Buying ski property off plan

Have you been on the hunt for a ski home for a while and have not found the property of your dreams yet? The reason might be that your picture-perfect ski chalet is yet to be built!

Buying off plan is when you purchase the plans for a home that is in development. You watch the home be built from the ground up. Here, we take a look at the advantages of buying your ski property off plan.

The very best materials 

For some people, like pulling a new shirt from the wrapping, or the smell of a new car, the greatest pleasure is from getting something brand new.

As well as having all the latest fixtures and fittings, with a new-build property bought off plan, everything is guaranteed to work perfectly, with the latest building regulations and insurances. Old homes are beautiful, but with their age can come little (or big) fixes. With an off-plan property, you can be assured that the materials used are new, modern and of the highest quality.

It is EU law that a developer must give you a ten-year structural guarantee. Once the property is yours, they are obliged to take care of any structural problems for the next ten years.

Built with sustainability in mind

Off-plan properties should be built with sustainability in mind. This means using locally-sourced building materials and more environmentally friendly ones. If buying somewhere sunny, the developers should take advantage of this and fit your property with solar panels. It could also have a rain harvesting system.

A bit of you

One of the great things about buying a property off plan is that you can have input into the design plans. While developers will have a standardised finished version of the home, you can ask to add fixtures, fittings and furnishings. Developers are unlikely to offer any lower than the advertised price, but you may be able to negotiate over features such as air-conditioning and furniture packages.

Sleek and modern

If you are keen to own a home with the newest tech, it is easier to do this with a new home than to try to retrofit it to an old one. You could have a smart system, where you control the lights, music, and temperature from just one device. For a feeling of security, you could opt for an integrated home security system. To keep your car functioning in cold conditions, you could get a heated driveaway.

Investment potential

Often, developers market the first units particularly low to attract buyers to the project. Moreover, early investors have more choice in the unit that they choose. Once the project has established itself more, the property will likely rise in value.

Additionally, holidaymakers and those looking for longer term lets are often lured in by the aesthetic and modernity of new builds more so than old homes. So, there is also the potential to have a successful rental yield from your sparkling new ski chalet.

Buying a home you haven’t seen yet 

The idea of buying a home that you have not even seen might sound a little unnerving. And it might be hard to imagine what a property will truly like from a developer’s plans. Fortunately, this is where technology comes into its own with digital mock-up images helping to fill in your imagination.

Often, with a new development, the first unit to pop up will be a show home. You can visit and get a real feel for the what the layout of your new home will be like. This is also a chance to discuss with the developer additions or changes you’d like for your property. It can be worthwhile to look at other completed projects by your developer.