Talking Taxes, Toilets, Buying, Renting, and Visiting France!

I wish my time in Nice was totally as relaxing and easy a lifestyle as it is for all of our clients now living here, but it’s even busier and more “chargé” than my time in Paris. There is so much to do and fit into the schedule, that I barely have time to visit the Promenade des Anglais and take in that beautiful aqua blue sea that calms my soul.

I am not complaining, mind you. It’s just that what I imagined for myself when I bought the apartment on rue Masséna in 2011, was more about retirement than the active life that awaits me each time I step off the TGV in this sun-drenched town.

Retire? That might never actually happen and in truth, I’d be bored. Recently, my daughter remarked, “Mom, it’s okay to be bored, you know?” To which I replied, “No, it’s not!”

VISITING FRANCE

Well, boredom is certainly not the life I have in France, regardless of whether it’s in Paris or Nice. This year, I’ve set my sights on visiting more of France and less of the rest of the world. Since becoming a yo-yo going back and forth between Paris and Nice every couple weeks, the rest of France has sadly gotten ignored. Previous to this, I had visited almost every corner and loved every inch of the country, but it’s been way too long and a few spots have been forgotten or ignored. So, the goal is to get back on track.

Next month, two weekend jaunts to unchartered territory are on the horizon: Annecy, and a week later, Cassis. A friend and I are training to Annecy from Paris, and then another friend and I will drive from Nice to Cassis.

Nestled in the heart of the French Alps, from what I’ve read and heard, Annecy is a breathtakingly beautiful town where the crystalline waters of Lake Annecy gently flow into the Thiou River, one of the shortest rivers in Europe. Often referred to as the “Venice of the Alps,” it’s described as captivating visitors with its enchanting Old Town (Vieille Ville)—a maze of cobblestoned lanes, flower-lined canals, and pastel-hued facades that look lifted from a storybook.

I can’t wait. Expect to get a full report!

Cassis is in the opposite direction from Annecy. A picturesque Mediterranean port town in southern France, it’s renowned for its natural beauty and relaxed seaside charm. It will be interesting to see how it differs from Nice. Watched over by a historic hilltop château (not too different from Nice), the town is known for its pebble beaches (the same) and striking “calanques”—narrow turquoise inlets framed by dramatic white limestone cliffs, accessible by boat or hiking trails. We fully intend on visiting them! And stay tuned, as you will definitely be reading more about them both as we discover these two French towns for the first time.

99 PROM

I landed in Nice on Tuesday evening and Wednesday started off with a bang. I met with our new management team at 99 Promenade des Anglais. We originally called it “Le Jardin de la Promenade,” and then it became known to all of us as simply “99 Prom.” It’s a large studio apartment located directly on the Promenade with its own private enclosed garden. We initially offered it as a Fractional Ownership property with 13 4-week shares. The shares didn’t sell well, so my partners and I put it on the market to sell in its entirety…but it wasn’t cheap, as we had invested quite a bit turning it into a jewel.

Again, we were unsuccessful selling the property, even though it had a huge money-saving advantage because of its U.S. company ownership. Meanwhile, the guests of the apartment extolled its virtues! One friend who stayed there said it was the best rental apartment he’d ever stayed in and slept better there than even in his own home. One of our staff stayed there a few days and agreed wholeheartedly with him. Being right on the water, with its own private garden was heaven on earth. Every person who has ever stayed in the apartment has remarked similarly.

I chose to buy my partners’ shares and now the company owns the apartment in its entirety. We are preparing for stays by our clients, friends and readers…YOU. Our target date is November 1st to have it fully ready for our guests…but for no less than one week stays. It is fully equipped, and will be pet friendly…the little yard is a godsend for those traveling with their furry friends—hard to find!

For now, you can view the property on our website. But, soon we will have beautiful new updated photos, full descriptions and everything ready to go. If you want to book a stay now, email us and we’ll work to get you in there as early as November!

RENT OR BUY? THAT IS THE QUESTION

That afternoon, we got on Zoom with Brian Dunhill of Dunhill Financial for the North American Expats in France Quarterly Financial Forum 3rd Quarter 2025, talking about “The Pros and Cons of Renting vs Purchasing.” It was a one-hour presentation and discussion with a large attendance…as it could be likely the most asked question I get from clients: “Should I rent, or should I buy?”

Clearly, I’m more of a buyer than a renter! But, there are lots of good reasons to do one or the other. There’s no one-size-fits-all answer to this, which is why you might want to watch and listen to the discussion, if you weren’t able to attend. Watch the YouTube video on our channel.

And if you’re not already a subscriber, it’s easy. Just click the subscribe button and every time we post a new video, you’ll be informed!

TALKING TAXES

Thursday was even more “chargé!” About 80 Americans, Canadians and Australians (mostly our clients, friends and community) filled the upstairs at Oscar Restaurant for Après-Midi wherever they could find a place to sit (some on the floor) or stand (without blocking the stairwell) to hear tax advisor Jonathan Hadida talk about “France and U.S. Tax, What You Should Know.” Jonathan opened the talk with how boring the topic is, but guess what?…the size of the audience proves it’s not boring at all and by no means is Jonathan boring!

He kept us enthralled for an hour-and-a-half going through a well-prepared presentation and fielding questions from the audience. No doubt, everyone is concerned with paying more taxes than they should, but Jonathan assured us all that living in France would end up saving them taxes as a result.

Don’t miss seeing this very informative event and passing it on to your friends. It’s available to view on our YouTube channel.

TALKING TOILETS

I had to leave early from Après-Midi in order to attend the annual General Assembly of my rue Masséna apartment that began at 5 p.m. steps away. Two items on the agenda were those that I had proposed: 1) to allow the plumbing of a real toilet from my apartment by way of the stairwell and 2) or to acknowledge the “sanibroyeur” (macerating toilet*) as approved by the homeowners to exist. For those of you who have followed the saga, which began in early 2012 when first discovering the “vice caché” (hidden defect) during renovation, then you know that first I sued the seller and won the case, then the neighbors below me sued me to install a real toilet, but wouldn’t give me permission to plumb it! (I swear, this is true!)

The case has been stuck in the French courts since 2018! They are slow as molasses and Covid-19 interfered so between the two factors, we are still duking it out. The entire building is now involved because the downstairs neighbors propose going under the floor of my next-door neighbors (Americans) and the next-door neighbors refuse to allow the pipes to go under their floor. They sided with me on proposing the stairwell. Personally, I don’t care how it gets plumbed, as long as it does! So, in essence, the dispute is now between the two neighbors, but involves all of us.

We were all in attendance. I had an army with me: my contractor, Notaire and lawyer. That, in itself, created a rather contentious situation. My Notaire, Carole Vangioni, is a bulldog and the best Notaire I know. She lived in the U.S. 10 years and thinks and behaves like an American. She is incensed by this situation, hence her voluntary involvement in the case. Alongside her was my attorney who could cite the law better than her and my contractor who understood how it technically could be done.

There is no way to recreate the scenario in a few words in this missive, but some rather nasty anti-foreigner words came out of one of the owners (who has nothing to do with the case) to which I lost it, exclaiming that “This is all a bunch of garbage!” That didn’t get us anywhere and the proposals were voted against by everyone except my next-door neighbor and me. Ugh. Back to the mercy of the courts…from which we should have a final decision by sometime next year.

Here’s the funny part: In the original judgment against the seller (the case I won), the expert brought-in by the court declared the best solution was to run the pipes under the next-door neighbor’s floor, and that is likely what the court will decree. One or both of the neighbors will be unhappy, as it will force one ceiling to be lowered and/or the floor to be raised to accommodate the larger pipes.

Oy vey. What a mess! But hopefully, I will have a real toilet and not just a very large closet should the sanibroyeur cease to function! Wish me luck.

*A macerator in a Sanibroyeur toilet is a compact device that pumps wastewater. When you flush, the system grinds solid waste into a liquid mass, which is then discharged through narrow pipes. The system is effective because it quickly transports water and waste, preventing blockages.

Lovely, right? That’s what I have…and thank goodness, it DOES function!

A la prochaine…