Fascinating Apartment Finds

You Could Be Overlooking this Charming Marais Courtyard

Dear Parler Paris Reader,

Visiting apartments in Paris is one of the most fascinating things one can do in the City of Light — right up there with visits to the great museums, strolls along the Seine or drinking a frothy café crème at a classic brasserie with a view on Parisian daily life. Most tourists don’t even get a chance to see a personal apartment, much less visit several…unless they choose to rent one themselves or have developed friends who live in the city. My great fortune is the business that developed quite naturally as a result of assisting Anglophones (mostly North Americans, but with a smattering of “Brits” and “Aussies”) in moving to Paris and France, to help them find the apartments of their dreams.

No apartment is like another in Paris — with the exception of those in newer buildings — so let me qualify that to say no apartment OLDER THAN 100 YEARS is like another in Paris. Particularly in Le Marais, where the buildings are centuries old and the apartments have been reconfigured dozens of times, are they in any way similar. It is absolutely a delight to see how different lifestyles over time have molded the walls and spaces into different types of environments.

This morning, I postponed the natural progress to write this newsletter to view two apartments. One was a very sweet 47 square-meter (approximately 500 square feet) one-bedroom pied-à-terre in the heart of the Beaubourg district that is offered for sale. A U.K. couple, half American, half British, came on a whirlwind one-day apartment hunting expedition this past weekend only partly expecting to find something with such limited time, and discovered this little jewel. Tracy James, our Property Purchase Manager and Mortgage Specialist led them all over the Marais on Saturday with her tiny black toy poodle puppy, Lucy, in tow. They must have looked at eight or nine apartments, and at the end of the day, this one had stood out from the rest.

They all loved the apartment, but called me in, as is often done, to put the “seal of approval” on it — as I am a critical customer and refuse to allow anyone to buy (or rent) an apartment that isn’t suitable. Period. Within seconds of entering, I could imagine how a small amount of renovation could make the apartment better than perfect. Charming rooftop views from big windows on two sides, with total quiet and calm on the courtyard at a location that is smack dab in the middle of everything happening, is enough to make one swoon for such a love nest. This is a property one doesn’t find often and by the end of the day, our U.K. couple may have landed their dream Paris apartment after only one day of hunting. Amazing, but true!

The second apartment was completely different and for a different purpose — long-term rental. I am regularly asked about apartments that come on the rental market for one year or more, furnished, but they are hard to find beause there isn’t much of a system for offering them as there is with short-term rentals (by the week). This one happens to be in the rue Charlot building where I have the studio I rent named “Le Provençal” and is quite a special find.

It’s available immediately as the most recent tenants moved out this past weekend…88 square meters (approximately 950 square feet) with three spacious bedrooms, a complete bath, a shower and a separate toilet, a very spacious living/dining with open American-style kitchen, all contemporary appointments, lots of closets (mirrored) and huge windows on two different courtyards. It’s only one flight up and move-in ready, but the landlords are willing to furnish it more or less depending on the needs of the tenant. It’s already well-equipped with stove, oven, dishwasher and washer/dryer and all the normal furnishings, but if you’d want to add some of your own personal belongings…even better!

Pascal Fonquernie of Parismarais.com and I both took photos and agreed to find a tenant we would want to have in our own building! The best part of all is living in this charming 18th-century building in the heart of Le Marais (the 3rd) and enjoying the beautiful courtyard — the one we overlook from the studios we rent and Pascal’s own personal apartment.

The price? A bargain at 2650 euros per month. The landlord pays the monthly “charges” (homeowners association fees) and the taxes, but the tenant pays utilities. Your lease can be one year to three years, renewable or cancelable (with 90 days notice). As with all rental apartments, there is a two month deposit held and paid in advance and a one-month finder’s fee.

If you are interested in the apartment or know someone who might be, don’t hesitate a single second as it’s going to be rented very quickly at this price for so much livable space. Email [email protected] for more information.
A la prochaine…
Adrian Leeds
Editor, Parler Paris

Email [email protected]
P.S. Don’t forget…This Saturday, October 7th, is your chance to learn “How to Write a Script I Can Sell and How to Sell a Script I Wrote” — with Judith Merians, Hollywood Entertainment Lawyer, Studio Executive and Consultant to Independent Producers. Bring your paper, your pen and your script for this three-hour workshop in English. 3 p.m. to 6 p.m. upstairs at La Pierre du Marais, 96, rue des Archives at the corner of rue de Bretagne, in the 3rd arrondissement. 30 Euros, limited to 30, register upon arrival, but reserve your place by emailing: [email protected] or calling 01.44.07.66.35 mornings only.