As an example, I recently sold an older chalet,
in an excellent location in Courchevel 1850,
for 14 million euros. The new owners plan to
rebuild it, increasing both the size and value.
Courchevel buyers are a complete mix of
nationalities, with French buyers still being
a significant proportion, and we have other
buyers from literally all over the world
including Britain, Australia, Brazil, South
Africa, America and Europe.
The market remains strong, with a little
calming in price increases after a steady
upward trend over the last few years. There
are slightly fewer resale properties on the
market, but there are still lots of buyers.
Whilst mortgages have become a little
trickier for some, Courchevel does benefit
from a clientèle that doesn't always need
credit."
Her colleague, Emma Horsfall, covers
the Belleville Valley in the Three Valleys,
which has 3 very distinct ski resorts; Val
Thorens at 2300m, Les Menuires at 1850m
and Saint-Martin-de-Belleville at 1450m.
Each resort has a different character
and infrastructure:
"The criteria for buying a property have
evolved. In recent years, property demand
has outweighed supply, and we have found
that the quality and standard of the property
takes precedence over the destination.
Clients drawn to the luxury property market
favour spacious living and high end services.
There has been a vast rise in the demand for
properties with access to spas, swimming
pools and cinema rooms. There are also
high-end clients who search solely based
on location, with ski in/ski out access. They
target this valley because the ski resorts of
Val Thorens, Les Menuires and certain areas
of Saint-Martin-de-Belleville are truly ski in/
ski out.
One noticeable trend is the increase in
demand for the number of satellite villages
surrounding the Saint-Martin-de-Belleville
ski resort. These have become increasingly
popular, in response to the requirements
12 Leggett International Real Estate
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