Wanted: Property in St Gervais

After a relatively quiet start to the year, the property market in the French Alps is really starting to take off again.

Here at Ascendant, June and July have been extremely busy months for sales, especially in the Evasion Mont Blanc resorts of St Gervais and Les Contamines.

We now urgently need new properties to add to our portfolio, for serious international buyers keen to complete their purchase in time for the 2009/2010 winter season. We are looking for good quality one, two, three and four bedroom apartments in St Gervais and Les Contamines as well as chalets close to the resort centres and ski lifts.

If you are thinking of selling an apartment or chalet in the Alps, please contact us for more information about how Ascendant can help. Ascendant is a fully-registered French estate agency, based in the Alps and managed by a bilingual British team. We have a large database of serious clients looking to purchase property throughout the French Alps and our easy-to-navigate website is heavily supported by on-line and press advertising. In addition to our international customer base, our network of selected partners in resort enables us to effectively market your property to the local French purchaser.

Top tips for an easy sale

Why do some properties sell in a flash when others take a lot longer? If you are the owner of a property in the French Alps and you want to sell your property for a competitive price then here are some top tips for an easy sale:

• Tidy up - it may sound obvious but unmade beds and dirty bathrooms definitely make buyers feel the property is unloved.
• Lighting - a dark and gloomy property is not welcoming to buyers. Investment in decent overhead and side lamps can make all the difference.
• Provide keys to cellars, ski lockers and garages - buyers do want to see what they are getting.
• Remove any non-essential furniture to provide a sense of space - particularly in smaller apartments.
• Arrange your furniture - show buyers there are defined areas for dining, watching TV and sleeping - particularly in smaller properties.
• Create a home - warm fabrics and neutral tones make a property feel welcoming and appealing.
• Be realistic - if you have asked an estate agent for a valuation be realistic if it does not match your expectations. We want to sell your property at the best price too but we also can't achieve miracles if the sale price is way beyond the market rate.
• Be honest - tell us about any flaws or issues related to the property. It is better to inform the buyers up front rather than losing their trust later down the line.
• Be informative - if you let the property out tell us how much for, when it is let and how you market the lettings. Include any website and future lettings in the sale of the property - many buyers also want to make a rental income as soon as possible.
• Consider selling furnished - if you don't have a second holiday home to move into then you could include the furniture and equipment in the sale - one less expense for you (shipping back to the UK) and one less expense for today's price-conscious buyer.
• Be flexible - buyers today expect to negotiate so factor this into your finances in advance and let us know if there is room to manoeuvre.
• Choose the right agent - make sure your sales representative is fully qualified and licensed to sell property in France, a member of a recognised trade association (such as FNAIM) and has a clear and competitive commission structure - be cautious if your agent has no office, can only be contacted via a mobile phone number and is not an qualified estate agent - would you want to hand someone like this the keys to your investment?

For more details on how Ascendant can help you sell your alpine property please contact us.