Buying a Ski Chalet Before Christmas! Is There Still Time?

July is nearly over and winter is on its way! You might think that it’s too late to start searching for your dream ski property in time for Christmas, but with a bit of planning (and a lot of enthusiasm!) it is a lot easier than you may think.

So, what is our advice for buying your ski home before Christmas?

Ski property for sale megeve resort france

1. Sort out your finances

This might seem an obvious one, but there is little point in searching and finding your dream mountain property, and then not having your finance in place. Alpine estate agents will also take you more seriously if you can confirm you have a mortgage agreed in principle. A good broker will be able to quickly check whether you can obtain a mortgage, though full approval can take weeks to secure. Another good reason to crack on with organising one! Having a mortgage pre-approved also gives you a realistic budget to work with, making the searching process a lot easier.

For more information on mortgages, click through to the nidski mortgage information guides.

It is also worth speaking to a currency broker (who generally offer a better exchange rate than the banks) who can advise on how to plan your currency exchange for your property purchase, and ongoing ownership of your ski apartment or chalet.

If you would like to speak to a broker about currency exchange, click here.

2. Explore alpine properties online

Before you book a viewing trip, decide which ski resort you would love to live in and explore ski property options online. Write a list down of everything you are looking for in your dream ski home, hop online and search! nidski.com allows you to search properties in dozens of resorts around the world, whilst allowing you to compare asking prices of similar properties and gain an understanding of current market trends. Once you have found a property (or two) you like, you can easily contact the estate agent to arrange a viewing trip!

Search for ski properties online at nidski.com

3. Plan your viewing trip to the Alps

Once you have chosen a few properties and contacted the relevant alpine estate agents, it’s time to visit the properties in person. Tempting as it might be to turn this into a mini-holiday, with limited time before Christmas, it is important to keep distractions to a minimum and focus on the task at hand! Do not hesitate to view your chosen properties more than once, and ask as many questions as possible to gain a better understanding of the property itself as well as the village/resort you have chosen to buy in.

4. Make an offer

Found your dream ski home on your viewing trip? Now it’s time to make an offer! Your estate agent will be able to guide you on making a sensible offer, and whether there is scope for negotiation around the set price with the owner. Negotiations have the potential to linger on, but once you have agreed on a price you are ready to move onto the next step.

5. Find a Notary

House sales in France, Switzerland, Italy and Austria require the services of a notary who organises the legal aspects of the purchase. Working for both buyer and seller, the notary will draw up the initial contract of sale, hold the deposit (between 10% and 30% depending on the country) until the sale goes through, gather all relevant information and prepare the final sale documents. The entire process from the signing of the initial contract to the handing over of the property should be about 3 months.

For more information about buying a ski property in France, Italy, Austria, Switzerland, the USA and Canada click here.

6. Get ready to move in!

Once the sale has gone through, it is time to move in! Unless you bought your alpine property furnished (which is more common than you think) you will want to ship over furniture or shop for new stuff. Many removal companies specialise in moving large amounts of furniture from the UK to the Alps, and a quick online search will help you find the best of them. Online stores such as The Chalet Shop are excellent sources for chalet furniture and accessories (or even whole packages) and most ski resorts have boutiques filled with stunning pieces to make your ski house a home.

Find out more about buying a ski property furniture package from the Chalet Shop.

From making an offer through to finalising the sale, buying an alpine property in Europe can take as little as 3 months, if you are ready to buy. Start your search today and you will have plenty of time to settle in before Christmas 2018.