The month to buy ski property

For those looking to purchase a property in time for the winter season 2009 / 2010, September is THE month to buy! The purchase process for a French property takes approximately 3 months from offer acceptance to completion - so if you want to be spending Christmas in your new alpine home (or perhaps just generating some peak season rental income from it), now is definitely the time to get your search started.

It's another day of perfect blue skies and hot sunshine here in the French Alps today. The temperature in Annecy has hit a scorching 36 degrees and the lakes and mountains of this beautiful area are packed with tourists enjoying the great scenery and outdoor activities on offer. It's hard to imagine that in less than four months time, the area will be filled with skiers and other winter sports enthusiasts enjoying Christmas and New Year in the snow - that's the beauty of this dual-season destination!

Get your property search started with Ascendant this September and soon you too could be enjoying the benefits of a second home that you can use (and rent out) in both winter and summer. In addition to some great resale opportunities, we are pleased to offer a number of top quality, new build properties for sale - ready now and with key handover in time for Christmas. All come with a 10 year buildings guarantee as standard. For example:

Three bedroom apartments in the centre of St Gervais les Bains (Evasion Mont Blanc), priced from 340,000 euros.

One, two and four bedroom apartments in the centre of Les Contamines (Evasion Mont Blanc), priced from 268,500 euros.

Two, three and four bedroom apartments in St Martin de Belleville (Three Valleys), priced from 545,510 euros.

Mont Blanc Ultra-Trail

Mont Blanc Ultra-Trail, Chamonix Mont Blanc 28th August

The Mont Blanc Ultra-Trail is one of the most challenging sporting events in the world and it is certainly not for the faint-hearted. If you haven't already registered you can heave a sigh of relief - applications for entry have now closed! Starting out in Chamonix in the early evening of August 28th, 2,300 hardened athletes are going to run (yes, run!) around the Mont Blanc mountain range, a distance of approximately 166km with elevation gains of over 9,400m. The race is run in one leg and many say this is the toughest foot race in Europe. For last year's event, 2,000 runners registered for the race in under 7 minutes, 5 months before the race - showing just how popular this type of extreme sporting event has become.

As with the walking Tour de Mont Blanc, the runners will start from the French side of the range in Chamonix Mont Blanc. From here they will pass into Italy, on to Switzerland and back to Chamonix. The fastest time in 2008 was 20 hours 58 minutes - given that most hikers take at least 10 days to finish the walking version you can see just how fit these people need to be.

So, talking of hard work, August, September and October are often our busiest times of year and 2009 looks set to be no exception. The alpine property market has definitely picked up the pace and there are some excellent bargains being snapped up by buyers that know a good deal when they see one. If you buy now then you will be completing in time for the upcoming 2009/2010 ski season (although it is hard to think about snow when it's 30 degrees outside the office!), so now is definitely a good time to get out and start looking.

For details on our property for sale please visit our Buy Property page.

Alternatively why not pick up the phone and contact us with your requirements, we'd be happy to do the hard work giving you some more time to enjoy the summer!

If this all sounds a little strenuous, why not sit back and enjoy the Fete du Lac this Saturday? Find out more here.

Annecy Fete du Lac 2009

August events in the French Alps

July was a busy month for events in the Haute-Savoie, with various music and performing arts festivals and sporting events taking place to mark the start of the popular summer season. The calendar for August looks somewhat quieter, perhaps in line with the timings of the great French national exodus for the summer holidays; however don't be misled into thinking that nothing happens in the Alps in August!

August is one of the busiest times of year for the Haute-Savoie, with international and French tourists pouring into the region to enjoy some of the best sporting activities the world has to offer; whether it's extreme climbing or scaling the dizzying heights of Mont Blanc, taking to the air with paragliding, hang-gliding and hot air ballooning, braving the adrenalin-charged rough and tumble of mountain biking over craggy peaks, working your muscles with high altitude hiking and mountaineering or simply taking time to sit back, relax and laze on the beaches around the lakeside, taking in the fabulous views, enjoying the warm sunshine and letting others do all the hard work.

There are two major events in the region in August that are absolute must-sees for your diary. The first is the annual Fete du Lac in Annecy and the second is the strenuous Mont Blanc Ultra-Trail.

Fete du Lac, Annecy 8th August 2009

The Fete du Lac is an annual event in Annecy, a celebration of summer and one of the biggest and best pyrotechnical displays going. The event takes place above the lake, usually on the first Saturday of every August. However because of the dates of the Tour de France in 2009, the Fete du Lac was moved to this weekend, Saturday August 8th.

The annual Fete du Lac began in 1860, to celebrate Savoie becoming part of France. The town of Annecy decided to put on an unforgettable display for Emperor Napoleon III and Empress Eugenie and the tradition stuck. Today the Fete du Lac is one of Europe's largest and most breathtaking pyrotechnic displays, with music, water jets and the surrounding mountains echoing back the booms of the fireworks. This year's theme is the travels of Marco Polo and it is definitely worth getting a seat if you haven't already experienced the event. Be warned, thousands of people come to Annecy to enjoy the display and it is worth finding out more about tickets and where to view on the official Annecy website.

To view our property for sale in the Annecy area, please visit our Buy Property page. Alternatively contact us to let us know more about your search and how we can locate your ideal property in the French Alps.