Clare and Jon Heathcote are characteristic of many of our buyers – they are looking for a low-maintenance second home in excellent condition with a minimum of 2 but ideally 3 bedrooms. They have a young and growing family so they really need a spacious property with plenty of room to expand into. Clare and Jon plan to visit their property throughout the year; Jon is a keen skier and they both enjoy walking and spending time in the mountains. This is a growing trend amongst our clients – initially many buyers planned to simply use their second home in the winter – now many people have realised that the Alps make a fabulous year-round holiday destination.

Clare and Jon came to us with a cash budget of 350,000 euros but were happy to increase this to 550,000 euros and take out a French mortgage for the extra if necessary. They would also need to place the property with a local agent for lettings when they weren’t using it. This was their first property buying trip to the Alps and as such it takes some time to research what you get for your money and the distances involved from the airport to resort and from each property to either resort or the ski pistes. We opted to show them a selection of apartments and chalets in their preferred locations; the Chamonix Valley, Samoens and Morzine.

As with all our clients we spent a great deal of time discussing their requirements with Clare and Jon before they arrived in the area. They were travelling with their 3 month old daughter so time and organisation really was of the essence. We planned an agenda for a day of viewings and agreed to meet at their hotel in Chamonix so we could get straight on the road in the morning. After a busy day of property viewings we spent time re-evaluating what they had seen that day and discussing how to arrange a French mortgage– we work closely with various mortgage advisors in the local area that speak fluent English and they help many of our clients with their finances. We also discussed rental opportunities, likely income and letting agents so that they would have this information to hand before reaching any final decisions.

Clare and Jon left the area on a high, with a clear idea of what they wanted from their holiday home, rental options and how they would organise their finance. Unfortunately their preferred property went under offer shortly after they left France, however they are undeterred and very excited about their Christmas viewing trip with us. This time they will get to see the area in the snow and we are confident that we will find them their ideal home. Clare and Jon both agree that they opted to use Ascendant because of our professional and friendly approach to their viewing trip, the amount of care and energy we invested in their visit and the services that we offer our clients in addition to pure estate agency, such as mortgages and lettings assistance.

If you are looking for a property in the French Alps and you would like us to help you find your ideal home then please don’t hesitate to get in touch.

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