All Gooey Inside: Making the Dream Come True

There are lots of times I feel all “gooey” inside when I know that I’ve really helped someone change their life for the better and made their dreams come true. This is one of them…and these are the moments that make all the challenges of living and working in France so worthwhile.

Since the beginning of this century (wow, that sounds like a really long time), I’ve helped hundreds of people transition from their lives in other places — mostly the U.S., Canada and other English-speaking nations, to a new life in France. Sometimes it’s in the form of a consultation about “Working and Living in France” in which we discuss all the options for making a successful move, finding a way of earning a living, getting the proper visa, etc. Other times it’s more specifically about investing in property somewhere in France. When the client clearly goes from abject fear of their future to pure excitement for the adventure set before them, I know the session has been successful. Again, this was one of those times.

It was my dream to move to France and ultimately to have a real home there. The experience I had to make all this happen against all odds led to the work I do to help others accomplish the same. I am not a lawyer or licensed professional, but have those types of important resources to clarify the ideas that emerge during our meetings. What I do is very different than how one of those professionals might approach the same topic, because I have a broader view of the picture and can say things and advise things that the licensed professionals cannot. We still need them, mind you — to ensure that the dream doesn’t turn into a nightmare.

The “gooey” feeling comes from the work I am doing with a young American woman who has lived here a year taking courses in wine and gastronomy. She’s on a student visa renting a precious apartment in the Quartier Latin with a stunning view of Notre Dame. Her courses ended and she can’t bear to leave her new home in Paris or her “aerie” with its two big windows overlooking the heart of the city. On top of that, the landlord informed her that she wishes to sell the flat. By law, the tenant has first right of refusal and so began her quest to fulfill her ultimate dream — to own the apartment, live and work in Paris in the industry she loves.

When she phoned me, she was distraught with fear and doubt. Everyone told her the seller’s price was too high and she was nuts to entertain such an idea.

Who was everyone? Her French friends and her family. She had just completed her courses, had no “job” and to them, it all seemed like a pipe dream. She was not convinced and contacted me mostly to learn if the price was fair or not.

I visited the property and heard her story. The apartment is a tiny jewel and the price on target. More importantly, she loves it, loves living there, has become a part of the neighborhood and feels totally at home. That is already a huge step ahead of purchasing a property in which one has never stayed. The exact same thing happened to me in 1999 when my landlord informed me they wanted to sell the apartment in which we had been living and renting for the last two years. I was equally in love with my life there and would have done anything to purchase it. It took nine months and lots of advisors before I figured out a way to buy it…that was one of the best things I’ve ever done in my entire lifetime.

It was easy to support her in her own feelings about this adventure, because her friends and family are dead wrong. They are advising her based on their own fears, and perhaps jealousy. They don’t know what we know.

We know that mortgage rates are at an all time low (we have a client who is securing a mortgage at 1.4% interest rate!), the rate of exchange dollar to euro is also at a new low (today $1.07) and property is increasing in price in the city of Paris, predicted for this year at 6%. All that means is that this is an opportune moment to purchase a property!

She can’t secure a French mortgage without a job, but her family is willing to lend her the money to make the purchase. With the help of an immigration attorney, she will secure a new visa. With a concrete plan we discussed on how to create her own company, she will find new revenue sources. Within an hour, she went from imagining her life in France ending to return to the States and “finding a job,” to becoming the owner of a Paris apartment and an international entrepreneur! The transformation happened before my very own eyes and I knew then and there that her life had changed dramatically in those few minutes…all for the better.

She has no idea how much. I’ve witnessed it time and time again. My crystal ball tells me that this will be one of the most important things she has ever done in her life to propel her career and her future on the planet.

If you don’t believe me, read what Lisa Anselmo has to say in her blog and in her new book: My (Part-Time) Paris Life which is all about how running away to an apartment in Paris brought her home.

(Lisa Anselmo is speaking Tuesday, December 13 at Après Midi, so be sure to come and hear how she turned the devastating loss of her mother into a purposeful new life — and share her five keys to reinventing a happier life…via a Paris apartment!)

Yes, these are the times that I feel all “gooey” inside and yes, that makes it all so worthwhile!

A bientôt,

Adrian Leeds
The Adrian Leeds Group

Respond to Adrian: [email protected]

P.S. See me in action, doing what I do, in a re-airing of a recent House Hunters International episode, “A Paris Shoebox for Six.” Liz and Tony love life with their four kids in Melbourne. In fact, they love it so much that until very recently, they’ve never left the area. All that changed when they visited Paris a few years back, and now Liz is determined to break into their modest savings and buy a dream Parisian apartment. See it Friday December 23, 11:30pm ET. Don’t miss it!