Hi everyone.

Early next year my wife and I and our three children (I know, I know: you´ve heard this story over and over, so many threads, in fact, it´s like a cobweb in the forum) will be moving to the area and we are concerned about the cost of housing.

Though I have read many threads about the cost of housing in nearby France, I haven´t seen, or found, any actual (recent) figures. Can any one tell me how much an unfurnished 3-bedroom house or flat rents for in Ferney-Voltaire? Nothing fancy, something respectable.

And if you could recommend any other villages across the border (my wife will be working in Geneva), I´d appreciate it. I´m open to all options, as long as they are open to me.

Thanks

Found one here.

You can search French rentals in local papers such as GHI, they have online as well, www.ghi.ch., or tout immoblier perhaps, http://www.toutimmobilier.ch/

But you really won't save very much living in Ferney, it is really Geneva, with Geneva bus connections and just over the border, the property market knows this and apts. are priced as they would be in Geneva.

To get cheaper housing in France, you have to go out further, where there is no public transport, etc. Then you have some downsides like long commute and car dependent. It will require some choices of what you want and the trade-offs you are willing to make.

runningdeer,

Appreciate your response. One of my colleagues, who works in Geneva, recommended Ferney-Voltaire. Thought I would put out feelers, see what´s up. We still have time.

I did check out the papers. Looks like I´ll be paying at least CHF 3000 for a modest three-bedroom apartment in Geneva. Probably more.

1500 € for 60 m2, that makes it 25 €/m2. IMHO this is ridiculous - even (or especially ) for Ferney. Bad tentative of major ripoff by someone trying to take advantage of the housing shortage so skilfully maintained by dumbass GVA politics...

On-topic: I think I know nobody who pays >20 €/m2 in neighbouring France, and that includes St.Julien, Collonges, St.Genis and the like...

Maybe you don't know many people.....

Sure, only about 50% of the dozens of people working in the office around me are actually frontaliers. And surely someone who's location is supposed to be "Vevey" knows the housing market of France voisine much better than me

Could it be that you are the typically expat who is pretty much part of the problem, i.e. who doesn't know anything about local habits (such as housing prices); or - worse - knows but doesn't give a sh... about it?

If you have some time to kill just google for "loyer du marché" in the 74 or 01

On a slightly different but very related subject, if you are not an EU citizen, residing in France without a work permit might be more of a paperwork nightmare than you'd like to deal with if the housing costs aren't significant.

I have a non-EU friend that just bought a house not far from Ferney and they had a lot to go through to get their residence permits. And it only last a year. Will have to reapply next year again.


Even just moving out of Geneve city limits will improve what you get for your franc. Maybe have a look at some of the small villages still within Swiss borders but outside of the city?

Not expat but Swiss, lived in Geneva for about 10 years beforehand, now living in Vevey but still have property in Geneva and elsewhere in Switzeland. I run my own company with a turn over that would probably make your eyes water in view you seem to want to live on the cheap in France.

Trust i made myself clear, NEWBIE

I'm wetting myself, tough guy

To the TO: You might wish to check http://www.seloger.com/157546/rub.htm to get a feeling for market prices (Obviously only if you, unlike Charlie Brown, do not believe that everything non-Swiss is necessarily inferior in quality)

Oh, i'm sorry to hear that, i hope your inferior French toilet tissue will be of use

Let's not go down that road again by attacking the person. Attack or rather challenge the argument. TIA.