New Alpine homes scheduled for completion this year

Almost half of the 27 apartments in a brand new residence de tourisme at Chantemerle 1350 – one of the six villages which make up the Serre Chevalier ski resort in the Southern Alps region of France – have been sold ahead of its opening in December this year.

Occupying two linked chalets close to the ski slopes, shops and restaurants, many of the new apartments enjoy panoramic views of the mountains and slopes.

Richard Deans, London-based sales consultant with the French developer MGM which is building and selling apartments in the residence, L’Orée des Neiges, said this week: “The level of off-plan sales underlines the continuing attraction of this region, not only for summer walkers and winter skiers but also Britons who have been coming here in search of respite from asthma and respiratory problems for 70 years.

“Easy access to the region’s healthy climate and hot mineral-rich springs, as well as some of Europe’s best ski slopes and the Mediterranean coast – a three-hour drive away – are among reasons why its popularity among year-round holiday home buyers is growing.”

The scheme follows the success of MGM’s earlier residence in Chantermerle, the 78-apartment Le Hameau du Rocher Blanc which opened for business at the end of 2007.

All of MGM’s new leaseback homes are fully furnished and decorated. They have pine internal finishes with tiled and parquet floors. In keeping with MGM’s policy of using local natural materials wherever possible, the buildings are clad externally in timber and stone. Each home comes with cellar storage, a ski locker and underground parking.

At L’Orée des Neiges, MGM has transferred to the Southern Alps – Hautes Alpes – the experience and skills it has refined during the past 45 years designing and building residential properties in ski resorts across the Northern Alps – Savoie and Haute Savoie – where today it is the region’s biggest developer.

“A major factor attracting investors is the way in which property prices in locations like Serre Chevalier are only three-quarters of those for comparable properties in the Northern Alps,” says Richard who reports that the prices of the apartments still available at L’Orée des Neiges start at €180,600 for a one-bedroom apartment, rising to €430,600 for a three-bedroom duplex. These prices exclude VAT at 19.6 per cent which is waived under the leaseback scheme.

For full details of the properties available from MGM, visit mgm-constructeur.com