|
PRESS COVERAGE
Aspect International is regularly asked to contribute to articles in national and international newspapers and magazines about buying property in France, Switzerland & Italy.
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
22 October 2009
Country Life - Best Ski Properties For Sale
Chamonix is the top French performer for Isobel Rostron, a property-finder in France and western Switzerland. ‘Chamonix, like Villars [in Switzerland] the other place that stands out for me is more than just a ski resort; it's also a working town with an international flavour. The €500,000-€1 million sector of resales apartments is the healthiest part of the market, and there just aren't any bargains. Read more...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
October 2009
Snow Magazine - Buying Ski Property
Ski property expert Isobel Rostron takes a look at what’s hot and what’s not in the ski property market.
‘Value’ is still the buzz word among savvy alpine investors, and if you know where to look it is possible to pick up a good ski pad at a cool price. With Euro and Swiss mortgage rates at record lows, there’s rarely been a better time to buy your own piece of the mountain. Read more...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
23 March 2009
Country Life - Star Ski Resorts
Courmayeur, Italy: Any gourmet wish-list must include an Italian resort, and Courmayeur scores highly with ski-property specialist Isobel Rostron. ‘It’s laid back and full of the best boutiques and food shops in the Val d’Aosta,’ she says, ‘but properties are hard to come by, and you must visit an agent in person.’ Properties are mostly rustic stone resale apartments, priced at €835 per square foot. Read more...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
13th February 2009
The Times, Bricks & Mortar - How To Buy A Property In France, Lorna Blackwood
...5. The right agent
Isobel Rostron, of the buying agent Aspect International, says: “The same property may be marketed at different prices by different agents, so be sure to consult as many local agents as possible.” Only deal with bona fide agents affiliated to FNAIM the French estate agents' association.
9. Inheritance rules
The inheritance laws in France are complex so take advice. You are obliged to leave your house to members of your family in specific proportions. The rules are designed to benefit primarily blood relations, a category that does not include your spouse or partner.
10. Think ahead
Always bear in mind that you might have to sell the property. Rostron advises: “Try and rein in any outlandish options. Your idea of a dream home hidden away in some backwater of La France profonde might not be anyone else's.” The French tend to prefer new homes, which means that you may not be able to recoup the money you have spent renovating a dilapidated maison de caractère unless another Brit comes along. Read more...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
7th February 2009
Financial Times, How To Spend It - High Class Acts, Catherine Moye
...In Switzerland, there is a very different buying culture to the EU, with each canton limiting the number of foreign buyers through a permit system that changes from year to year. Far from dampening demand, this acts as a spur to many. “The rules restricting foreign ownership makes Switzerland more desirable to some purchasers because it’s perceived as more exclusive and a challenge to get into,” says Isobel Rostron, founder and director of Aspect International, a buying agency that specialises in property in the Alps.
Chalets in French speaking Switzerland are very similar in design to those in the French Alps, although they tend to be of a betterquality build. The further east you go, the more the architectural trend veers towards the use of traditional stone and reclaimed wood. Interiors tend to be neutral, using stone, wood and glass throughout with an emphasis on understated luxury.
Right now, the discreet and low-key village of Villars is about the most popular location with overseas buyers, reckons Rostron. Villars is in the Canton of Vaud, where there are fewer restrictions on property purchase by foreigners compared to Canton Valais (where Verbier and Crans Montana are located). A village with incredible views, Villars is a year-round base for many Geneva workers thanks to its great road and rail links. Racing driver Jacques Villeneuve lives here and property owners include David Coulthard as well as, reputedly, Vladimir Putin.
Chalet Ardoise is a five-bedroom, newly built upmarket chalet of 280sq m just a short walk from the railway that takes you up the mountain for excellent skiing (through Aspect International for SFr5.95m, about £3.37m). Nearby, the idyllic Chalet Plein Ciel, a 298sq m family home situated on the mountainside with scintillating Alpine views, would enliven the most moribund of souls (about £2.2m). Read more...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
31st January 2009
Financial Times - Swiss Secrets, Alison Beard
...For househunters, there are also many options, from luxury chalets in Flims to small 1970s apartments in Falera to the new, strikingly modern Rocksresort in Laax. “It’s a real mix of old and new, most in the Graubünden style with white rendering and more curves than in places like Verbier,” says Isobel Rostron of property search company Aspect International.
As elsewhere in Switzerland, there are limits on foreign ownership. But the canton is more relaxed than others, so non-Swiss can buy condos up to 200 sq metres (new in Laax or new or secondhand, with authorisation, in Flims). Locals buy more cheaply because they have more to choose from. But even for homes open to all, prices compare favourably to better known and nearby Swiss resorts. “It’s half the price of Klosters and two thirds
of Davos and St Moritz is a completely different world,” Rostron says...
Not surprisingly, Collins agrees: “You’re getting a fantastic ski area that is very well maintained but at the same time it’s in its teenage years in terms of development so you can hopefully see a good return on investment.” But so does Rostron, who as a search agent has no vested interest in the area. “People will be more cautious [about buying] but they’re also looking to the future,” she says. “It’s a dual season resort, it has good infrastructure, it’s established among the Swiss and I think it will grow in popularity.” Read more...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
26th January 2009
Evening Standard Homes & Property - Search In The Sun: 2009 Hotspots, Cathy Hawker
...Traditional safe havens such as Switzerland and Austria with no history of boom and bust attract buyers for their low borrowing costs, stable economy and year-round appeal. “Consider Les Collons and Veysonnaz in Switzerland,” advises Isobel Rostron of Aspect International. “They share the same ski area as Verbier but with more moderate pricing. And watch for opportunities in Verbier, where the City boys may be forced to sell quickly.” Read more...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
17th January 2009
Financial Times - High Hopes, Richard Holledge
...There is also a broad supply of properties for sale, most at prices that are much less expensive than in neighbouring resorts. For example, while a 27 sq metre studio in Megève goes for €156,000, in St Gervais a one-bedroom flat can be had for €110,000 and in Le Bettex a similar-sized ski-in/ski-out unit would cost €90,000. Up the scale, a five-bedroom, one-bathroom chalet near Megève costs €1.7m, while an equivalent property near St Gervais is €670,000. "There is some lovely turn-of-the-century architecture, rare for a ski resort, offering elegant apartments with high ceilings and large windows," says Isobel Rostron, director of property company Aspect International, "and several new developments have been built in the last few years, largely in keeping with the town or in the traditional style - no nasty high-rises."...
...Rostron also points to renovation projects, such as Villa Gentian, with apartments sold as raw spaces for €2,800 per sq metre, which the developer will then finish with buyer input at a cost of about €700 per sq metre...
Rostron also sees resiliency. "As with the rest of the Alps the market is less fluid than it was a year to 18 months ago. But St Gervais is still a popular choice with the Genevois and Swiss for a holiday home. Property prices have not risen as sharply as those in other resorts and still respresent reasonable value. And it is a truly year-round mountain destination and working town, with buyers including locals and those in the industry. It's more than just skiers."... Read more...
~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~~
Press Coverage 2008
|
