If you want to buy a ski apartment in the Alps, the chances are you'll buy off-plan, as the shortage of new development opportunities means most properties are snapped up well before new buildings are completed. Stephanie Crayford, director of a marketing business in the Home Counties, was looking to buy an apartment both as an investment and in order to enjoy holidays, when she was introduced by estate agency Savills to Larry Levine, founder of Alpine Homes International, a developer working in the Alps.She quickly became interested in Veysonnaz Chalets, a small development in the Four Valleys area of Switzerland. "I knew the area because I had been skiing in Verbier," says Stephanie, "and I was very attracted by the fact that they were offering a three year rental guarantee as well as six weeks annual usage, which meant that the property would basically 'wash its face' but I would still be able to enjoy it with my family."
She quickly became interested in Veysonnaz Chalets, a small development in the Four Valleys area of Switzerland. "I knew the area because I had been skiing in Verbier," says Stephanie, "and I was very attracted by the fact that they were offering a three year rental guarantee as well as six weeks annual usage, which meant that the property would basically 'wash its face' but I would still be able to enjoy it with my family."
In early 2005, she was flown out to Switzerland with a number of other prospective buyers to view the site and the area. "When we were there, there were just poles in the ground where they were going to build, but they told us the history of the area and the plans for the village."
Veysonnaz is a typical mountain village perched between the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc mountains which has retained a good deal of its traditional charm.
Stephanie also liked the price; her three-bed apartment in the Balcons de Soleil building was on offer for SFr 456,000 - approximately £210,000, which made it extremely favourable compared to similar properties in the French Alps. Its value has since gone up significantly, bearing out the belief that this would be a good investment. "I knew that Veysonnaz was up and coming, and they were going to invest in new ski lifts there. The price was very reasonable - at the time Switzerland was one of the only countries that had been experiencing property deflation," says Stephanie.
It was not the first time she had bought abroad; previously she had bought a property in France which had not proved a success, so she was anxious to get it right this time.
One selling point of the development was the high quality of the workmanship and the finishes. "The quality is very high and very robust. They build to last and it is reassuring to know that I won't have to do anything to my property for at least 20 years," says Stephanie.
She quickly became interested in Veysonnaz Chalets, a small development in the Four Valleys area of Switzerland. "I knew the area because I had been skiing in Verbier," says Stephanie, "and I was very attracted by the fact that they were offering a three year rental guarantee as well as six weeks annual usage, which meant that the property would basically 'wash its face' but I would still be able to enjoy it with my family."
In early 2005, she was flown out to Switzerland with a number of other prospective buyers to view the site and the area. "When we were there, there were just poles in the ground where they were going to build, but they told us the history of the area and the plans for the village."
Veysonnaz is a typical mountain village perched between the Matterhorn and Mont Blanc mountains which has retained a good deal of its traditional charm.
Stephanie also liked the price; her three-bed apartment in the Balcons de Soleil building was on offer for SFr 456,000 - approximately £210,000, which made it extremely favourable compared to similar properties in the French Alps. Its value has since gone up significantly, bearing out the belief that this would be a good investment. "I knew that Veysonnaz was up and coming, and they were going to invest in new ski lifts there. The price was very reasonable - at the time Switzerland was one of the only countries that had been experiencing property deflation," says Stephanie.
It was not the first time she had bought abroad; previously she had bought a property in France which had not proved a success, so she was anxious to get it right this time.
One selling point of the development was the high quality of the workmanship and the finishes. "The quality is very high and very robust. They build to last and it is reassuring to know that I won't have to do anything to my property for at least 20 years," says Stephanie.
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