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Set Back, Set Up and Ready for Rental

February 2, 2012

Volume X, Issue 5

It rained for days in Nice and even snowed Tuesday night. The wet weather led to a blockage of the sewage system in our building, flooding two of my neighbors’ apartments and the boutiques on the street level.

Luckily, nothing in “Le Matisse” was damaged, but it put a damper on the ability to complete the apartment with no running water to wash the new dishes or towels or even use the toilet. This is just part of basic property ownership in France (or just about anywhere) — acts of nature caused by no one or nothing in particular that must be fixed or maintained, especially when dealing with older buildings.

In this case, an expert came who assessed that the old rusted evacuation pipes had seen better days and needed intervention and ultimately replacement. We await his estimate of the work and the completion of the it by end of the week.

It was as serious a set-back to the finishing of the apartment. So was the huge bathroom mirror falling down and shattering into a million slivers as it was in the process of installation. Six mirror suppliers later, our contractor found a mirror supplier who could replace it before the end of the week.

2-2-12 matisse tile Bathroom tile by Véronique Husson 2-2-12 promenade des anglais Promenade des Anglais

2-2--12 old nice View of Old Nice

2-2-12 old port The Old Port in Nice

All week I have been working diligently with the contractors to place all the final appointments — the toilet paper roll holder, the position of all the shelving, and all those details that take the eye of the owner or designer to direct. In addition, with me has been a housekeeper and our new Concierge to organize and place all the furnishings and accouterments...petit à petit (little by little).

This is the part of the process that is the most satisfying — to see all those ideas that start in the mind’s eye become realized. I am watching the furnishings take their proper place, the light fixtures positioned, the cabinets filled with their proper belongings and the life of the apartment come together. When the bathroom was cleaned the big oval tub with new mosaic tile glistened, I must have beamed too. It’s all more beautiful than I had even dreamed.

By the time I head for the airport tomorrow afternoon to return to Paris, we should have everything ready to be photographed. Our rental staff has been “chomping at the the bit” wanting just about anything to show off to future rental guests. But of course, that would be impossible until every detail is complete. Still, we have several rental contracts in advance of finishing and lots of demands leading us to believe that Nice is going to be a popular spot for luxury rental property…all year long.

Spending so much time in the Carre d’Or, I’ve discovered that it’s by far the most convenient part of town — besides its close proximity to the sea, the park and Old Nice, it’s walking distance to all the resources necessary for producing this apartment. Major shopping is just a street away on Avenue de Jean-Médecin: Darty, Monoprix, Galeries Lafayette, and tons more. And along the way are all the beautiful boutiques that are tempting me with their annual “soldes.”

One thing discovered in dealing with the Niçois is the relaxed and friendly atmosphere in which they work. Clearly they are more open and “amicale” than the Parisians, as well as flirtatious. The pace is slower and easier than the hustle-bustle of Paris — much like the difference I find between life in New York compared to Los Angeles. There is no competition here, however. Both worlds are energizing and inviting and obtainable! Is there any reason we can’t have them both?!?

Yesterday I met with two of our best real estate agents in Nice who keep me informed of the best properties that come on the market in the areas of the city we know will make the best rental property: Vieux Nice, Carré d’Or and Promenade des Anglais. In fourth position is the Old Port — a beautiful spot, but a little further from the sea and city center. I’ll be passing them on to you — so, if you’re particularly interested in a pied-à-terre on the blue coast, be sure to let us know. (Send an email to [email protected])

We’ve added Nice to our Web site…you’ll see it develop as things progress here to accommodate our readers and clients who love the Riviera. When you go to AdrianLeeds.com, notice the new menu item “Nice Apartments.” For now, just Le Matisse is listed, but soon we’ll have “Le Villa Paradis” — the adjacent two-bedroom, two-bath apartment that is currently under renovation and decoration — also featuring the artistic tile work of Véronique Husson and decor by Martine di Mattéo. We hope to offer it for rental within the next six weeks.

And to those of you who have luxury properties in and around Nice you’d like us to represent on your behalf, do contact us, as we are seeking to add other worthy properties to our ‘bouquet’ of beautiful apartments here. Also stay tuned for “Parler Nice” coming soon — a Nouvellettre® that talks about life in Nice, much like Parler Paris provides a glimpse of life in the City of Light.

A bientôt,

Adrian Leeds
Editor, French Property Insider

Email: [email protected]

Post mark

villa monceau-150 P.S. Luxury apartment Villa Monceau ‘sold out’ long before I began dabbling in fractional ownership, and now one of the owners wishes to sell her one-month share. And what’s really interesting about this particular share is that it’s one-half of a two-month share — when you purchase one month from the current owner, you have the flexibility to share the usage over two months with a partner shareholder — a great advantage! The current months of usage are March/April 2012. For more information, email [email protected].