A Guide to the Southern Hemisphere Resorts

If you thought the delights of skiing were restricted to Europe and North America in the Winter, then think again! As the season ends on this side of the world and we start basking in sunshine and thinking of beaches, countries south of the equator are readying for winter.

You can’t go skiing everywhere in the southern hemisphere of course, but you will find excellent ski resorts in Chile, Argentina, New Zealand and Australia. Now that they are starting to open their slopes, it’s time to explore!

Here is our guide to getting the best out of skiing in the southern hemisphere, including all the essential information if you are a ski property buyer looking at investing on the other side of the world!

Australia

Skiing is practised in three states in Australia; New South Wales, Victoria and Tasmania – where you’ll find considerable skiable terrains and well-serviced resorts.

While New South Wales has the largest resort in Australia, as well as the highest snow country, Victoria has the largest number of ski resorts – so receives a higher number of visitors per annum.

Where can you ski?

(Mt Buller)

First of all, do your research on the skiing facilities in each location:

• Skiing in New South Wales
• Skiing in Victoria
• Skiing in Tasmania (Wiki)

Tasmania only has two very small resorts so buy-to-let investments need to be looked into carefully if you’ve no contacts on the ground or in mainland Australia.

If you’re looking towards Victoria however, you will come across an extensive skiing terrain, very well-equipped resorts and a plethora of gorgeous ski properties on the market.

Victoria is well known for a few factors that could make investing worthwhile:

• Its dual seasonality – have a look at the range of summer activities at Mount Buller alone
• There are five Victorian ski resorts – all of which are popular and offer an impressive selection of slopes
• There is snowboarding, dog sledding, cross country skiing and amazing toddler & child skiing facilities
• Victoria is only a three-hour drive from Melbourne – which is a selling point

Do your research

Gather all the information you can about buying, selling, leasing and taxing property in Victoria from the following resources:

• Buying and selling property
• Property valuations
• Renting, leasing and tenancy
• Stamp duty and land tax
• Property and land titles, plans and certificates

Take a look at the list of properties in Australia on SnowOnly, you may just find the perfect property for you!

New Zealand

The Kiwi ski experience is second to none, and popular with skiers, snowboarders and alpine adventurers the world over. The landscape literally takes your breath away (picture skiing through scenery from Lord of the Rings) and there are terrains and resorts to suit every type of visitor. You can actually ski down an active volcano at Mt Ruapehu. It’s a truly magical place!

With about 20 resorts across both the North and Southern islands to explore, you’re spoilt for choice.

The thing is, the awesome resorts and competitive property prices have been a pretty well-kept secret for years, but as more and more tourists flock to New Zealand to sample its winter sports offering it’s a good time to look into ski property investment, if you’re a New Zealander with a desire to buy and rent a piece of the mountain!

The ski spots

Research the resorts first and find out the essential stats and facts on the available ski areas. Here are our fact sheets on twelve of New Zealand’s top resorts:

• Cardrona
• Fox Peak
• Mt Dobson
• Coronet Peak
• Mt Lyford
• The Remarkables
• Mount Taranaki
• Temple Basin
• Mt Hutt
• Treble Cone
• Whakapapa
• Turoa

Buyers beware

When it comes to buying property in New Zealand, there are a few things to be aware of.

If you are not a resident of New Zealand, you will not be able to purchase property or land – due to residential land changes and the Overseas Investment Amendment Bill – these changes were implemented earlier this year.

If you hold a permanent resident visa, then you’re still able to buy land and property in New Zealand, provided you’ve been living there for at least a year.

These changes are a result of the New Zealand government’s solution to the housing shortage- by restricting foreign buyers from snapping up NZ property and driving property prices up, leaving no affordable homes for residents to buy.

Further reading

Here are some useful links to information about buying, building and selling property in NZ from Immigration New Zealand, a government departmental site:

• Buying or building a house in New Zealand
• A Guide to home buying and selling
• Banking, loans and FX
• Insurance in New Zealand – a guide for migrants

If you’re kiwi and are thinking of buying a second property near a ski resort and renting it out to winter tourists, then because of the restrictions now in place, you may find that people will be fighting to rent it from you!

Chile

Skiing in Chile is absolute paradise, that is certain. This ‘long narrow country at the end of the world’ is home to 19 ski resorts, included top rated resorts La Parva, Portillo and Valle Nevado.

Dramatic terrains

The ski terrains are in Chile are not for the faint hearted. The landscape is dramatic, the slopes are exhilaratingly challenging but still offer something for everyone – and most of all, the ski culture in Chile is one that is very friendly and community-focused. Visitors tend to be long-term; they come back again and again.

Dual seasonality

The beauty of somewhere like Chile is that when the Northern hemisphere has its winter and people wish to migrate south to be warm, they will enjoy Chile in the summer months just as much! After all, south American countries are known for being hot and sunny, so dual seasonality is a Chilean ski property’s big selling point.

Wine country

The other marvellous thing about Chile – is the wine. If you decide to travel the length of the country, you will pass hundreds and hundreds of miles of vineyards producing some of the best wines in the world.

Buying a home in Chile

Many expats who invest in property in Chile spend time getting to know the country for about a year. It’s important to work out which side of Chile suits you best, because the weather ranges are extreme. Read more about this here.

There are no restrictions for foreign buyers as there is in New Zealand (apart from areas near the borders). You can read about rates, costs and property purchase process in Chile on Global Property Guide. Of course, your agent will have all the up to date information you need to get started.