SPECIAL EDITION – A Villa for a Fraction of the Price

The first time I learned of fractional ownership properties was when I was invited to dinner at Villa Monceau. The share owner was a friend of a friend who had happily come to Paris to take advantage of her one month in the lovely apartment in the 17th arrondissement.

When I saw the well-appointed apartment and saw the pleasure with which our hostess was glowing, I contacted the developer and began a long-lasting relationship with him. That relationship resulted in the development of several other properties that we helped him find and purchase as well as sell the shares. Those properties have been featured on our site at French Property Fractional.

Fractional ownership is a brilliant solution for those who want to own a substantial property on a limited budget, who only wish to use it a portion of the year and don’t want any of the hassles and responsibilities of owning their own property. One of the big advantages, too, is that your share is really resale-able…as it’s a real asset, unlike timeshare where your asset is not the property, but the time usage.

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 December-January, but usage migrates three months each year. So, the upcoming period is March/April 2012..

Villa Monceau is a one-bedroom, 58 square-meter (625 square feet) apartment located on the third floor in an immaculate pierre-de-taille building in the elegant 17th arrondissement, close to Parc Monceau and the Arc de Triomphe. It was Paris Home Shares first project and required extensive updating.

Paris Home Shares enlarged the bathroom, reworked the kitchen and added ‘chevron’ parquet flooring throughout (except in the bedroom where the original parquet could be saved). The new bath features Italian marble floors, walls and counters, a full walk-in shower with top of the line Grohe fixtures, a sitting bench, and frameless glass door. They added a quiet-flush suspended toilet, combination radiator-towel warmer (seche serviette), full plate glass mirrors with downlighting, and lots of storage space that hadn’t existed in the original configuration.
 
The Master bedroom features a queen-size bed with 600 thread-count Egyptian cotton linens, duvet, and large comfy goose down pillows. The room is equipped with nightstands, candlestick lamps, hand sewn drapes and sheers and an antique (1850 era) armoire with dressing mirror to complete the touch. They added lots of electrical outlets, new heating, and restored the beautiful original wainscoting, walls and ceiling moldings. The full length bedroom windows look out onto a quiet courtyard with no neighbors across the way, assuring total privacy and quiet.

Even the entry foyer was remodeled to incorporate a new storage closet, as well as adding an antique crystal chandelier, marble wall console with antique mirror and a handy period coat rack. This is clearly Paris from the first impression!
 
The kitchen received a serious ‘face lift.’ It was gutted, and was fit with all new cabinetry with glass doors, pull out shelves, and a host of built-in stainless appliances, including a frost-free refrigerator, dishwasher, oven, microwave, and a laundry center featuring both a full size washer and dryer. New marble floors and granite countertops were installed to top it all off. Then, the kitchen was fully equipped to be able to cook and serve gourmet meals, with service for 8 to 12 people. (I can attest to the gourmet meals!)

The living and dining rooms did not require much in the way of major modifications, other than the hardwood floors. Chandeliers were added to the beautiful plaster ceiling rosettes, an antique marble fireplace mantle was installed along with luxurious French drapes with tiebacks, a built-in double Murphy bed for the (guaranteed) relatives who show up, hand-sewn oriental carpets, antique leather top writing desk from the mid-1800’s and much more. All this attention to detail makes this an inviting area to cozy up with a book, catch up on the latest news on the flatscreen HD TV, or check e-mail on the provided laptop computer with high speed Internet access.
 
The neighborhood, considered by Parisians as one of the finest examples of Haussmannian architecture, is a delightful mix of small clothing shops, enticing boulangeries as well as Michelin-starred restaurants. Parc Monceau, one of the most beloved of Paris parks, is just a 10-minute stroll away and the Arc de Triomphe is just 15 minutes by foot. I lived in this neigbhorhood and and expecially enjoyed lots of lazy days at Parc Monceau.

The asking price for this flexible and unusual share is only 82,500€. The owner with which you share the two months is totally flexible, so together you determine your usage. As I said, this is a BIG ADVANTAGE. I don’t expect the share to last long — exclusive to our readers — so don’t hesitate to learn more. To secure your share in Villa Monceau, email [email protected].

A bientôt,

Adrian Leeds
Editor, French Property Insider

Email: [email protected]

 P.S. There are other fractional opportunities here in Paris, some smaller, some larger — if this one does not suit you — such as Le Notre Dame Studio Apartment – Rue Chanoinesse, 4th (Le Notre Dame Fractional) and Le Palace des Vosges two-bedroom, two bath (Le Palace des Vosges Fractional)…but Villa Monceau has the best advantage of usage flexibility. Visit to learn more about What is Fractional Property Ownership?, to get the free Paris, France Property Market Report click here: Property Report.