Press / Media / News

Lake Annecy, exceptional property

The 'Dauphiné Libéré' newspaper
22nd February 2009
Agence Clerc, find the hidden gem
Raphaël Sandraz

Going deep into the property market in the same way a craftsman works beautiful stone... From his long experience of searching out the rare and beautiful, Jean-Claude Clerc has developed a taste for the truly outstanding.


Having spent thirty years in the world of property sales and expertise, Jean-Claude Clerc has made beautiful property his trademark in the profession. Thirteen years ago he decided to leave his first estate and property management agency for a new venture and, with his wife Isabelle, started up Agence Clerc in their private villa at Veyrier du Lac beside the emerald slopes bordering Annecy. His objective? "To concentrate on outstanding property with character", he confides while describing the buildings he is carefully looking at. From the shores of the lake to the Aix Basin, from the Swiss frontier to the Annecy hinterland, the agency specialises in authentic properties which are welcoming, of historical interest, sometimes ancient and if not have "beautiful contemporary style resulting from meticulously crafted design and architecture", adds the specialist. From his agency with its personal touch, Jean-Claude Clerc expresses his evident passion, developed from a definite liking for contact with people, for providing a service for a local, national and international clientele (Russia, USA, Switzerland...), "clients" attracted by the same desire for happiness, for a "small part of paradise". As a result, the agency has become multicultural and completely bilingual, backed up by its web site, which has been, for more than ten years, amongst the web sites most often given professional awards.

EXPERTISE AND EXCELLENCE

From this attention to define what people want in order to identify the best compromise between wishes and achievements, Jean-Claude Clerc assumes his role and his advisory assignment. Chartered surveyor and member of the S.N.P.I (leading National Association of Professional Estate Agents) since 1960, of which he is the departmental secretary of the Haute-Savoie, the specialist applies a motto : "expertise and excellence" to produce valuations in line with the markets. Drawing on a substantial personal contacts network and an effective group of partners (architects, lawyers, banks, businesses, notaires), the agency is prudent about the year 2009, but serene. "Our clients have retained their confidence in us", notes the estate agent; conscious that the contacts and regular telephone calls have calmed the effects of the crisis, by virtue of "more straightforward business, in a calm and reassuring climate", concludes Jean-Claude Clerc.