THIS week the Campaign to Protect Rural England estimated that half of the
English countryside is disturbed by roads, industry or out-of-town business
parks – and predicted the death of the much of the rest within 80 years.
Those left feeling claustrophobic by an absence of birdsong and fresh air
might take temporary comfort in photographs of the Tremblant area of Eastern
Canada. These (if taken from the right angle) show hundreds of thousands of
deeply wooded acres, untouched by roads, buildings or Homo sapiens .
The reality is more complex. This part of the Province of Quebec, a 90-minute
drive from Montreal, is a year-round tourist destination thanks to the
151,000-hectare national park (with 400 lakes) and the best-ranked ski
resort in Eastern Canada. Name an outdoor pursuit, and you can do it here:
swimming, sailing, skiing, sledging, cycling, hiking and golfing. But these
outdoorsy credentials have sparked off a building boom as the provincial
government shakes off years of economic torpor, attracting immigrants and
overseas buyers and investing millions of dollars in infrastructure. Now
developers are now looking beyond the intimate ski village of Tremblant,
with its condominiums and whiff of European style, and are putting together
schemes of log cabins to assuage the urge of the affluent to tough it out in
the woods.
Don’t be mistaken: these are not the log cabins of old. Instead, they feature
swathes of glass, multiple porches, games rooms and hot tubs. Garages are
often integral, and access to country clubs, with restaurants and gyms, a
given. Pitting yourself against the elements need not mean discomfort here.
Take Fraternité-sur-Lac, one such development of luxury cabins, which has
views across Lac Superieur (and a residents-only beach on its shore). The
two and three-storey properties, priced from £219,000 for three bedrooms,
might seem a bargain to UK buyers – but the average property price in the
region is little more than £100,000. However, you do get a home just a few
minutes’ drive from the ski slopes and walking distance from The Point, a
members-only club with a spa, tennis courts, sailing club and marina.
Decorated with a soothing spareness, the cabins should have wide appeal. They
come with a rental guarantee of 7 per cent for two years, a not
insignificant detail in a busy but competitive market. Visitors have tended
to take a condo close to the shops and nightlife, but Sean Collins at Pure
International, which is marketing the scheme, says that changes are afoot:
“The booming Alberta oil industry is driving demand for high-end rental
property, with affluent oil executives looking for stylish places to stay
when they go on vacation.” In increasingly vibrant Montreal, the
pharmaceuticals and high-tech industries are on the up – and jobs therein
are helping to fund property spending sprees by local professionals.
The specialist resort developer, Vivaldi, is luring these wealthier buyers
with Ogilvy Lakes, a scheme of 100 freehold cabins arranged around a golf
and country club on a 600-acre estate. Prices start from £279,000 for
properties with oversize balconies and wood-lined cathedral ceilings. Peter
Harrison, of Wantage in Oxfordshire, has taken the bait. An owner for two
years of several properties in Vivaldi’s nearby Blueberry Lake scheme,
Harrison says: “I have been here in every month of the year, and it doesn’t
seem to matter what the demo-graphic is, everyone loves it.” But with many
developments competing for buyers, he says it was no mean feat choosing: “I
was trying to strike a balance between buying for investment and buying for
personal use. I was convinced because Vivaldi stays around and manages the
resort, rather than building and then selling it off.” One convincing
contender is just-launched Eagles Ridge, a scheme of weatherboard and log
homes on a 1,800-acre site near the national park. The site, purchased from
a long-time resident who continues to live there, will remain low density,
with just 450 homes set back from the site’s five lakes. The developer Doug
Campbell has almost sold out his previous scheme at Fiddler Lake in the
picturesque village of Saint Sauveur, closer to Montreal.
Some of the Eagles Ridge houses have a New England, weatherboard design. Those
feeling particularly civilised might while away the hours playing golf on
the 18-hole course or retreat to the equestrian centre, sailing club or
50-room boutique hotel. Expect to pay from £267,000 for three bedrooms –
though about 30 per cent of the properties will be sold off in quarter
fractions for £80,000. Finally, Le Maitre de Mont development, being
marketed in the UK by Savills, has semidetached homes and townhouses from
£170,000. The development is close to the village, but buyers get access to
a leisure club and free membership at a golf course.
This brand of not-so-rough country living is finding a receptive audience
among UK buyers, particularly those from Scotland and the North of England.
In exchange for a relatively short flying time (six hours) and bearable time
difference (five hours), they seem willing to overlook the bracing winters
and the skiing that doesn’t quite match the great resorts like Whistler.
John Prior, of Undiscovered Properties, says that only 60 per cent of UK
purchasers buy exclusively for the snow: more and more families,
empty-nesters and investors are buying because of the area’s affordable
year-round appeal. “Europe used to be the obvious choice, but it is
congested,” says Prior. “And the climate here is more reliable, with four
proper seasons.”
Canada – whose house-price outlook is at present more promising than that of
its southern neighbour – is the latest cheap and unspoilt “emerging market”
to catch the eye of UK buyers. www.pureintl.com www.ogilvylakes.com www.eaglesridgeresortcanada.com www.savills.com/abroad
For the latest news on the American sub-prime mortgage affair go to: timesonline.co.uk/property
FACTFILE
The price of the average property in Canada rose 11.1 per cent to £130,660
last year, according to the Canadian Real Estate Association (CREA). It
forecasts rises of 10.4 per cent this year and 5.5 next, to reach £152,240
by the end of 2008.
Quebec, where the average price was £91,520 last year, up 5.1 per cent, is
expected to underperform the national market this year with a rise of 6.7
per cent. But the CREA expects it to outperform in 2008, rising 6.1 per cent
to £103,630.
The average house price in the Laurentians area, which includes Tremblant,
rose 10 per cent in 12 months to £102,739, according to the Greater Montreal
Real Estate Board. Condominiums rose 17 per cent to £110,300.
You must appoint a buyer’s agent to represent you and draft an offer, which
will be submitted with a deposit. Gazumping is unknown in Canada.
Typical buying costs are about £2,000 for legal fees, a survey and insurance.
Purchase tax of between 0.5 per cent and 2 per cent of the price is also
payable.
Nonresidents pay tax on Canadian income, but the UK’s double taxation treaty
with Canada means that taxes paid there may reduce your UK liability.
A goods-and-services tax of 7 per cent and a provincial sales tax of up to 10
per cent are usually included in the asking price of new homes.
A nonresident selling a property in Canada must pay capital gains tax of 25
per cent of the profit. Rental income is taxed at 25 per cent, but expenses
can be offset against tax.
The price of flights is falling: Zoom flies Montreal to Gatwick from just over
£250 return. Fellow budget carrier, Air Transat, serves Gatwick and
Manchester. Mont Tremblant has a small international airport.
