Specialist
Property Development Finance In Chamonix
In the shadow of Mont Blanc, “Cham” is not only an iconic alpine ski resort, home of extreme skiing and the first Winter Olympics. From the 19th century its location as a centre for alpine hiking and sightseeing, and serious mountaineering, has made its summer season as strong as its wintersports months.
In the 2017 Alpine Property Index Chamonix came top of the rankings compiled by international estate agents Knight Frank, overtaking Val d'Isere and Gstaad with a gain of 4.8% on property values.
Four separate ski areas spread out along the valley share the Mont Blanc Natural Resort branding with the main town, including the villages of Les Houches and Argentière.
Land is expensive in the Chamonix valley, partly because of strict building restrictions due to the local geography. Nonetheless, high-end properties here are more affordable than in Megève just 21km away, or Courchevel 60km south.
In Chamonix town, the districts of Les Tines, adjacent to Chamonix Golf Club, and Les Praz, are highly desirable, while a new luxury development has opened up the southern edge of town by the Route Blanche.
The key issues for alpine real-estate developers are resort infrastructure and the ability to attract a younger, year-round visitor income stream.
Chamonix has always been as well-known for mountaineering and alpine tourism and sightseeing, as for wintersports. With 10,000 permanent residents it’s not a winter-only destination,
In 2016 resort owner Compagnie du Mont Blanc committed a further €477m of investment over the next few years to upgrade the lift system and part of the valley's infrastructure. These have included a faster new Parsa chairlift and drag lifts, and three new ski jumps.
Meanwhile, the 2016 opening of MGM’s 51-unit Cristal de Jade complex has created a new 5-star district on the southern edge of town. And in the centre, the Hotel Chamonix Mont-Blanc has been renovated to 5-star standard.
Other significant hotel refits include a two-phase renovation for The Alpina, a total refit for the Hotel du Clocher, the Rhododendrons Hotel in Les Praz reopening as Le Castel hotel and “bistronomique” restaurant, and the iconic but derelict Grand Hotel du Montenvers, overlooking the Mer de Glace glacier, reopening as a luxury ski lodge in 2017.
The old Les Cretes Blanches has reopened as a new-style apart-hotel, Hotel Le Genepy. The new Rocky Pop Hotel in Les Houches targets the younger demographic that alpine resorts need to attract.
And, significantly, the entrepreneurs of high-altitutude clubbing La Folie Douce scheduled a 2018 opening for their first-ever hotel, in Chamonix's former Savoy Palace hotel, with 250 rooms classified from Premium to a new category of chic-hostel.
Property development in Megève
Property development in Val d’Isère
Property development in Courchevel
Property development in Méribel
I approached Clifton Private Finance to help me get a mortgage as an Expat working in the Far East. I would normally 'cut out the middle man' on something like this and try to get myself a deal directly with the banks, but I am now sold on the broker concept and wouldn't hesitate to use Clifton Private Finance again. There were a number of complicating factors such as being an expat, the stamp duty holiday, the sheer amount I wanted to borrow and the fact I wanted it all wrapped up before the Stamp Duty holiday ended. It is clear to me now that the relationship that brokers have managed to foster with their banks means they can simply pull levers and make stuff happen that us ordinary folk cannot. Put simply, they are worth every penny, will take most of the stress out of the lending process, and seem to have access to deals that you just won't find on the internet. Thank you George and Jan for all your hard work!
James M
Luther was excellent. Very clear in his advice and explanations of products and was able to move things on very quickly when we ran into difficulties with the estate agents. Without a doubt I would recommend Luther to all friends, family and colleagues. Luther was a joy to deal with and took a lot of the stress out of a troublesome transaction, from my end. I would view Luther as real asset to Clifton Private Finance Ltd.
William W
The team at Clifton Private Finance has been outstanding, not only in helping me to obtain a mortgage on a slightly unusual home, but also in continuing to provide support and liaise with the lender and solicitors through to completion. Thank you for making the process of buying my first home much easier.
Chantelle S
Sam O'Neill, and the new lender he identified for me, worked tirelessly together using my time constraints, to make sure my mortgage application was completed on time. They are a brilliant company to work with, fast, efficient, open and transparent from the very beginning, and turned a seemingly impossible situation into a viable one. Sam was brilliant throughout the whole process and I would highly recommend him, and his colleague Helen, to anyone without hesitation, I cannot speak highly enough about them.
Myr B
I was incredibly lucky to find Clifton Private Finance after a search on line as their service has been more than exemplary. My point of contact was Sam 0’Neill and he was happy to help at every stage during the application of the bridging loan, making a stressful process much easier to deal with. He was always available by phone or email and gave prompt answers to queries I had as well as always getting back to me when he said he would. That to me is excellent customer service and I cannot thank him personally or the company enough for the support they have given me.
C Jefferey
Adam cannot thank you enough for all your support throughout this arrangement. You have gone more than the extra mile to support us. Without you we would not have got our dream retirement home. You have been most professional and personable. Liz and I would be more than happy if you wanted to use us a reference with respect to any future clients.
Nigel & Liz K - Bristol
You have certainly shown me that you do everything for your clients, including tolerating their excessive emails and questions for updates. I have been kept in the loop, from yourself, about why the delays were occurring (Nationwide, post etc) which I would like to highlight that I really appreciated. I certainly will be able to recommend you to others as and when the need arises.
Mr Morris
I recently contacted Clifton Private Finance after a Google search for bridging finance providers and was immediately struck by their efficiency and support. Forms were emailed over almost immediately and the necessary finance was arranged within a few days. None of the other companies I contacted came close to their professionalism, and the quote that I eventually received was impressive. Thank you Adam, your help has enabled us to reserve the house that we wanted and I certainly recommend you to others.
Mr M. R. - Oxford
Absolutely brilliant. The service was first class, got everything sorted efficiently and were always friendly. Any fees were negligible compared to the service offered. Robert was particularly outstanding.
Charles N
My advisor, Robert, was very helpful in finding the mortgage to suit me. He kept me up to date throughout the process and dealt with any issues when they arose.
Rowena C
