Making sense of the French Alpine market: uncovering prime real estate opportunities
Our expert on the continent delves into the latest trends set to shape the French Alpine property market.
2 minutes to read
This article forms part of the Ski Property Report 2024 series giving insight into the latest market trends, property data and investment volumes across key ski locations.
Roddy Aris, Partner International Residential, French Alps and Paris, shares his key insights into the French Alpine property market.
1. What key trends will shape the property market in the French Alps over the next five years?
Snow reliability (for skiers) and a resort’s offer in terms of infrastructure and activities (for year-round usage) will be paramount. Resorts that fall short on either of these points will likely suffer in visitor and buyer numbers.
2. Which ski resorts do you see outperforming and why?
Chamonix and Megève are likely to outperform, these mid-altitude resorts set the benchmark for year-round appeal and have the added benefit of being within 75 minutes of Geneva Airport.
Val d’Isère’s recent strong performance is set to continue due to its excellent snow record, tight pool of properties and strong public and private investment.
3. Do you envisage more regulation (tax/planning/policy changes) in the coming years?
It is difficult to generalise planning modifications across the Alps, each area has its own rules. There is, however, a trend to limit the size of future construction as the pressure on space increases. In Chamonix, for example, new builds are only permitted up to 200 sq m, anything larger has to include additional social housing.
4. Our ski sentiment survey respondents are bullish on price growth over the next few years, do you share their view?
In the last decade, the Alpine real estate market has evolved, moving from simply a ‘ski’ destination to a home-from-home market. Covid was an accelerator and the drivers that put the market on this upward trajectory are still evident meaning there is scope for further growth ahead.
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