Le Beaufortain : a lively, well-preserved area
Yann Cohignac - 23 December 2015
About a 10-minute drive from Albertville, the Savoyard region of Le Beaufortain has succeeded in becoming a friendly tourist destination offering activities in both winter and summer while preserving an authentic atmosphere. An address in the mountains with lots of character…
Home to three skiing resorts (Arêches-Beaufort, Les Saisies-Espace Diamant and Bisanne 1500), very popular in the winter but also proposing a good array of summer attractions, Le Beaufortain has neverthless managed to cultivate its authenticity. In a mountain setting with varied and remarkable scenery (Alpine pastures, forests, reservoir lakes, views of Mont Blanc…), its villages and hamlets (Beaufort-sur-Doron, Arêches, Hauteluce, Queige and Villard-sur-Doron), lively year-round, have in fact preserved their typical architecture and warm, inviting spirit. Traditional production of milk and the famous Beaufort (AOC cheese) is still pursued here, just like the construction of charming chalets…
An agency based in Arêches which will celebrate its 30th anniversary in 2016, Arêches Immobilier handles sales of old apartments, chalets and building plots, as well as seasonal rentals. “We also build small family residences in Le Beaufortain, in chalet style and on a human scale, reflecting the local style and using typical quality materials such as timber and stone. Offering high-end contemporary appointments and the possibility of modifying layout on plans and personalized decor, they are proposed from 3,000 to 5,200 € per sqm,” says manager Michel Blanc-Gonnet. In older blocks of apartments, demand is mainly for 2-bedroomed units of 30 to 40 m2, pegged from 4,000 to 4,800 € per sqm. “As for chalets, the starting price is 200,000 €.” On the market for holiday homes, the clientele is today mostly comprised of French buyers joined by a few Belgians and British.
Based in Arêches since 1987 and handling sales, rentals, property management and estimates, the Agence Immobilière du Beaufortain is currently marketing a new development in Hauteluce : “It consists of two Beaufortain buildings, rehabilitated to provide several apartments,” explains manageress Marie-Pierre Garbay. “Endowed with high-quality appointments, good-sized living-rooms, a lift, gardens and views of Mont Blanc, and benefiting from the proximity of L’Espace Diamant, this very select development is priced from 5,000 to 5,200 € per sqm. Otherwise, we are also selling a considerable number of small apartments at the foot of the slopes, from 100,000 €, and authentic Alpine chalets only accessible on skis, priced from 130,000 €. Farmhouses to renovate also find takers on a regular basis, starting from 200,000 €. And typical renovated chalets change hands from 250,000 to 750,000 €, depending on their surface areas and locations. On the other hand, sales at 1 M € or more are now much rarer.” This agency’s clients include many from Lyon, Paris, Belgium and the UK. “Belonging to the Imogroup network also brings us clients from Switzerland.”