Properties for sale in Les Houches

Over the coming weeks, we will be adding an exciting new range of apartments and chalets for sale in and around the resort of Les Houches, in the Chamonix Valley.

Les Houches is an ever popular destination, thanks to its family friendly ski domain, its pretty village centre, the stunning backdrop of Mont Blanc and its proximity to Chamonix, only 5 minutes away. Access throughout the year is easy: the resort is less than 1 hour's drive from Geneva airport and the road is dual-carriageway the whole way making for a stress-free arrival in all seasons. There is an excellent public transport network, with regular buses to Chamonix and trains to the TGV station at St Gervais - Le Fayet and other resorts including Argentiere and Vallorcine.

The ski domain is 55km in size and there are two main lifts in the resort centre: the Bellevue cable car and the Prarion gondola.

Here is a taste of the properties that will be added to our website very shortly.

Apartments:

(1) A three-level apartment just a short walk from the Prarion ski lift and the pretty Lac des Chavants. The property sleeps 6-8 people comfortably and has two bathrooms. It is on the market at 175,000 euros.

(2) A new apartment, 43m2 and only 2 minutes walk from the Prarion lift. Sold with seasonal rentals in place. Great value at 250,000 euros.

(3) A gorgeous 2-bed apartment in a sought-after residence built by well-respected developer MGM in 2006 (pictured). In excellent condition throughout and sold with a private garage, the apartment is on the market at 320,000 euros and benefits from reduced notaires fees.

Chalets:

(4) In a quiet residential street, in the centre of the village, a chalet dating back to the 1930's. In need of some renovation, the property has heaps of character and potential and is available for 498,000 euros.

(5) A luxurious 250m2 chalet which has been renovated to a very high standard by its current owners. There are stunning views of the Mont Blanc massif. Sale price is 1.1m euros.

Contact Ascendant now to find out more about the attractions of buying property in Les Houches - or why not register now to ensure you receive details of the new properties as soon as they go live?

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.

Ski and property hunt this spring

It's not too late to combine a property hunting trip with some late season winter sports. All the major ski domains covered by Ascendant are open until the last week of April - and in the case of the Chamonix Valley, the second week of May.

Closing dates by domain are as follows:

Aravis (La Clusaz): 26 April
Chamonix Valley (Argentiere): 10 May
Evasion Mont Blanc (Les Contamines): 24 April

Grand Massif (Flaine): 26 April

Portes du Soleil (Avoriaz): 26 April

Three Valleys (St Martin de Belleville): 26 April

Conditions are excellent throughout the Northern Alps with many resorts still enjoying several metres of snow at altitude. The slopes are also noticeably quieter at this time of year and flights into Geneva are competitively priced.

Naturally we can set up property viewings to ensure that you make the most of your time on the piste. Check out our buy property page for a selection of ski chalets and apartments for sale then give us a call to arrange that combined skiing and property hunting trip.

Winter Olympics 2018

Here at Ascendant Property we're supporting Annecy's bid to host the 2018 Winter Olympics. France has already confirmed that it will be putting forward a candidate city for the 23rd edition of the games and on March 18th this year, the French Olympic Committee (CNOSF) will announce the name of that candidate. Annecy faces competing bids from the cities of Nice and Grenoble, plus a rather ambitious entry by the little village of Pelvoux in the Southern Alps, home to just 400 people!

The Annecy bid has a long and growing list of supporters from the sporting, political and commercial communities, all keen to see the Winter Olympics return to its birthplace in Haute-Savoie (Chamonix having hosted the inaugural event in 1924). Even its Swiss neighbour, Geneva, has firmly come out in support of the 2018 Games taking place in Annecy and Haute Savoie. Competition events would be spread out between Annecy and the nearby winter resorts of this area, the largest, most popular ski destination in the world. Many of the resorts are famous names in their own rights. Chamonix, of course, would play an integral part, hosting skiing and ice hockey events in the shadow of Mont Blanc. Morzine-Avoriaz in the Portes du Soleil would host many of the downhill skiing competitions; curling would take place in Saint-Gervais-les-Bains; Flaine would be home to snowboarding and the ski jumping and cross-country events would take place in La Clusaz. Annecy itself would host the ice skating and speed skating, plus the Olympic village.

The support for the Annecy Haute-Savoie bid is understandable. The area is exceptionally beautiful and has unrivalled infrastructure (good road and rail links and easy access from Geneva International Airport; modern, extensive winter sports facilities; quality accommodation, restaurants etc.). These are the very same reasons that people from around the world choose to buy property here. Good luck Annecy on the 18th March!

Snow conditions

The ski resorts of Haute-Savoie have been enjoying some of the best snow conditions for many years and with heavy snow forecast over the next few days it looks set to continue well into the season.

In the run up to Christmas 2008 plenty of snow fell over the northern French Alps enabling the ski resorts to open as early as late November. For the team here at Ascendant, the January weeks that follow the holiday rush often offer some of the best skiing the area has to offer, with crystal clear blue skies, empty ski pistes and al fresco dining against a backdrop of snow clad peaks.

Last Monday we headed over to Les Gets for the day, the week before we were in La Clusaz and this coming Monday (weather permitting, we have become fair weather skiers now it's right on our doorstep) we’ll be going to Les Contamines Montjoie. We make it our mission to ski as much of the Haute-Savoie area during the winter, so we can tell you what each resort is like when you’re considering where to buy your ski property. It’s a hard life but someone has to do it.

If you’re coming out to the area and you want to check out the snow conditions before you travel, try the website www.ski-resort-france.co.uk. The snow bulletins added by the various ski resorts will tell you when it last snowed, the depth of the snow and the snow conditions. Checking it over today, Chamonix has 188cm at the top and 70cm at the bottom, Saint Gervais has 140cm at the top and 50cm at the bottom and Samoens has 120cm and 67cm at the bottom. With a good top-up due in the early part of next week it looks like February half term should offer some great ski conditions if you can’t make it out beforehand.

Don’t forget we’re on hand to help you locate your dream ski property - so tell us what you’re looking for and let us help you to spend more time on the ski slopes.

New Year New Site Design

Happy New Year from the Ascendant Property Team!

Just before Christmas we set up this new website layout, giving you better access to the wide range of French Alps Properties we have on offer and also to brighten up the look of the site!

We hope you enjoy, both the new look site and our new property blog.

This new property blog will feature news and views from the Ski and Alpine Property market from Ascendant Property, giving you the chance to see what we've been up to and the latest Property for sale in Chamonix, Annecy, Les Contamines, Morzine, Saint Gervais and Samoens.

Let us know what you think of our new blog and site design by contacting us today!