How to buy a home in the mountains.

An aerial shot of Val d'Isère- Photo: Val d'Isère TO. Val d'Isère starting the ski season with clear protocols.

How to buy a home in the mountains.

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If you are a fanatic mountain lover and a skier or boarder, you know that you are thinking about the mountains all the time. If you could, you would be there as much as possible, maybe try to work for the season, and if you are very lucky, stay year-round.

This idea might be great if you have no family and you don’t need to ground yourself down because of your kids. I have a friend when living in Argentina that was doing the ski seasons in Las Leñas with his kids, and another friend in common kept on saying that those kids were not going to learn anything – I would say they will learn the ‘school of life’. But it is not an easy option.

Le Genepi in Les Gets. How to buy a home in the mountains.
Le Genepi in Les Gets. How to buy a home in the mountains.

So, if you are lucky enough of being able to have the money, receive an inheritance, put money aside every month for some (or many) years, or get money for a deposit and look into getting a mortgage, maybe investing in a home in the mountains could be an option for you.

I always wanted to live in the mountains. When I was young and I lived in Colorado, I was really happy waking up there every day. That was the case in Crested Butte, even more than in Aspen. And working for the seasons in Las Leñas and Bariloche also had its appeal.

But having your spot where to stay in the mountains, and not necessarily having to be working there, is the best of both worlds.

Dining room render of the Génepy. Les Gets. How to buy a home in the mountains.
Dining room render of the Génepy. Les Gets. How to buy a home in the mountains.

So how you can do this.

I obviously started looking online, at new developments that can be bought from the builder, some of them ski in/out and then looking at different websites, of the likes of Rightmove of Idealista (for Italian properties).

There are a couple of UK realtors that are dedicated to selling properties in the Alps. Such is the case of Alpine Property Intelligence, which has a very good website featuring different apartments and chalets in the Alps- specifically in France, Switzerland and Austria. Not only they offer a range of apartments for-sale, but also for rent.

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Swiss village plans to sell ‘houses for one franc.’

Monte Sciaga - Swiss village plans to sell 'houses for one franc.'

Swiss village plans to sell ‘houses for one franc.’

From The Local

A municipality in Switzerland’s Italian-speaking canton of Ticino is looking at selling off nine properties for the symbolic price of one Swiss franc (€0.90). 

The aim of the plan (here in Italian) is to breathe life back into the far-flung but picturesque hamlet of Monti Scìaga, right near the Italian border.

Monte Sciaga - Swiss village plans to sell 'houses for one franc.'
Monte Sciaga – Swiss village plans to sell ‘houses for one franc.’

The Italian border is a virtual stone’s throw from Monti Scìaga.

The local council wants to build a hut for hikers and cyclists while nine further properties could be up for grabs for one franc each if local building authorities sign off on the project this autumn.

The catch

But there is a catch. The stone houses – or rustici as they are known locally – are little more than ruins, and anyone buying them would have to fully renovate them in line with local laws.

Continue reading “Swiss village plans to sell ‘houses for one franc.’”