Real Estate buying properties in the Mountains
Real Estate: Investing in the Mountains
Mountain real estate, a safe haven for your investments. If some prices are high in the famous resorts, the Alps also reserve great deals.
With the environmental questions that we are asking ourselves like global warming and the reduction of snow falls, is it a good solution to invest in the Alps ?
In view of the number of people recorded in ski resorts during winter 2020, there are always people in the mountains. It would seem that investors and vacationers will not leave the mountain for nothing in the world despite the current COVID-19 crisis that hit France in March 2020 and which ended the winter season earlier than expected.
So how will mountain real estate be in the coming years?
High mountain resorts such as those of the Three Valleys (Courchevel, Méribel, Val-Thorens, Les Ménuires), Paradiski (Les Arcs, La Plagne, Peisey Vallandry) or Espace Killy (Tignes, Val d’Isère) are still seeing good days ahead. Property development is on the rise and property candidates, French, but also many foreigners are jostling there. Despite a high real estate offer with prices per sqm ranging from € 7,000 to € 20,000 for new programs, real estate quickly finds buyers.
Booming resorts also like La Rosière are on the rise. Located in the heart of the Haute-Tarentaise, at 1850m above sea level, La Rosière also nicknamed “Le Balcon de la Tarentaise” offers a breathtaking view with a southern exposure on the mountains.
Linked to La Thuile in Italy, La Rosière is also the only resort in Savoie to offer an international ski area with 152 km of pistes: Espace San Bernardo. Indeed, by joining the Col du Petit Saint-Bernard sector, you can either return to La Rosière, or switch to the Aosta Valley and descend to the La Thuile resort. La Rosière offers a traditional atmosphere and offers cross-border skiing for all levels with one of the most significant snow cover in the French Alps. Offering prices ranging from € 4,500 for property to renovate and up to € 8,000 for new housing, the small resort has everything from a big one! With the establishment of groups such as Club Méditerranée, it is certain that the station is an attractive choice for new investors.
Good deals in the Maurienne Valley
Smaller resorts between 1,000 and 1,500 meters of altitude are much more accessible and there are properties from 4,000 or 4,500 euros / m2 in the old ones and up to 6,500 € / m2 for new housing. You should head towards those which are connected to the large ski areas such as Valloire linked to Valmeinier by the Galibier Thabor area (approx 150km of slopes) and which benefits from an important summer tourist attraction thanks to the legendary Col du Galibier connecting the Northern Alps and the Southern Alps in Summer.
Also the resorts of Sybelles, the 4th connected ski area in France. With its 393 ha of slopes, its panoramas from the 360 ° peaks on the Alps, its 6 stations (La Toussuire, Le Corbier, Saint-Sorlin-d’Arves, Saint-Jean-d’Arves, Les Bottières, Saint- Colomban-des-Villards) and its many activities for everyone is also an area of choice for investments.
These stations adapt to the concept of the “4 seasons mountain” by developing “nature” activities throughout the year.
REAL ESTATE INVESTMENTS SHARED BY FAMILY MEMBERS
More and more families are choosing to invest between siblings, parents and children, cousins by different ways such as SCI and Family companies. These mid-mountain resorts make it possible to make long-term investments with interesting profitability ratios.
For 107,000 euros, you can afford a 23 m2 studio at the foot of the slopes with parking and ski locker, for 250,000 euros a T3 of 50 m2, and for around 600,000 euros, chalet with a view.
ABOVE ALL A “ PLEASURE INVESTMENT ”
Investing in the mountains is above all a pleasure investment. The pleasure of buying a property in privileged environmental sectors with a stable market price which evolves positively. It is also a way to come and enjoy mountain fun a few times a year while enjoying an attractive return on investment thanks to seasonal rentals. Thanks to the LMNP tax lever, buyers can amortize their property, maintenance costs and even part of their loan if necessary, or even VAT.
THE COVID-19 CRISIS AND MOUNTAIN STATIONS
After the announcement of a sudden closure of bars and restaurants, as well as places deemed “not essential to the nation” in mid-March, the alpine winter sports resorts drew up a first assessment of the accumulated losses there a few days ago due to their early closure. Most of the resorts originally planned to close in mid-April or even early May.
However, the gaze of the players in the sector is already turned towards the future. The summer season, which usually starts in mid-June and continues until mid-September, is already coming to an end. If certain players such as ski lifts realize 98% of their turnover in winter, other sectors, such as hotels and restaurants or the leisure industry, could paradoxically see their summer activity partly boosted by the current economical and sanitary situation.
for several years, the resorts have been initiating a transition to all-season tourism, with the development of new outdoor activities (mountain bike circuits, trail running, etc.) as well as a renovation or even a gradual rise in the range of traditional and collective accommodation, this strategy could well serve this year to attract new audiences in the mountains.
The French people will probably be more reluctant to go abroad, but will certainly want to air themselves after several weeks of confinement, with last minute reservations in particular. This is a trend that we have already seen in recent years, and which could be reinforced.
The resorts focus in particular on local customers, coming from large cities located within a radius of a few hundred kilometers from the mountains, who could choose to go as close to home as possible, while enjoying the outdoor activities offered in the mountains.
It is certain that the COVID-19 crisis is likely to impact more than one sector in France and the mountains will not be spared, but this mountain has everything in hand to offer holidaymakers and investors the pleasures they are looking for. The mountain should then maintain its activities and start off again once the health crisis has passed.
A slight drop in real estate should be able to offer investors great opportunities with interesting profitability ratios thanks to French vacationers who will undoubtedly take advantage of their national nature heritage to come and get some fresh air!
