Ski Chalets for Sale in Austria

The luxury ski chalet market in Austria was traditionally centred on a handful of resorts: Kitzbühel and St Anton in Tyrol, and Lech-Zürs in Vorarlberg. Prices here are among the highest in the Alps, and many of the best chalets are sold off-market, before they are ever advertised.

However, supply is very tight, particularly in the Arlberg, so many second-home buyers are looking towards Salzburgerland and resorts such as Zell am See-Kaprun, Saalbach-Hinterglemm and Hinterthal.

Hinterthal in particular has become a prime location for luxury chalets in Austria. The land here has second-home status, or Zweitwohnsitzgebiet, which makes it one of the rare places where foreign buyers can buy an Austrian chalet without a rental obligation.

In Zell am See, the prime location is Thumersbach, where chalets face south or west, with views of the Kitzsteinhorn glacier to the south and across the lake to the west. Buyers have been buying older chalets on these lakeside plots and replacing them with stunning contemporary chalets.

The most important question in Austria is the chalet's status. A chalet with Zweitwohnsitz (second-home) status can be left empty between your holidays; one without it must be your main home or be let to holidaymakers. That status can add a significant premium to the price.