Ten Questions to Ace Your Ski Property Search in France

Where is the best place to buy a ski property in France? If you love skiing, we don’t need to stress what a fantastic choice of great spots you’ll find in France. From the Alps to the Pyrénées, the country offers some of the best skiing in Europe. If you are thinking of taking the next step up from renting a holiday chalet, and becoming the master of your own ski domain, here’s some information to get you started.

As with any other property purchase, the first decision, before you even start thinking about style or size, is location. We asked an experienced ski property professional to give us some direction on how to best define the right area for a ski property search.

Where to buy?

“As a developer in the French Alps,” says Richard Deans, “I get asked this question a lot, so over time I put together a quick checklist in order to help individual buyers and families refine their priorities and find the right location much easier.I kept the choices as simple as possible thanks to a ten-point cocher les cases (tick the boxes) checklist so your ideal location can start to take shape by a quick process of elimination.”

CHECKLIST

ACCESS: Would I prefer to drive less or more than 90 minutes from the airport nearest to the ski resort, or would I want to be sure of good public transport links?

STYLE: Does a purpose-built ski resort appeal to me or would I rather buy in an authentic Alpine village?

SKIING: Do I want a ski-in/ski-out property or is it more important to be close to the shops and facilities of a town or village?

SLOPES: Do I want easy access to daring black runs, gentler slopes better suited to my young family, or both?

ALTITUDE: Is it important that I stay in a high altitude location with ‘guaranteed’ snow during the season or, being an older person, would I feel more comfortable at a lower altitude?

FUN: Do I want to enjoy lots of other winter sports activities, or will I just ski?

SUMMER: if I stay in the summer, will I want good hiking, biking or climbing on the doorstep, or fishing, golf, tennis or paragliding within easy reach?

CHILDREN: Will I require childcare and activities for young children or local facilities geared to the needs of teenagers?

EVENINGS: Would I like a lively après ski scene on the doorstep and/or easy access to attractive bars and restaurants?

BUDGET: What can I afford to spend on buying a property?

Armed with these criteria you can give a very specific brief on your ideal ski property, helping your property professional to suggest which ones match your requirements.

Happy property-hunting!