How to successfully sell your ski home this winter remotely
09.02.2021
With demand for our alpine homes continuing to remain high over the last year from all over Europe, now could actually be a great time to maximise buyer interest over the winter season.
The global COVID-19 pandemic may have stopped various nationalities from being able to travel out to the Swiss Alps for the time being, but if you are thinking about selling your ski home, and are wary about travelling even when restrictions ease, did you know that Alpine Homes can help you sell remotely – whilst also reducing the workload for you?
From virtual market appraisals, arranging a deep clean and organising professional photography; to hosting video viewings and promoting our ski properties in international press via PR, our expert local agents can help prepare your ski chalet or apartment for sale, before either launching it to the open market or via our new ‘off-market’ service to grab the attention of potential buyers - all without having to step out of your own from door back home...
Director, Elyse Constantin, explains further...
Virtual Appraisals
We have now introduced a brand-new Remote Valuation service to assist holiday homeowners in selling at a time when they can’t travel or would prefer not to until it’s safer to do so. We would discuss with you how we can access the key to your property. Usually, we can get one through your rental agency, housekeeper, key box or the hotel that your property is linked to for example, or you can post them to us. We would then go into your property to have a look around, jot down notes, take pictures and a video before putting a report together which shall then be sent to you by email. For example, we recently valued an apartment in Nendaz for a British lady. Our report included accurate and up to date valuation advice in line with market conditions, before recommending a local and international marketing strategy.
Prepare your ski home for sale (and for photographs)
There are a lot of aspects to think about when preparing your holiday home for sale, but it’s a crucial step for creating that all important first impression to buyers - in photographs as well as on virtual or physical viewings. It’s about thinking about how your home looks to prospective buyers. Most of our properties are rented out and tend to be sparkling clean, or the owners will have a local housekeeper who keeps on top of things. However, we can also make sure your ski chalet or apartment is looking its very best before going on the market. Our recommendations could include a deep clean, fixing minor repairs, tidying up outdoor space or even giving the property a fresh lick of paint, but as we are all based in the Swiss Alps, we have access to plenty of local contacts who can do all of this for you.
Professional Photography
The property market is fiercely competitive, and so good quality photographs are vital when selling a ski home. They are the first thing buyers will see whether on portals, brochures, websites or estate agency windows, and so they have a lot of power when it comes to persuading somebody to request more information about your ski home, and make an offer quickly. Badly lit pictures taken on a phone for example, or those taken at odd angles, can have a detrimental impact. A good professional photographer will also remove anything that shouldn’t be visible such as rubbish bins, paperwork or toys.. You want your ski home to look absolutely flawless and to stand out from the crowd – so high quality photographs are worth every penny. We use a local lady called Virginie to photograph all of our properties.
Video and Physical Tours
Since the pandemic first began, we have been offering video tours to our buyers, but now, a lot of people are requesting them. They have proven very useful at maintaining interest throughout travel restrictions, where buyers can shortlist their favourites. By the time a buyer comes to visit them physically, they are effectively seeing it as their third or fourth viewing – increasing the view to offer ratio substantially. We’ve even had offers through video tours alone.
For nationalities such as the Swiss who are still able to visit our homes physically, we ensure the necessary precautions are in place such as masks, sanitising, social distancing and opening up the doors and windows to keep everybody safe.
Marketing
Just because we are in the midst of Covid-19, it doesn’t mean all marketing activities have to stop. We have kept our local and international advertising and PR campaigns going throughout, so that we can continue engaging with potential buyers all over Europe. These include advertising on the main Swiss portals, as well the UK one’s via our international Partner, Chestertons. We also have a window display in Verbier which is being accessed by Swiss residents all the time, and our UK press office secures us press coverage to encourage enquiries as well as visitors to our website. In January for example, some of our ski chalets appeared in The Week, Country & Town House and The Times. Our blog and regular social media posts also keep everybody up to date on the lifestyle on offer in the Swiss Alps, as well as our properties for sale.
Removal Firms
Should your ski home sell before you are able to travel to the Swiss Alps, we can arrange the removal of your furniture. Most of our sellers will opt for storage in Sion itself, and we always do an inventory to make sure nothing gets thrown away. For example, we recently sold an apartment in Nendaz where the new owner agreed to store the belongings in the garage for a while, before we arranged for it to be stored in Sion. Another example is for a client in Veysonnaz. He was renting out his apartment quite a lot so had little personal belongings there. He asked us to empty the cellar on his behalf, before throwing the items away.
Paperwork
Once both parties agree on the draft of the deed of sale, it’s time to sign the paperwork. You can make your accountant or lawyer in the Swiss Alps your power of attorney so that they can do it all on your behalf. We are doing this a lot for our clients at the moment – Swiss and international – and we have a lot of contacts with good local banks, accountants and solicitors who we can recommend to you.
Handing over the keys
If we have access to your keys, then it’s quite easy for us to give the keys to your new buyers. Otherwise, you can simply post them to us.
For more information about how Alpine Homes can help you sell this winter, without the need for you to travel to the Swiss Alps, please contact Elyse on +41 (0)27 323 7777 or INFO@ALPINEHOMESINTL.COM.
