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| World tour |
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| Why Geneva? |
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| The Geneva region |
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Why should one invest in, or move to the Geneva region?
Geneva is one of the cities with the highest quality of life in the planet, and contrary to common belief, it is cost competitive. If one compares Geneva with London, Moscow, Paris, or New York, Geneva is clearly the winner in quality of life terms, and not more expensive... The region offers you clean air, breathtaking views, diverse nature, possibilities of practicing your favorite winter sports, aquatic sports on the several lakes. Food products are of the best quality, one can chose between Swiss products, and those available in France, thereby benefiting from more choice, and indeed better prices than in many other regions in Europe.
Add to that relatively traffic free and very well kept roads, excellent security, excellent communications, good job opportunities, good healthcare and excellent schools.
You can live in the countryside, and have the advantages, without the inconveniences of a large city. And that will cost you less than you might think.
Taking as a reference exchange rates in March 2004, EUR/CHF 1,58 CHF/GBP 2,37 USD/CHF 1,28 the cost of living indexes for 2003 were:
London 120,56
New York 112,6
Zurich 100
Paris 99,6
Geneva 98,3
(source UBS)
Even allowing for the usual foreign exchange fluctuations, prices will remain attractive for a while, but such good terms of exchange between the English Pound and the Swiss Franc are not likely to last for a long time.
The above costs are for someone living in Geneva itself. If you live further away in the canton de Vaud, or in the bordering French regions, your cost of living index will be inferior to the 98,3. |
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| Geneva, the lake, the water jet. |
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| The French side |
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| The bordering regions of Haute Savoie and Pays de Gex are, in terms of real estate prices, more attractive than Switzerland itself. Real estate in the towns and villages that are closer to Geneva is still better value than in Switzerland, and if you are willing to move slightly further, you will buy at very advantageous prices. The nicest towns are of course Evian and the less known and smaller Divonne-les-Bains. |
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| One hour by car, and the slopes are yours. |
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| Haute Savoie |
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That region covers the south part of the lake Leman, and includes the famous ski resorts of Chamonix..... Evian is the most livable city and is placed on the lake, facing Lausanne.
Evian is famous for its mineral water, which you can drink for free if you move there. Evian offers you a world class golf course, excellent water sports, fishing, a casino and top level skiing 30 minutes away.
Geneva is reachable in about 40 minutes, the airport in 50 minutes, and Lausanne in 20... by boat. The picturesque boats operate several times per day, but more often in the summer. Montreux and Geneva are also accessible by the boat link, although commuting time is a bit higher. |
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| Plenty of pure water. |
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| Pays de Gex - Divonne, the French Switzerland |
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The French territory between Lake Geneva and the Jura mountains is called the Pays de Gex. The nicest town is Divonne-les-Bains. The Spa, Golf, a 40 ha artificial lake, horse races, mini golf, an adventure park, an aquatic park, are some of the attractions that residents and visitors benefit from. On the lake you can enjoy the sand beach, sail, windsurf, row, fish. Roller skaters, joggers, and cyclists will enjoy the track around the lake of Divonne.
Divonne is very well located. It is away from the crowds, but close to everything. Some distances: 20 minutes to downtown Geneva, 15 to the airport, 45 to Lausanne, 10 to the Lake Leman, 20 to the slopes in the Jura, 1 hour to the slopes in Haute Savoie.
The Divonne Casino brings in considerable revenues to the town council, and hence property taxes are relatively low, and the town is very well kept. |
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| The lake of Divonne-les-Bains, France |
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| France or Switzerland? Swissdom will help you make the best choice for yourself, your family and your assets. For further information please contact us at realestate@ swissdom.ch |
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| SWISSDOM S.A. - Route de Florissant 1 - CH-1206 Geneva - FAX +41 22 346 6956 |
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