We’ve moved! But only one block away from where we used to live.

Why did we move? Our previous apartment was a classic french apartment in a Haussmannian building with french doors, high ceilings, gorgeous mouldings, and a fireplace with a gold mirror above it. HOWEVER, while it was on the 4th floor it was a narrow street so our only view was of the apartments opposite us.

Why did we move only one block away? Fille wanted to stay close to school. We are a five minute walk. Personally, I wasn’t a huge fan of this neighborhood when we first moved here one year ago, but I appreciate it more this time around (more on that in another post to come).

What is great about our new apartment? The view! Take a look!

180 degree view of Paris. This only shows a bit of the view but some might say the best part.
At night, every hour on the hour we can see the Eiffel tower sparkle!

What else do we like about our new apartment? It is in a bigger complex. Therefore, the guardien is always here and packages are easier to get delivered. It has a balcony. I can sit and have a glass of wine on the balcony and I have also started a small herb garden. The apartment is small. Because it is small the apartment is very easy to keep clean and tidy. It is furnished. At the beginning we considered unfurnished since it increased the options of available apartments, but in the end I am glad we didn’t. So much less work for me!

Having a drink and snack on the balcony

Was it hard to find a new apartment? Yes and no. We had the serious restriction of 5 min walk to school as well as a view. I looked at dozens and dozens of online ads and visited at least a dozen apartments. We missed out on a few because we tried to get one without a “garant”, that’s a guarantor. It is almost impossible to get an apartment without a guarantor if you aren’t a french person earning a local salary which is at least 3x the rent. You have to be really lucky to find a landlord who is understanding of your special circumstances. However, given how tight the Paris market is, they can pick and choose who they want to rent to so it really isn’t in their interests to take on a special case.

How did you find the apartment? I had email alerts from all of the major real estate sites (e.g. seloger.com, pap.fr) as well as some of the larger (and smaller) real estate agencies (e.g laforet.com which is who we ultimately rented from). Have your dossier ready, apply immediately when you see an ad you like and follow up. You need to be aggressive. The market for renters is tight and the real estate agents don’t need to work hard to find renters. Consequently, they often don’t respond. Be persistent. If you see an apartment you like, tell them then and there. Don’t hesitate.

Good luck! Let me know if you have any questions! I’d be happy to help.