When Mary Jo Madeford retired as a Seattle elementary school teacher in 2022, she considered several ideas about where she wanted to live next, but she wasn't afraid to let the ocean get in the way. Somewhere in Portugal? Is it around Vienna? Asheville, North Carolina came to mind.
“I wanted a small town with lots of cute shops and restaurants, but close to a big city,” said Madeford, 61. “And I'm a retired teacher. I had to look at the budget.”
Her brother Lee, a pianist who has lived for decades on the shores of Lake Geneva in Lausanne, Switzerland, suggested Evian, a small French city at the foot of the Alps across the lake.
Madeford's appeal was being close to his brother, a 35-minute ferry ride across the lake. She also loved the lake views from Evian, the charm of the medieval downtown streets, and the easy access by train to other cities such as Milan, Zurich, and Bern. “You're close to everything,” she said.
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The resort town of Evian, famous for its natural spring water, is relatively unpopular compared to the Swiss city across the lake that has long attracted bankers and cultural figures such as David Bowie, Charlie Chaplin and Audrey Hepburn. It's an affordable enclave. Madeford stayed in a short-term rental for a few weeks to try out life in Evian. Satisfied, she walked into Century 21's lakefront office last year and introduced herself. She doesn't remember exactly what she said, but she was like, Je ne parles pass français. ”
Eric Gribel, head of the local Century 21 office, is used to dealing with French clients who have moved to Evian and commute across the lake to high-paying jobs in Switzerland. Before the Ukraine war, he also responded to requests from Russians looking for a second home. But Americans, especially those who didn't speak French, were even rarer.
Like many parts of the world, home prices have soared in Evian during the pandemic. “Everyone seemed to be in the market and getting exorbitant prices,” said Sonia Faria, another agent at the Century 21 office. But when interest rates rose last year and the market slumped, Madeford realized she had a healthy selection of apartments.
She set a budget of about $300,000, which she earned from the proceeds of the sale of her home in Everett, Washington, and wanted to avoid buying a car, so public transportation was key. The view of Lake Geneva was similar. And she needed a place where Ella, a 14-year-old Labrador mix, wouldn't have too much trouble getting around.
Among her options are:
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