Living at the foot of Le Salève

Radia Amar - 24 May 2016

Known as the “Balcony above Geneva”, this legendary mountain, the birthplace of Alpine climbing, overlooks the agglomeration of Geneva from its northern slope. In the midst of a vast territory home to over 700,000 people, Le Salève is surrounded by the A40, A41 and A410 motorways.

Beausset, Collonges, Archamps, Neydens, Beaumont… All communes popular among “frontaliers” (people working across the border), happy to live in a country setting offering efficient means of reaching the centre of Geneva in only 15 minutes. Furthermore, these communes offer areas enjoying fabulous views of Le Jura and Lake Geneva. “With a village centre with shops and schools, Collonges tops the bill,” says Christian Petament of the Affair Immo agency based, precisely, in Collonges. “The houses available mostly date back to the 1970’s to 1990’s. They are less popular than new properties and usually give rise to bargaining, sometimes rather tough.” Among his recent sales, he mentions a house of 100 m2 built in 1975 in grounds of 1,600 m2, in the highly-prized neighbourhood of Les Terrasses de Genève, which just sold for 530,000 €. Also built in 1975, another example of 160 m2 with a garden of 1,300 m2 offering a lovely open view found a taker at 580,000 €. “The advantage offered by older properties lies in the size of their grounds. Even so, when presented with competitive prices, buyers often prefer new properties, especially as quality developments are flourishing in this area. Proposed from 4,000 to 4,300 € per sqm. on average, they can attain 4,600 € per sqm. for very select locations and appointments.”

Currently launching a development in Beaumont with another undergoing delivery in Neydens, Sylvie Solle, manageress of the ISL agency, is very knowledgeable about the market for new properties in the area. “Our clients consist of both first-time buyers, “frontaliers”, and investors aware of the potential of this geographic location,” says our expert, whose “Jardin Secret” residence in Neydens, at the heart of a rural environment not far from the Swiss border, has met with great success. At the time of writing, only a few lots are still available. Priced from 4,300 € per sqm, the apartments with 2 to 4 main rooms are in five small blocks of only two floors, surrounded by natural greenery. “Our developments benefit from high-quality materials, appointments and amenities. Our reputation is based on our expertise, with everything handled in-house. Furthermore, as is the case for “Jardin Secret”, we select strategic locations so that each address offers as many advantages as possible.” The village of Neydens indeed benefits from an attractive setting between the customs of Bardonnex, Croix-de-Rozon and Perly. A good number of shops are to be found in immediate proximity, together with amenities - such as the school bus -, thus simplifying family life. “Our next development, in Beaumont, will share this same philosophy of quality and convenient locations.”