Messages posted by : msej449
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for those of you driving in Switzerland, be aware that from 1.1.14 it is now mandatory to have your headlights on during the daytime. Although there's a 2-month 'grace' period where the police will be sympathetic, it's probably better not to be stopped by the Swiss police if you can avoid it. For typical coverage see:
http://www.lenouvelliste.ch/fr/en-continu/articles/index.php?idContent=1248735 The article indicates that a significant minority haven't yet got the message. So despite the grace period, sooner or later I imagine there will be a police blitz on drivers not conforming. Whatever your individual view about the value or otherwise of daytime headlights, when in Switzerland I recommend conforming to local laws and just have your lights on all the time. For many of the routes anyway, it's easier than switching them on and off every time you come across a tunnel. My understanding from the article is that automatic DRLs conform. |
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You have to look at it from the claim handler's point of view, not yours. This is particularly the case where the claim handling is outsourced by the insurer e.g. the AA outsource to Drakefield Insurance Services, which is a completely different organisation. The handler will usually be a relatively young, often badly-paid clerk, who is bonused on minimising the payout. An outsourced or separate claims company will also be incentivised to pay out as little as legally possible. They hold the money that you want, so they're in a position of power. If you are even slightly over the legal limit then you can be 100% sure your claim will be rejected. Even if it's not necessarily your fault. Any claims handler will be on the lookout for any possible exclusion - just like in a driving accident here in the UK. Ignoring any moral issues around being drunk and skiing, the financial damage you risk by drinking too much is substantial. It just seems sensible to do the same as you (surely) would do at home and leave more than a glass of wine / beer 'till the evening.
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Happy to be of help .... a couple of other things:
Concierge: We have a concierge who lives on the ground floor of the block. This makes a huge difference compared to not having one, although it will increase your annual Owner's Charges, obviously. They are almost always around to help with minor problems and big ones, like the boiler pump failing in the middle of a winter's night. Ours will also drop off and pick up from the local station for a small remuneration; turn on the heating ahead of your arrival; check no one is parked in your space on arrival day; clear away the snow from the garage entrance first thing in the morning; etc.etc. Some owners resent the cost but I think they're really useful. One thing that works well is our approach of reserving two of the least booked weeks (last in Jan and first in Feb) but going weekday-to-weekday, which is significantly cheaper. Family and colleagues then tend to book 'outwards' from this, because of the attraction of weekday-to-weekday travel (no one wants to be anywhere near Geneva Airport on a Saturday in season). Generally, most years this approach still leaves some unbooked slots when we can hop over for 4-5 days. In fact, it would be useful for you to ask the Tourist Office what the pattern of visitors is like for your candidate locations. In our village, most renters are either Dutch or Germans, and January (post New Year) is the least popular time for winter visitors. It would just give you some insight into both how rentable and busy the place is. Lift opening (summer as well as winter): In most ski resorts, the 'low' seasons are spring and autumn, and the contrast can be truly dramatic, in terms of both shops/facilities and usability. Find out from the Tourist Office when the usual dates are for lift opening. In the summer, this will make a big difference to the size of area available to you (or clients). Where we are, the lifts open July and August. it's not a lot of fun having to slog 700 vertical metres when the lift is shut up to a summit that usually takes 9 minutes to reach when the lift is open. |
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Well, we bought in Switzerland 10 years ago, when everyone else was buying summer places in Spain and Florida. It was a decision we never regretted. Obviously everyone is going to have individual preferences, but here are some tips.
Overall, as the previous post said, probably the easiest way is to narrow down to one or two locations ASAP and focus on them. For us the process was 1. Somewhere French-speaking, 2. Somewhere we'd actually skied 3. Selected three specific locations we could visit over 2-3 days and went over a long Weekend. 4. Back to the UK to consider all the issues and lined up the funds 5. Chose 2 final locations and re-visited 6. Viewed four properties and decided and chose one 7. signed and got the keys within 2-1/2 hours! 8. Followed-up with Notaire on payment and some more legal signings. Some specific thoughts: £/m2 - Pricing in the Alps is usually on the basis of CHF or € per Square Metre, which is easier than in the UK. However, be careful, as what's included isn't always the same. Specifically, is your underground parking included and is your basement storage included in the total M2? Also consider the number of bedrooms and how you'll use the place. In France, the tendency is to stuff as many bedrooms into as small an area as possible, while elsewhere you get more living space. We opted for two bedroom from 68M2 in Switzerland, while I'm fairly sure that in France it would be 3. But if you have a bed-settee then you can trade living space for sleeping space. Your choice. Underground parking is really useful and attractive to rental clients. You need a private storage area ('cave') somewhere (usually in the basement). Especially if you plan to rent: you don't want to consume space in the apartment and there's always the risk of theft. Be realistic about what 'Guaranteed Rental' really means if this is something that's part of the buying or rental package. There is no such thing - in reality, it's the rental agency guaranteeing you a set income in return for your keeping away from the place for other than your fixed 2 weeks. Fine if this suits you but if you fancy long Weekends and spur-of-the-moment trips out there then it won't work. So consider what balance of rental income versus flexible use you are happy with. In our case, we rent through two agencies but don't have any fixed agreement. We get more flexibility but we have to accept they take a bigger slice of the rental fee. If we were after more rental income, we'd have to 'hand over' the place for most of the year. Refurbishment: Be realistic about these costs. Apartment blocks and chalets need major refurbishment work after ten years or so. The mountain climate is not building-friendly. Like any property, there may be big ticket items every few years. In our case, we bought a 1980's apartment near to the gondola. The downside was that over the last ten years we've had to spend around £15K on a new kitchen, flooring and redecorating, and our share (along with other owners) of a new garage door (£6K); new water tank (£10K); new boilers (£40K) ... and so on. No different to a flat in the UK but you need to be able to fund this. In our case, the rental fees cover maintenance charges and special items such as these. Heating & Water: We have a central heating and water system. I've stayed in places in France with self-contained heating/water for each apt and it's been a pain. In our place, 4-5 of us can come back from skiing or walking and have baths in succession, no problem. It can be quite a selling point to rental clients and it's certainly convenient for us. But this can make for a relatively significant heating charge and if you only use the place for a couple of weeks in total per year you might resent subsidising more local owners who visit more often. Closeness to lifts: In most holiday villages the £/m2 drops off significantly the further you are from the lifts and facilities. So this is another factor to consider. In the summer, you probably don't mind walking a kilometre to the lift. But in the winter, in your boots, carrying your skis it would be a pain. Similarly going to the shops or restaurants. In our case, we opted for an apartment near the lift rather than a small chalet at the other end of the village. Most of our family and visitors say that they prefer this, if only because it means that people can come and go at their own pace. Don't be seduced by the 'on piste' thing. Yes, it's certainly convenient for skiing out/home, but the location may be some way from the centre of the resort. In the summer, you may regret being so far away, and in the winter it may mean getting into a car to go to the shops and restaurants. Obviously, if it's both central and on piste, that's great, but there will be a £/m2 premium. En suite. Yes, the modern preference is for everything en suite but again there's a premium in both space and price. Would you rather have two bedrooms with en suite, or three with a shared bathroom? A compromise may be a second toilet, but sometimes this can be ridiculous - almost literally a closet, with plasterboard partitions that mean you can hear .... Generally, French construction isn't as solid as in Switzerland and Austria. All our walls are concrete in our Swiss apartment, so there's less noise and more privacy. Both within and between apartments. You may have no choice, but it's something to look out for. Cable TV and Internet: At home, we have 200 Mbs broadband and Virgin TiVo. Up the mountain, it costs is much more for less. We pay about £18/month for 20 Mbs and 50 cable channels, only four of which are English-speaking. I resisted the broadband for a while but really, we need it and customers expect it. Make sure what contract you have and how long it's fixed for. Usage Policy: Once you buy, don't tell anyone about the place until you have decided on your usage policy. Every week's rental or usage puts disproportionate wear-end-tear on the place. Some relatives may expect free use but if they have it when you'd otherwise be renting it out, then effectively you're subsidising their holiday. Our arrangement is that the Agencies ask us in July for a list of 'owners reservation' dates, and we generally reserve a couple of weeks end of Jan to start of Feb; they then publish the availability on the web; they will usually sell Christmas, New Year and Winter half-term holidays quite quickly after July (remember EU half-terms are staggered). Our children can use the place for free (but they must be in the group). Other relatives get the place at net rental (about 50% of the public rate). Colleagues and acquaintances ditto but we must know someone in the group - this is essential if you're to avoid friends-of-friends trashing the place with no comeback. Initially, try not to tie yourself down to restrictive contracts, or be over-generous in lending it out for free other then to immediate family. Local support: Although local agencies are the obvious choice, bear in mind staff may not be resident locally. So if your clients (and more importantly friends and relatives) need any help, this can be a problem in the evenings and Sundays. Help can range from problems with the car to people needing an interpreter at the hospital. So see if there are any locally-resident agents as well as the obvious Interhome types. They may not offer as good a net return but if there are problems, being on hand can be a Godsend. Transportation: a) In terms of flights to the nearest Hub b) driving and c) public transport/shuttles. It's easy to overlook the inaccessibility of some locations if you're really attracted by somewhere that is in a pretty location with a good £/m2 etc. The ideal is (as I think you mentioned) less then 2 hours drive from Geneva or similar hub; less than 8 hours drive from Calais; and with public transport connections in the summer and low seasons as well as winter. Legal: In France and Switzerland, a single Notaire acts for both buyer and seller, rather like in Scotland. They just don't use the adversarial model we have in England of separate solicitors. So live with it - it has a lot of advantages. However, once you sign, there's no going back (we'll, not without your paying a penalty fee). And there are still occasional cases of a dishonest developer or immobilier, so you still need to be very clear on the process, and wary of handing over money. Language: Being an owner will involve you in all sorts of things and if nothing else, correspondence from the local council, agencies, property agents, cable company etc. It helps a lot if you speak at least a bit of French and/or are willing to put some effort into learning some more and perhaps keeping up-to-date with the local news (esier now papers usually available on Web). |
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You might consider public transport, in which case you can get a train from Geneva 'round the lake. I've seen people getting off at Aigle for Leysin and Les Diablerets, and at Martigny for Verbier (le Chable). I assume you can get off somewhere like St.Triphon for Champéry and further up the Rhone near Sion for Crans Montana, and of course, at Brig for Zermatt.
If I was using the train, I'd go Geneva->Martigny->Le Chable and then the cablecar up to Verbier. But that's only because I've done it - there may be other options. Take a look at the Swiss travel website www.sbb.ch for timetables. I think that the new Winter Timetable is out now. |
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Skiied Verbier today and found conditions reasonable. Snow isn't as thick as last year at similar time (but that was exceptional, although I'd say it's been consistently colder. Quite a lot of Verbier open, although runs down from Ruinettes to Medran and Carrefour were unpisted and so rather rough/moguly. Temp around -5C but bright sunshine. Could do with some more dumps before Christmas. Generally, the piste was getting a bit rough by 2pm but that's typical for a Weekend.
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Our children learned to ski in Livigno. it's a high resort with guaranteed snow, and a tax refuge, so it's cheap. The Italian instructors were great with the kids. The resort has three graded learner slopes alongside a full piste so meeting-up after you've skied 'proper' pistes is easy. Major downside is transfer time of 4 hours. In europe, I'd recommend Italian resorts for learner children, not just Livigno.
As mentioned, US resorts have the advantage of English instruction and customer focus. But the overall journey time is considerable, and you may be jet-lagged for a few days. |
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30.11.13 - In La Tzoumaz, 4 Valleys this Weekend. Fresh snow last night. Temp -4C on the balcony. Televerbier has opened connections today from Siviez and La Tzoumaz so you can get to Verbier more easily. More of Verbier is open than this time last year. Today is cloudy with flat light but tomorrow looks better. We plan to ski tomorrow and will post photos and report. A good start to the season.
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