Buying a ski property in Switzerland is straight forward, the Notary (solicitor) works for both the purchaser and vendor. All money is protected as paid through their account, if you need to save time/flying over and signing paperwork you can authorise power of attorney to the Notary in order for him to sign on your behalf. This is normally a popular choice and we did this when we brought our ski chalet. Buying costs are approximately 2.5% of the purchase price in Valais.
Ski property is a great investment opportunity with many benefits. Switzerland has a stable economy with steady capital appreciation, there are strict rules to ensure that ski chalets and apartments are not built to become surplus to demand. Your ski property also offers great rental/income both winter and summer. This really is a holiday destination from December to April (Easter) for skiing then May - October for summer holidays
"Information about the property market in Les Collons and the 4 Valleys area"
A shared first letter and a big ski lift system apart, little otherwise links Verbier and Veysonnaz in French-speaking Switzerland. Verbier is trendy and expensive, it's challenging and extensive skiing plus the celebrity factor having made a once quiet village into a stellar European resort. Veysonnaz, one of a handful of villages in the same Four Valleys lift system, is small, quiet and utterly unpretentious.
But as Verbiers property prices have climbed as high as its towering Mont-Fort peak and construction has neared its limits, the rest of the Four Valleys is coming into its own.
In the 1950s and 1960s, Verbier, Nendaz, Veysonnaz and the other villages were probably quite similar. Then Verbier took off: the British arrived and it profited much faster than the others, says Manu Broccard, director of the Coeur du Valais tourist region covering much of the area.
The other villages developed much more slowly. But that allowed them to be different. Verbier is for people who are sporty and like skiing but also like partying and big names. If you've got a fat wallet, Verbier is great. But there's more to the Four Valleys than that.
As Verbiers prices have rocketed, buyers have refocused. The other villages all access the same 410km of pistes and the substantial off-piste potential that underlines the Four Valleys attractions. But the satellites do so at significantly lower prices.
The villages are becoming more familiar as buyers have grasped the value they offer even by Swiss standards. Prices in Nendaz are about half those of Verbier, while Veysonnaz and Les Collons are about a third cheaper still.
Verbier remains the big name. But buyers have come to recognise there's much better value elsewhere. The big price gap has not even been dented by the economic difficulties for many of the British and Swedish buyers who have driven Verbiers property market in recent years.
All the satellite villages offer broadly similar levels of convenience, lying about 15-20km from Sion, which is about 90 minute's drive by motorway from Geneva airport and on Switzerland's intercity train network. Last year's completion of the Ltschberg tunnel even accelerated rail times from the north. And this winter Snowjet.co.uk has started twice daily weekend flights from London Stansted to Sions tiny airport. Meanwhile, new and improved lifts have linked the outlying villages better than ever into the Four Valleys system.
Nigel and Helen Hunter (that's us), a young British couple, bought a home in Les Collons in 2006 as a nest egg and to run a winter catered chalet business after Helen trained as a chef. Subsequently decided to live here full time. Les Collons is't necessarily to everyone's taste, being on the calmer side of the mountain. But for many of our clients tha'ts precisely the appeal."
We have lenders who know the developments on this site and are normally willing to lend up to 70% of the purchase price with steady interest rates of approximately 1.5 - 2.5%
We can recommend rental companies and agencies to either provide a guaranteed rental income or rentals when you are not using your ski chalet or apartment. It is not unrealistic to expect your ski property to pay for itself or provide an income and have it managed for you. We have four years experience in the Les Collons/Thyon and Valais area, please feel free to contact us for more details.
Whilst we make every attempt no guarantees are provided as to the accuracy of information provided on our web pages or brochures, the company, it's employees and any partner agents shall not be liable to you or any other party for any loss or damage that results from the use of this Web site, brochures or information contained within. All deeds of sale will be prepared by a local Notary and will contain the full terms and conditions we take no responsibility, give any guarantees or representation on this matter.