If you are looking to buy a property in the French Alps, or indeed you have a property to sell, it can be quite a daunting process if your French is not great, or you don’t know the region well.
If you only speak English, it is tempting to use one of the UK-based firms to manage the process for you, but if they don’t have local people “on the ground”, then you are potentially missing out on a wealth of information, which can make or break a deal, and result in you buying a far from perfect mountain getaway.
Likewise, if you insist on using a local French-speaking agency to search for your ideal property, you risk overlooking the small details – either the agents don’t understand what you are searching for, or you totally misunderstand the small print on the contract!
Clearly the ideal solution is to deal with a company that has agents who live in the region and understand the market like a local, but who appreciate some of the finer points that matter to international buyers, and can take you through the entire process of buying a property from initial search through to signing of contracts – in your own language!
One company, which has been doing this for nearly 20 years, but which has only recently been brought to our attention, is Alpine Property. A web-based, French-registered estate agency, Alpine Property currently has 17 bilingual agents, who live and work in the Haute Savoie region of France.
Experienced professionals
Asked how they first came to operate in this region, Marketing and Technology specialist for the company, Gareth Jefferies, told knowitall.ch, “When it was first set up back in 1999, Alpine Property concentrated on properties in the Morzine and Les Gets area, finding foreign clients for local estate agents in the area. However, it soon became clear that there was a pressing need for a full-service estate agency specifically catering for foreign buyers - so the company expanded its service to become a one-stop-shop offering its own properties and accompanying clients along the entire property-buying process. In order to provide this service in France, estate agents must hold a ‘Carte Professionelle’ to show that they are properly qualified, licensed and insured. Renewed annually, the ‘Carte Professionelle’ requires agents to demonstrate their professional ability, be fluent in French and to have taken out professional indemnity insurance.”
He continued, “The rigorous demands and lengthy bureaucratic process required to get this card mean that foreign estate agents operating in France often do not have it, and so 'pass you on' to local estate agents to complete the formalities of the sale once you have verbally agreed to buy. This can often lead to confusion and errors in the final stages of the purchase. By keeping everything “in-house”, Alpine Property avoids this problem altogether – all our agents are fully qualified and insured so there is much less chance of anything going wrong.”
Strong marketing and web presence
You can find out more about how Alpine Property works on their website at this link. You can also read about the agents operating in each of the local regions and get an impression of their level of expertise by reading their individual bios here. But what sets the Alpine Property website apart from many web-based agencies selling properties in this region is the quality of their marketing. According to Gareth, Alpine Property has been at the forefront of technology from the beginning. Back in 1999 they were one of the first agents to offer properties on the web, they started doing virtual tours (see example here) a few years later, and became mobile friendly when people started browsing for property on their iPhone's. They also offer detailed floor plans, high quality photographs and location information as standard.
Gareth added, “We've always believed in showcasing our properties in their best light and to the right people, which is why we invest so heavily in the marketing of our properties. Our property listings feature on all the major estate agent portals (SeLoger, RightMove, Zoopla, and Immostreet, etc., and our advertising and PR campaigns in the UK and international press are carefully chosen to ensure that properties are seen by the right people at the right time.”
French- and English-speaking customer base
So which customers is Alpine Property targeting? According to Gareth, their clients come mostly from France, the UK and Switzerland, with a small proportion coming from the rest of the world. Most of the Swiss customers are local and come from the shores of Lac Léman, and there is also a 50:50 split between the English- and French-speaking clients.
Indeed client, Tanya Perret, falls into the “English-speaking client from the UK” category. Having had her mountain guide business (offering unique experiences from snowshoeing to yoga and hiking) featured recently on our site, Tanya was only too happy to recommended Alpine Property to us – without them she may not have found a base from which to operate her business over here! She told us, “I bought my house in Vallée Brevon through them and I can highly recommend their services. We found our dream home, and their expertise and professionalism were exceptional throughout.”
So, if you are looking to buy or sell a property in the Haute-Savoie or neighboring regions, then you should take a look at what Alpine Property can do for you. The “Map Search” function on their website provides a useful starting point for those setting out on the house-hunting process, and if you are think about selling your property you can find out more about getting your house valued here. This useful FAQ page also covers most of the initial questions you are likely to have regarding issues such as mortages, tax, and architects.
Alpine Property
http://alpine-property.fr
http://alpine-property.com
+33 (0)4 26 10 10 72
+44 (0)208 123 2384
