small village resort by comparison, Bernex is blessed with the trimmings of the larger resorts but without the crowds. Daniel continues, “The beauty is that the season for adventure never ends. Once the snow disappears in springtime the mountain bikers and walkers arrive to explore the vast quantity of trails on offer. It is a special place to be all year round.” In and around resorts such as Bernex, studio apartments that sleep 4 can typically be found for £40000-45000, half the cost of similar properties in Morzine and a third of the cost of a similar property in Val d’Isere. This makes buying in such locations a very realistic option, especially considering the fact that, for the more adventurous holidaymaker, Bernex is situated just a 20 minute drive from the larger Portes-du-Soleil area
While demand for Alpine holiday homes remains strong supply is limited. This is demonstrated by the steady rise in property prices. Even so, bargains are still there for the prospective buyers.
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
Property for Sale in Bernex
 
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  1. avatar
    Carol McDonald