The Savoie region of the French Alps is popular not only for its world-class skiing, its chic resorts and fantastic scenery, but also for its delicious gastronomy, which owners of Alpine property can enjoy each time they visit their apartment or chalet. So what are the most famous dishes of...
Posted on 05 August 2013
A weak pound combined with very attractive mortgage rates mean that for some buyers of property in the Alps, getting a mortgage could make better long-term financial sense than buying outright. Fixed rates in France are at unprecedented lows, meaning that qualifying borrowers with a deposit of 20 per cent...
Posted on 29 July 2013
The French Government has reduced the number of years second homeowners must have their property before it is exempt from capital gains tax (CGT) from 30 to 22. The previous 15-yer exemption was controversially doubled to 30 years earlier this year, but the French government now has reduced it after...
Posted on 16 July 2013
Selected ski resorts in France can look forward to a facelift after a consortium of French companies, including banks and resort operator Compagnie des Alpes (CDA), launched a new scheme to reinvest in rundown residential accommodation. The effects should be a bonus for owners of ski property throughout the French...
Posted on 02 July 2013
Tennis champ Roger Federer will be firmly in the global spotlight over the next week, as he competes to retain his Wimbledon title and win the sport’s most prestigious tournament for a record eighth time. There’s no doubt Swiss born Federer has an eye for those fluffy yellow balls but...
Posted on 26 June 2013
Many Brits and other Europeans travel to their second home in the French Alps by car, which while gives flexibility and is convenient for taking your own skisalso means having to tackle precarious, snowy conditions, which most of us aren’t used to.If you’ll be driving to a ski resort next...
Posted on 20 June 2013
It won’t be skiers whizzing past the windows of homeowners in the French Alps soon but instead it’ll be the world’s leading cyclists descending mountain roads at breakneck speeds, when the mountain stages of the Tour de France arrive in the Savoie region come the middle of July. An often...
Posted on 11 June 2013
With the French Open tennis tournament underway, we’re reminded how the French are as passionate about tennis as they are about skiing, hoping for a local champion in Paris this year. France has won seven of its last 32 Opens and currently has 20 men ranked higher than Britain's number...
Posted on 04 June 2013
British owners of property in the French and Swiss Alps will find it easier to get to their ski homes next season thanks to new flights to Geneva launching from Cambridge Airport. The new route will be operated by Darwin Airline, which is based at Geneva, kicking off on 2nd...
Posted on 22 May 2013
It might be the end of the winter season, but there’s another reason other than skiing to visit one of the many great resorts in the Alps – namely, to take advantage of the excellent buying conditions and snap up a skiing property in time for next season. End of...
Posted on 14 May 2013