Insurance News Archive

Ski property investors 'should look away from France'

Would be investors in European ski-property should consider alternatives to the traditional French mountaintops, according to a property specialist.

French ski resorts are so popular that they can be expensive so people looking to invest in ski area properties such as chalets to rent, hotels, restaurants or shops would be better off looking in Switzerland or Austria, claimed Simon Malster, managing director of Investors in Property.

He said that he was advising investors not to start their search in France where there are few bargains to be found.

"You can get value, but not necessarily a bargain. For the last four or five years, we have been advising people to not start by looking at France. We generally say to them that they will get more for their money if they look in Switzerland.

Switzerland has become quite expensive now and a new runner in the market for us is Austria," he said.

He added that in the Alps it is difficult to get planning permission, so it's hard for developers to start their own constructions.

30 Oct 2007