A
Word from Our Clients
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From
Tom Bernatowicz & Anne Merles
"Le
Deco"
It
has now been a year since we began to explore the possibility
of owning an apartment in Paris and had our first telephone
conversation with you. And what a year it has been! We wanted
first to thank you for all of your help, and for your patience
and kindness. But we also wanted to let you know which things
we have liked the most about the Adrian Leeds Group (ALG) and
the services that you provide.
From the start, you skillfully guided us along that complex
learning curve—what property in Paris really costs, which
areas in Paris were most likely to suit our needs, how to obtain
a loan, and how to navigate the murky bureaucratic waters. You
did this with complete honesty, trustworthiness and reliability,
which made us always feel that we were in good hands. Often,
you knew what we needed long before we did, yet you listened
to our opinions and concerns respectfully, and fielded all of
our many questions knowledgeably and decisively, both in person
and through email. And you have continued to help us deal with
various difficulties that have arisen, always promptly and courteously.
Your energy and enthusiasm are contagious, and certainly are
needed at times. It is pleasant to recall how we had only just
arrived at the Paris apartment we were renting during our search,
still somewhat disoriented from our long journey, when several
people contacted us with the words “Adrian needs to meet
with you right away”—from which it was clear that
you are indeed a force to be reckoned with! Before the morning
was over, we had put in a bid on the newly–posted apartment
that your search assistant Mary Ellen Gallagher had found for
us, and we were off and running (both figuratively, and, at
times, literally!).
And this brings up what is to us the most important aspect of
your service, namely the high quality team you have assembled
to assist your clients. Mary Ellen was not only extraordinarily
supportive in attending meetings that you arranged for us with
the notaire and various bank loan officers (each of whom was
very proficient in English, helpful and pleasant), but in the
process was so cheerful and kind that we felt like family. We
will never forget the obvious delight that she took in helping
to finalize our purchase. Similarly, in the time since the purchase
John Rule has been wonderfully helpful and attentive to countless
details in dealing with utilities and thorny property issues.
And how fortunate for us that you connected us with associate
designer Martine Rosier Di Matteo! She really is an incredible
person—a dynamic combination of exquisite taste, imagination,
ingenuity, generosity and persistence. The skill with which
she has managed the details of overseeing the work of the contractor
and obtaining the perfect furnishings is truly remarkable. We
have a thick sheaf of correspondence with her that documents
her attention to detail, and her considerable care in taking
our vague ideas and crystallizing them into a living space of
enormous visual appeal and functionality.
Although we’re not exactly sure how you manage to do it,
your ability to enlist a caring, expert staff makes ALG far
more than merely the sum of its parts. We look forward to continuing
to work with you, and have already enthusiastically recommended
your property search and rental services to many of our friends.
With our best wishes,
Tom Bernatowicz & Anne Merles
From
Mary and Al Thorell
"Le
Panthéon"
Both
Al and I were very pleased with the level of service and your
competence when we purchased Le Pantheon. Your enthusiasm and
knowledge were just what we needed. We looked to you for expert
advice and we got it!
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From
Kathleen Nardiello
It was great working with you on the start of this project and we look forward to working with you as we get it finished and ready to be rented! Thank you for all of your help, advice, contacts, and for all of the time and patience you took with us - I know that we would not have realized this as easily without you and Elizabeth!
From
Jaye Morency
We are thrilled!!!! Mary Ellen just called. She did a superb
job finding the right place for us! It is amazing that the very
first one could be so perfect! We thank both of you for a job
well done!
Jaye Morency and Michael Brassard
A
letter from Rick Hodges
"Le
Penthouse Voltaire"
Hi Adrian,
Everything
is almost completed with the apartment renovation and we are
now ready to begin our new part time life (and prosperous one,
too) in Paris. We wanted to thank you once again for helping
us with this incredible journey.
From attending your seminar in New Orleans in May, 2006, through
the apartment searching with your search consultant, to the
legal advice and assistance with Maître Adler, until the
apartment renovation with Martine the decorator and Tony overseeing
the construction, everything has gone exactly as you told us.
You have truly surrounded yourself with the very best assistance.
Your professionalism and honesty have served us well.
We actually found the whole process even easier than we could
have completed it in the US. The apartment renovation was truly
less stressful than some projects we have undertaken in the
US. I'm sure this is certainly no coincidence and we have you
and your team to thank.
It's
now time for us to sit back, have some wine and sit for hours
at one of our neighborhood cafés and reflect on our next
adventure, which just very well may be yet another purchase
in the City of Light (but only if you agree to help us).
Thank you again from the both of us,
Rick H. and Michael M.
From
Hyacinth Fleming
Just want to say that John and I feel so fortunate to have you
guys on our
side! You guys are awesome!!!
Hyacinth
and John Fleming
From
Leslie Speer
When my husband and I decided to purchase a property in Paris
that a friend had turned us on to, Adrian and the whole French
Property Insider team were the most incredibly pleasant and
professional people to work with throughout the entire process.
If all of our business contacts could be as helpful and accommodating
as these people our lives would certainly be less stressful!
From the short comparative property search and viewing they
set up (all done back to back in a two day period) to the introduction
to our wonderful mortgage broker and banker, they are associated
with some of the most professional and knowledgeable people
in the industry. They are very up-to-date on property values
in Paris and were quick to point out that the arrondissment
that we were buying in was one that had one of the highest rates
of return in the recent quarterly report. As an investment property
we got into a situation that was affordable for us, allows us
to not spend much out of pocket expenses each month and gives
us and our friends a small place to stay when we are in Paris.
No, we don't own a large, beautiful flat in the 3rd or 4th,
but our small, modest flat in the 13th is just what we wanted
and won't stretch our wallet each month. The Buttes aux Cailles
is a small working class neighborhood, but it has all the amenities
within walking distance of our flat -- and a wonderful farmers
market three days a week just around the corner. In addition,
when we did the final tour of the flat and found some mold on
one of the walls, they were quick to hook us up with a general
contractor that got a quality job done in a short three days.
That sort of service just doesn't exist anymore over here in
the US! I would recommend this team of professionals to any
of my friends and colleagues who want to buy property in France
as they have made our dream come true!
Leslie Speer and Adam Richardson
From
Grace Florez
Dianne and I got home late last night. We are still pinching
our selves in disbelief that we have a pied-à-terre in
Paris. We could not have done it without your assistance. We
so enjoyed having Will Faas working on our behalf and hope he
will continue in this role as we move through the renovation
process.
A bientot, Grace
From
Michael Genelin
Well we're nearly completely furnished now and really happy
here. Thank you and your team for all the help you gave us.
I don't see how we would or could have done this without your
encouragement, assistance and all the little things we had to
know and wouldn't have but for you all.
Susy and Michael Genelin
From Mark and Sandi Lane
My husband and I had the great good fortune of meeting Adrian
and her team in the fall of 2004. We contracted with Adrian
to help us find the apartment of our dreams in Paris, which
she did. We are still heartsick that we missed getting that
perfect apartment, but we really got nervous because in December
of 2004, the euro had risen 15 cents above what it was upon
our arrival in September. And the predictions were that it would
rise another 15 cents. The numbers no longer worked and we ended
up not taking the apartment. Here is where our real praise kicks
in: Adrian and her team could not have been kinder or more understanding.
If they were miffed at our dropping the deal, we will never
know because they were both so gracious. We look forward to
our return to France and to eventually getting another "perfect
apartment". When that time comes, we will definitely want
Adrian on our side again! Thanks so much!
Sandi and Mark
A
letter from Sue Chenette
Where did you succeed? First of all, in showing us that owning an apartment in Paris was actually possible. Here, it was your optimistic and can-do approach, but even more importantly the facts and figures you had marshal led, which made us feel, when we left your apartment after that first consultation, that it wasn’t pie-in-the-sky, but something that we really might be able to do. Then, in locating an apartment that was right for us – one that we both loved and could afford. Search-consultant Adrian Lees, with his keen negotiating abilities, was a tremendous help in working out the offer to the owner. You succeeded in giving us access to your network of contacts, and the benefit of the good working relationships you’ve built with bankers and with your notaire. And you succeeded most notably, in my mind, in going the extra distance: taking us into your apartment for the day when the arrangements made to spend it in "ours" had somehow gotten confused and there was no key; and using your charm, energy, and persistent can-do approach to keep things on track when the money we’d wired for the down payment turned up missing on the day of the closing.
We love our studio apartment – and we simply couldn’t have bought it without your help. Your energetic and persistent can-do approach, your ear-to-the-ground knowledge of available apartments, the network of contacts and the good working relationships you’ve built with bankers and the notaire, and your willingness to go the extra distance in working through complications that are sure to arise – all these are what helped make our new pied a terre possible. Thank you!
Steve and Sue Chenette
A
letter from Ben Harris
So far the experience has been very positive. You have an excellent team – I love working with both of them. Angela and I love that apartment. Happy New Year!
Ben Harris
A letter from Olive Long
Jay and I had a wonderful visit to Paris: your careful planning and excellent attention to what we were hoping to accomplish on this our first fact-finding "mission" were more than we could have anticipated. Thank you for your time, great counsel, and good humor! Jay and I are better prepared for the next step, and we hope to make a return trip in the next six months, depending on my schedule. We'll keep you posted. In the meantime, please know how much we appreciate all you did to make our days in Paris fruitful and realistic; the meetings with the two banks and the notaire will be especially helpful in our future planning. Merci.
Olive and Jay Long
From
Dan Maddux
I first met Adrian Leeds at a seminar that she was conducting in Washington D.C. It was a goal of mine to purchase an apartment in Paris, not only for my enjoyment, but also for investment purposes.
I manage a company that primarily gives seminars and education events. I felt that the information I gained from Adrian's seminar was an invaluable investment. Not only did I learn a lot about ownership in France, but I made contacts that I don't think I could have easily accomplished outside the introduction that this course provided.
Before meeting Adrian at the seminar, I had received a referral from a relocation company in the US. After communicating with a real estate agent in Paris for months, the agent informed me the day that I arrive in Paris that she was not interested in working with me. Thank goodness I had set up the initial meeting with Adrian, or the entire apartment hunting trip would have been wasted.
I don't currently speak enough French to even effectively order in a restaurant! While I wouldn't recommend not knowing French to people who want to own property in France, Adrian and her colleagues made the whole process painless and achievable for me.
When I decided to use French Property Insider's services, I met with Adrian in Paris and she had one of her representatives spend a complete day showing me apartments. I thought it would take several visits to find the apartment for my purposes and that met my expectations. The last apartment I saw on the first day of hunting was the apartment I ended up purchasing. The apartment met all of my wants, needs and desires. By the end of the day, Adrian had joined us for a second viewing of the apartment and that evening we discussed the offer to the seller.
My first visit to apartment hunt was four days. On the second day we found the apartment and by the time I left Paris, I had met with Abbey National and BPI.
I have to tell you, Abbey National and BPI were both absolutely wonderful to work with. I only wish mortgage companies in the US were so accommodating! The hardest decision was which one to go with.
My particular scenario came with a few complications from the seller. Adrian and other colleagues of FPI were able to work out all the difficulties. The uniqueness of my purchase with the seller was different than the normal process, but despite this, everything worked out in my favor.
I closed on the apartment a few weeks ago. The signing of the initial contract and closing of the sale was handled by FPI. I provided power of attorney in both situations, because my travel schedule in the US did not permit me to be present.
Currently, the FPI team has been handling the transfer of my utilities, telephone and internet services and she also attended an important homeowners meeting about a renovation issue that the previous owner had pending. I had also decided to have some cabinets installed before I arrive in Paris and they helped to coordinate the installation with the cabinet company and provide them access in my absence.
My advice to you is that utilizing French Property Insider's services will make the whole process of purchasing your home in Paris much easier than if you were to attempt it on your own. The real estate market, apartment listings and real estate agent involvement is much different in France than in the US. If I hadn't contracted with FPI, I would probably still be going back and forth between the US and Paris to hunt a down a good opportunity, all the while frustrating myself and many listing agencies as well. Not to mention, having spent a great deal of money too!
In the outcome, the savings of finding the property so quickly and Adrian's help in the negotiations process, more than paid for FPI's services.
Sorry for my long-winded reference, but I thought it might be helpful to you to have a thorough understanding of why I have given Adrian and everyone at French Property Insider such a high recommendation!
Please don't hesitate to contact me again, if I can answer any other questions.
Best of Luck!
Sincerely, Dan Maddux
From Nicole Boyer
Yes, let me stress that Adrian was absolutely marvelous. We are so grateful! It was simply wonderful having someone with such good acumen and insider knowledge on our side. And we weren't the only the ones impressed; while they would never admit it, I think all parties were duly impressed with Adrian's negotiating ability and knowledge of the tricks of the trade, including the owner!
So far, I have to say, we would never have done anything of this without your help. Thanks again.
Onwards to the next phases of the process.
Nicole
From
John Aiken
Robert and I have decided to take the plunge and move to Paris for retirement. There is no way we could have done it without the help of Adrian Leeds and all of the referrals she has put us in touch with. It is not possible to write a cookbook for a move to France; everyone's situation is different and unique but I would like to share some of the hurdles we have been able to get over.
First, a place to live: We chose our target date of July 1, 2004 for the move. We spent a week in Paris over the New Year holiday and met with several people to get help on our property search. We decided that since we want to live in Paris indefinitely, that we want to get exactly the right place and in order to do that we must be on-site to get to know the districts of Paris and the surrounding areas. We want to get the feel of a neighborhood before committing to live there. We walked all over Paris this past week and took several trips into the countryside by train. We met with apartment rental agents and shared all of our needs with them. They will then identify properties for us to look at when we go back in April.
Second, is getting through the immigration hoops and Jean Taquet was invaluable in that. He helped us fill out the application for the long stay visa and answered our questions about health insurance. And when we get to Paris he will help us with getting our carte de séjour.
Finally, John Howell in London went over several scenarios for property purchase and structuring our finances to minimize French inheritance tax. This is especially important for a gay couple but the French inheritance tax system will put a big dent in anyone's estate plan.
Lastly, our trip was particularly wonderful because we found that the weather is very tolerable even in the middle of winter...we had a beautiful light snow on New Year's Day. And the food is incredible.
John and Robert
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