PROPERTY 1
€364,000 (£287,000) Where: Bonneville
Property details: Ë Three bedrooms Ë Built area of 120m2
plus outbuildings and garage
Ë Plot of 800m2 Ë Outbuildings include studio Ë Built in 1860, recently renovated Ë Close to centre of Bonneville
For more details: AJC Immobilier,
www.annemasse-immobilier.com, 0033 450 37 15 22
This impressive-looking property (a maison de maître, or masters’ house) is in Bonneville, a small town of 11,000 people situated between Geneva and Mont Blanc, within the Arve River valley. Mountains rise steeply on either side and the river rushes through the centre, bringing melted snow to the lakes below. The house is grand but user-friendly, with plenty of room to entertain, and offers the possibility of Fran and Reg building a rural tourism business. Inside is tastefully decorated, cosy and welcoming. You can picture guests tucking into the local Reblochon cheese in front of a roaring fi re after a good day’s skiing. In summer, the large garden comes into its own, with several areas for sitting out and easily enough room for a pool.
THEY LIKE: • The studio apartment gives us scope to start the rural tourism business. • The location seems good, within walking distance of a small town, and close to the mountains.
• It has quite a large garden. This is a bit boring at present, but we could do something with it.
THEY DISLIKE: • The house does nothing for us. Externally it’s a bit austere. Internally, well, we like wood, but not lacquered and varnished like this.
• It would take a lot of decorating, which we wouldn’t have the budget for. 26
aplaceinthesun.com
PROPERTY 2
€400,000 (£315,000) Where: Thollon-les-Mémises
Property details: Ë Four bedrooms, two bathrooms Ë Built over three fl oors Ë Nearly 3,000m2
garden, with mature trees
Ë Large terrace, with lake views Ë Furnishings included Ë Planning permission to build another chalet on the land
For more details: 1st For French Property,
www.1st-for-french-property.co.uk, 0845 0530 380
Wow. It may be over-budget, but this property could be earning Fran and Reg an income from day one. It is in a mountain resort, at 1,000 metres, in the hamlet of Lajoux. There are local shops and restaurants, quick access to the slopes, and when the snows have gone the network of cycle and hiking paths reveals itself. You’ll be able to see them from the chalet’s wraparound terrace. It was built in 1972, but in the traditional, timeless chalet style – strong enough to withstand pretty much anything the weather can throw at it. The garden has sequoias and maple trees, and offers a huge opportunity to create a business or build gîtes. The property comes furnished and has open fi replaces. And though pricey, a lake-view property is likely to hold its value well.
THEY LIKE: • We love this house: the views, the terrace, the open fi res... it’s (almost) perfect.
• The chalet style is appealing, and we love the wood in this house. • It gives huge scope to create a business, both in terms of location and with space to build on the land.
THEY DISLIKE: • The energy effi ciency rating (F, which is second to worst) means it will be expensive to heat.
• It is at the very top of our budget, leaving us little for emergencies.
PROPERTY HUNT
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