Laissez Les Bons Temps Rouler
By Adrian Leeds

Excerpt from Parler Paris Nouvelle Lettre®
Monday March 23, 2009
www.adrianleeds.com/parlerparis

My daughter and I arrived in New Orleans Wednesday afternoon and headed immediately to a local neighborhood Metairie restaurant named "Bozo's" for raw oysters on the half shell, stuffed artichoke, oyster 'po-boys' and fresh boiled crawfish, topped off by a cold fountain "Barq's" root beer. That was just the beginning of the continuous eating fest in the city where every bite is a like having a 'party' in your mouth. Don't tell the French, but N-O-L-A has France beat for great 'cuisine.'

New Orleans, however, is the second best city in which to be talking about France. The first, is of course, Paris...but for a New Orleanian-turned-Parisienne, the "Big Easy" is the best alternative to the "City of Light" for learning how to take the big step to property ownership in France. The venue is a perfect way for to combine pleasure with pleasure -- the pleasure of talking about France and the pleasure of visiting with close family while taking in the sights, smells, sounds and tastes of the "Crescent City."

In a private room called "Madame Begue" at "Tujague's" (www.tujaguesrestaurant.com) on Decatur Street, amid the turn-of-the-century photos of Madame Begue herself in the kitchen, hung on the 153 year-old Creole brick walls, sitting on bentwood chairs (sweet but mildly uncomfortable), with fresh brewed coffee and chicory served in glasses (not cups), we discussed the ins and outs of moving to France and owning property with a small, but serious group of attendees.

They came from as far away as Ireland, Panama, California, Florida and Texas to hear what the professionals have to say about the broad and complicated subject. This was our 23rd conference of this nature, so to us, it's a subject we know like the streets of Le Marais, but for them, it was an eye-opening experience to learn the intricacies of the French taxation system, a surprise that no Multiple Listing Service exists in France and that mortgages in France are now possible under the 3% interest mark!

There were several highlights during the 1.5 days of presentations and revelry. Administrative Director of the Alliance Française de la Nouvelle-Orléans (www.af-neworleans.org), Alexandra Drame, paid us a surprise visit Saturday afternoon, to talk a little bit about how to go about learning French and gave us a brief history of the Alliance Française which began in Paris in 1883 then established the first chapter in the United States win 1888. We learned that "Laissez les bon temps rouler" (let the good times roll) is a Cajun expression that is as far from being French than New Orleans is from Paris.

Saturday night after a long afternoon of presentations by John Howell of The International Law Partnership (Why Invest in Property in France?, www.JHCo.org), Peter Zipper of Caye International Bank (The Best Kept Secret in Offshore Banking and Investing, www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/consultation/offshore.html) and myself (How to Find Your Dream Apartment in Paris or Home in the Country!), we mingled over cocktails at Tujague's zinc bar, then settled down to a five-course traditional New Orleans dinner of gumbo, shrimp Remoulade, brisket of beef, crawfish etoufée and banana bread pudding. My entire family (almost) had come to town for the occasion -- all three sisters, my soon-to-be-92-year-old mother, a brother-in-law, a niece and my daughter, Erica -- all of whom positioned themselves around one table, dotted by the company of Peter Zipper and Jody Cracknell of Moneycorp Currency Specialists (www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/loan/moneycorpconvertor.html).

My niece, Allison Gorlin, New Orleans chef extraordinaire at Cake Café and Bakery (www.nolacakes.com) is also an accomplished ukulele player who sings and strums around town to her pleasure. She brought along her 100-year-old uke to belt out a tune or two and while on a high note, my sweet little bentwood chair slipped out from under me rendering me flat on my back and half under the table! Allison said it was a "helluva way to get her to stop singing!" and we all laughed so hard our tears fell into the bread pudding. She stole the show with her brazen performance and comedic commentaries then we all headed home to prepare ourselves for the next full day of presentations.

Sunday morning, Sarah Maslen with Crédit Foncier (www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/loan/lenders.html) logged onto Skype along with John Rule, our Mortgage Manager, sitting at my own Paris desk, to deliver a presentation about how to get a mortgage in France. While the WiFi signal wasn't perfect 100% of the time, the Web cam still allowed us to see them and for them to see us and to converse as if we were virtually in one room, while going through the PowerPoint slides. It was encouraging to learn that mortgages are readily available in France, relatively easy to obtain and at today's rock bottom rates, making it more affordable than ever to invest in a property in France.

The day progressed with presentations by myself, John Howell and Jody Cracknell, providing insight into How to Renovate and Rent Your French Property for Profit, The Fractional Ownership Solution, How to Minimize Your Tax and Maximize the Benefits and How to Reduce Your Currency Exchange Risk. Before ending the session with a Q and A to answer any additional questions the participants might have, we stopped for a coffee break with "beignets" covered in powdered sugar fresh from Café du Monde.

The conference participants handed in their evaluations before heading off to the rest of their stay in the Big Easy, with dreams of living in France in their heads, and the tools that they needed to make it really happen. Scores for each presenter were never lower than a "4" out of a potential "5" and the conference was described as "a wealth of information -- hard to digest it all," "very well done!," "perfect location -- great food!," "totally different from what I thought" and "hard to improve on content and presentation."

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Enlightened by the City of Light
By Adrian Leeds

Excerpt from Parler Paris Nouvellettre®
Monday, September 22, 2008

Sunday was devoted to seeing Paris' historic monuments -- the ones we never get to enter, but once a year. Our first stop was the Hôtel Amelot de Bisseuil at 47 rue Vieille du Temple. I've passed it hundreds of times and admired the big carved Medusa heads on its massive doors. It's also known as the "Hôtel des Ambassadeurs de Hollande," and was Beaumarchais' mansion at one time, built and rebuilt over the course of the last six centuries!

It is said that it was here that Beaumarchais wrote Figaro, that it was visited by luminaries and artists while harboring his operation to supply American revolutionaries with arms. Part of it is restored, the rest in disrepair, but the full restoration is sure to come. And as I understand it, it's up for sale...are you interested?

Le Marais was filled with fascinating buildings and monuments to discover during the sunny afternoon, of which we were able to visit several easily. With each we entered, we were awestruck by these hidden treasures -- the depth of the history behind the walls of the buildings we pass daily and think so little of. It teaches us that there so much to learn about Paris -- a never ending quest to discover the City of Light that is forever enlightening us.

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HOUSE HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL!...
NEW EPISODE TOMORROW!

SEE ADRIAN LEEDS AND FRENCH PROPERTY CONSULTATION ON HOUSE HUNTERS INTERNATIONAL!

***NEW: "Vacation Home in Paris" - Episode HHINT-1A05
AIR TIMES:

March 27, 2009, 10:00 PM ET/PT
March 27, 2009, 2:00 AM ET/PT

New Yorkers Jeff Ballinger and Mary Schiller recently began the first steps toward making their dream together a reality. After honeymooning in Paris, they knew they wanted their own vacation property in France. Now, they've moved out of their house and into a smaller condo in the Bronx, NY, and have begun their search for a pied-a-terre in Paris.
House Hunters International Episode HHINT-402: www.hgtv.com/house-hunters-international/vacation-home-in-paris/index.html.

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Planning More Living and Investing in France Conferences

London Sunday, April 26, 2009 The International Law Partnership The Vaults, Holborn Hall 193-197 High Holborn London WC1V 7BD For more information, email info@adrianleeds.com.

Paris Sunday, May 31, 2009 Chez Jenny 3, Boulevard du Temple 75003 Paris For more information, email info@adrianleeds.com.

 

 

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Historic Parisian Hôtel Offered for Sale
By Jean Rafferty

International Herald Tribune
March 19, 2009
www.iht.com

When France's first culture minister, André Malraux, stepped in in 1965 to preserve the elegant 15th-to-18th- century architecture of the Marais, the dilapidated neighborhood was on the brink of being bulldozed by property developers.

But at least one of its celebrated mansions, the Hôtel des Ambassadeurs de Hollande, had already found its savior in the colorful figure of Paul-Louis Weiller.

Mr. Weiller was a World War I French aviation hero, founder of several airlines that eventually became Air France and successful industrialist and financier. Commandant Weiller also had a passion for rare books and real estate. The mansion, a sumptuous but deteriorating, architectural gem listed as a national landmark in 1924, proved to be irresistible.

The mansion was built in the late 1650s for the Amelot family, using the site of the original 15th- century house. Known then as Hôtel Amelot de Bisseuil, the residence was renowned for its elegant sculpted facades, original layout and rich interiors, designed by the 17th-century architect Pierre Cottard and executed by a series of artists.

After Mr. Weiller's death in 1993, at age of 100, his son, Paul-Annick, continued the restoration. But when he died in 1998, work stopped.

Now the Weiller heirs have put the property up for sale: the 1,713-square-meter, or 18,440-square-foot, house, with a 270-square-meter basement, 313 square meters of courtyard space and a 45-square-meter terrace; 15 parking spaces in an adjacent building; and a 794-square-meter apartment building nearby.

No sale price has been disclosed, but the total asking price is estimated at 35 million euros ($45.3 million).

Visitors to the mansion enter through an imposing 17th-century gateway embellished on one side with the heads of a Medusa and on the other with a bas relief of Romulus and Remus, sculpted by Thomas Regnaudin, who worked on the Galerie d'Apollon, at the Louvre.

The gateway opens onto the first courtyard decorated with sundials and the Amelot de Bisseuil coat of arms and then, at the end of a vaulted passage, the second, larger courtyard reveals a theatrical mix of columns, garlands and allegorical figures.

The four listed rooms, on the ground and first floors, include the grand Salon de Flore, with an 18th-century ceiling by Joseph-Marie Vien above the 17th-century gilded and painted boiseries.

Off the Grand Cabinet, decorated with Vien's paintings of the Four Seasons, is the former library space, which has its own claim to history...

To read the entire article go to www.iht.com/articles/2009/03/19/properties/remarais.php

Editor's Note: The International Herald Tribune article's title, "Historic Parisian Hotel Offered for Sale" was written without a circumflex over the "o" of "hotel" leading one to believe that it was about a hotel as we know the meaning -- www.dictionary.com: "ho·tel" -- [hoh-tel] –- noun: a commercial establishment offering lodging to travelers and sometimes to permanent residents, and often having restaurants, meeting rooms, stores, etc., that are available to the general public. Scroll down to read Wikipedia.org's explanation of a "Hôtel Particulier" as we in France know it.

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Hôtel Particulier - the Real Thing

www.en.wikipedia.org/wiki/H%C3%B4tel_particulier

In French contexts an hôtel particulier is an urban "private house" of a grand sort. Whereas an ordinary maison was built as part of a row, sharing party walls with the houses on either side and directly fronting on a street, an hôtel particulier was often free-standing, and by the eighteenth century it would always be located entre cour et jardin, between the entrance court, the cour d'honneur, and the garden behind. Paris is not the only city with hôtels particuliers: see Hôtels of Montpellier, for instance.

The word hôtel represents the Old French hostel, which has developed a more specific modern English meaning. Cognates can be confusing: the modern usage in English of hotel denotes a commercial hotel accommodating travellers, a hostelry that is more ambitious than an inn. Modern French also applies hôtel to commercial hotels: confusingly the Hôtel de Crillon on the Place de la Concorde was built as an hôtel particulier and is today a hotel. The Hôtel des Invalides retains its early sense of a hospice for war wounded.

In French, an hôtel de ville or mairie is a town hall (and not a hotel), such as the Hôtel de Ville, Paris or the Hôtel de Ville de Montréal. Other official bodies might give their name to the structure in which they maintained a seat: aside from Paris. several other French cities have an Hôtel de Cluny, maintained by the abbey of Cluny. The Hôtel de Sens was built as the Paris residence of the archbishop of Sens.

Hôtel-Dieu ("hostel of God") is the old name given to the principal hospital in French towns, such as the Hôtel-Dieu de Beaune.

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Fractional Property Offerings from French Property Fractional

www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/fractional

If you are interested in traditional fractional ownership properties currently offered by our Fractional Ownership partners, see below:

	***NEW!!! Paris: LE PALACE DES VOSGES www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/fractional
	Paris: CHEZ LA TOUR http://www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/fractional
	Paris: La Résidence Luxembourg www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/fractional
	Paris: LE PETIT TRESOR www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/fractional
	Languedoc-Roussillon: MAISON BLEUE www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/fractional

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Special Hot Property Reduced for FPI Subscribers

Save 500 000 €!

Chalet Beaumont: A unique mountainside chalet comprising of 7/9 apartments in Chamonix, France available for private sale.

The Chalet Beaumont apartments are situated in a spectacular location at the foot of Mont Blanc, perfect for those wishing to enjoy peaceful surroundings with easy access to the hustle and bustle of Chamonix town.

* 7/9 apartments total of 409m2 on 4 levels and 3573m2 of land.
* 255m2 renovated between 2003 and 2005 in the style of "developer MGM" (including new plumbing and wiring)
154m2 original
* All apartments fully furnished and equipped, mostly by "Cocktail Scandinave", all new between 2003-2005 including all cookers and fridges.
* Currently 290m2 of let units generate Euro 453/m2 PA
* Enormous potential to add value services eg catering, minibus resort/transfer service, ski/board tuition etc.
* Asking Price: Euro 2,495,000

FOR OUR SUBSCRIBERS: Euro 1,995,000 (discount of 500 000 €!)

To inquire further email fpi@adrianleeds.com.

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On the Paris Streets Where We Lived
By Geraldine Calisti Kaylor

Travel Oyster
www.traveloyster.blogspot.com

A pied-à-terre in Paris is the dream of many -- just a small apartment where they can breakfast on the terrace and while they're at it, write the great American (Italian, Spanish) novel. Several friends have done it - buy the apartment, that is. Why not us? We could have, maybe we should have, but we didn't even when the dollar was very high and the Paris real estate was very low.

A mistake? Perhaps, but on the other hand, over the years, we've lived in more than 20 different apartments spread out all over Paris. Every year is a great adventure in a different neighborhood with new markets, restaurants and shops to explore and with unmet strangers waiting to become friends.

An early apartment on the rue St. Jacques overlooked the church and charnal house of St. Séveran. It was divided into two parts with a public hallway in between although the only person who ever came by was the very old woman who lived above. The playwright Berthold Brecht once lived there and piles of his letters were in a bottom dresser drawer, where they still may be.

On rue Scipion, we lived under the eaves in a 5th floor apartment that was laid out like a train with one room leading to the next. There were big thick oak beams so low in places that you had to duck your head when you walked by. The apartment overlooked a small square and in the spring, we watched magpies build their big stick nests in the treetops that were level with our attic windows. We shopped at the market on rue Moufftard, the beginning of the main road to Italy in Roman times.

Rue du Pont aux Choux is named for a bridge over a stream leading to a cabbage patch that have all long-since disappeared. We lived there in a lovely apartment with a terribly uncomfortable couch. During a big transport strike that year, someone stole our bicycle. Three weeks later, I saw a woman unlocking it in front of the nearby Marché des Enfants Rouges. With a lot of talking and arguing, I managed to wrest it away from the thief to the general applause of the crowd that had gathered.

Our apartment on rue Raspail belonged to an artist. It was minimally furnished and had huge, computer-generated paintings propped up against all the walls. On the other hand, its big floor to ceiling windows filled the apartment with light and at night provided us with a view of the illuminated Eiffel Tower - well, just the top half, but beautiful nonetheless.

This year we're on the rue des Francs Bourgeois (free bourgeois) which was named for an almshouse that opened on the street in about 1334. Its occupants were exempt from paying taxes and thus the name free bourgeois. Poverty is little in evidence now since the street is lined with 15th and 16th century mansions. Around the corner is the traditional Jewish neighborhood of Paris. French law mandates that most stores close on Sunday, but an exemption was given to Jewish neighborhoods whose stores are closed on Saturday. So on Sundays, when most of the commercial streets of Paris are silent, the rue des France Bourgeois is at its liveliest.

Our apartment has a view that encompasses both the past and the present - a 15th century hotel to the left and a modern business school to the right.

Next year? Who knows what adventure awaits? I've heard that prices are low and it's a good time to buy an apartment in Paris...

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Lively, Young and Quirky
By Ross Tieman

Saturday March 21, 2009
Financial Times
www.ft.com

Alain de Bordas is proud of his home, with good reason. He’s one of only a hundred or so people in Montpellier who own a hôtel particulier, or townhouse, of a kind built during the 17th and 18th centuries in a historic, central neighbourhood known today as Ecusson.

Modern Montpellier is an agglomeration of 391,000 people that stretches out from the old neighbourhood, once bounded by city walls. Its 19th-century architecture lies to the north and west, while Antigone, a dramatically modern 20th-century commercial, residential and office district is to the east. These areas are where most people live. But it is old Montpellier, with its narrow alleys of squared-stone, four- and five-storey houses in need of renovation, that is increasingly drawing the more adventurous home buyers.

Spotting a hôtel particulier, like the Hôtel Baudon de Mauny on Rue de la Carbonnerie where de Bordas lives, takes practice. The giveaway is a tall double doorway, usually flanked by a shop on each side. Step through this, where the coach and horses used to turn in, and you find yourself in an arched tunnel, some 12-15 metres long, that opens on to a little courtyard. Across is an entrance opening to a flight of internal stairs to the first floor, where salon rooms with high ceilings, stucco decoration and floors paved with barres au sol, or polished flagstones, a prized Ecusson architectural feature, overlook the shaded space. On the second floor, there are typically four or five family bedrooms and servants’ quarters under the eaves.

He and his wife Nathalie initially bought and restored a farmhouse outside the city centre but then moved on to the hôtel particulier, which they also refurbished and opened as a guest house, last year. They have three children, aged three, six and seven, who now walk to school, play in traffic-free alleyways and entertain themselves in parks just a few hundred metres away. Family outings might be to Nîmes, with its Roman ruins, Arles or the fishing port of Sète. The lagoons, flamingos and horses of the Camargue are only an hour away and it’s only about 20 minutes to the long sandy beaches of the Grande Traverse...

To read the entire article go to www.ft.com/cms/s/2/3442b48c-141d-11de-9e32-0000779fd2ac.html.

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TODAY'S CURRENCY UPDATE

www.Moneycorp.com

Visit the FPI Web site and click on the link on the left panel or click here for Currency Currency Convertor by Moneycorp Global Money Services/Currency Online by Moneycorp: Moneycorp Currency Conversion Tool for up to the minute conversions of all major currencies.

Compare currency values easily and quickly by visiting:
www.Moneycorp.com/agent/parlerparis/Currency Convertor by Moneycorp Global Money Services/Currency Online.asp

Charts: www.Moneycorp.co.uk/members/charts.asp The charts are updated every ten seconds.

The prices shown are "inter bank" exchange rates and are not the rates that you will be offered by Moneycorp. Your rate will be determined by the amount of currency that you are buying. Please speak with an Moneycorp dealer or your consultant for a live quotation.

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Bernie Madoff to Lose French Riviera Home
By John Marzulli

Monday March 23, 2009
Daily News
www.nydailynews.com

Bernie and Ruth Madoff can bid adieu to their posh chateau overlooking the French Riviera.

French authorities are poised to seize the three-bedroom apartment in the exclusive Cap d'Antibes section, a lawyer involved in the case blurted out in Manhattan Federal Court Monday.

"Next week the French are going to grab the chateau," said David Sheehan, a lawyer for the trustee seeking to locate the fraudster's assets and return them to the victims of the $65 billion Ponzi scheme. About $1 billion has been located.

The Chateau des Pins Villa is in Ruth Madoff's name and reportedly has an obstructed view of the Mediterranean.

The property is worth about $1 million and contains approximately $900,000 in furnishings, court papers say.

To read the entire article go to www.nydailynews.com/money/2009/03/23/2009-03-23_bernie_madoff_to_lose_french_riviera_hom.html.

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PARLER PARIS APARTMENTS - RESERVE NOW FOR EASTER!

Parler Paris Apartments

Welcome to your home in Paris. Home is how you will feel in a private apartment in Paris that has the "seal of approval" from Parler Paris Apartments and me, Adrian Leeds.

Parler Paris Apartments offers high quality accommodations to make your stay in the City of Light as enjoyable and memorable as possible.

We at Parler Paris know each and every apartment owner or manager personally, and stand behind the quality of those we represent. We understand your needs and desires, all the small details that make a rental apartment a warm and welcoming home ­ and a much better alternative to an impersonal hotel!

Parler Paris Apartments is administered and serviced by the same great team as Parler Paris, French Property Insider and French Property Consultation. You can trust that Parler Paris Apartments and all those with whom it is associated will do their best for your 100% guaranteed satisfaction.

SPOTLIGHT APARTMENT(S): Les Ivoires de Montmartre, Les Portes de Notre Dame & Le Montmartre

*Les Ivoires de Montmartre...
Rue des Trois Frères, 18th Arrondissement
Studio, Sleeps Up to 4

This bright and beautiful studio apartment has been freshly redesigned and renovated with the utmost attention to detail. Located on a quiet one-way street which was made famous by the hit movie “Le Fabuleux Destin d’Amelie Poulain” (yes that Amelie!), it promises you a stay to remember.
www.adrianleeds.com/parlerparis/apartments/rentals/saint-germain.html.

*Les Portes de Notre Dame...
Rue des Trois Portes, 5th Arrondissement
One-Bedroom Duplex, Sleeps up to 4

Les Portes de Notre Dame is a charming and spacious one-bedroom duplex apartment centrally located just one block from the Seine and only a few steps from the cathedral of Notre.
www.adrianleeds.com/parlerparis/apartments/rentals/voltaire.html.

 

*Le Montmartre Studio...
Rue du Square Carpeaux, 18th Arrondissement
Studio Apartment, Sleeps up to 2

This spacious and beautifully decorated studio has three separate rooms, a full bathroom, a small but fully equipped kitchen with a table that seats two, and a very large living room/bedroom. www.adrianleeds.com/parlerparis/apartments/rentals/lemontmartre.html.

Reserve now! Visit www.adrianleeds.com/parlerparis/apartments or email: Apartments@AdrianLeeds.com

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HOT PROPERTY PICKS: Opulant Prestigious Hôtel Particuliers

Each week French Property Insider features a range of properties which we believe are on the market at the time of writing. These properties are featured in order to give readers a sample of what is currently available and a working example of prices being asked in various regions of France and districts of Paris.

As we are not a real estate agency. These properties do not constitute a sales listing. For those readers seriously interested in finding property in Paris or France, you can retain our services to do the whole thing for you. For more information, visit http://www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/consultation

This week our focus is on hôtel particuliers in Paris (it is also possible to find apartments for sale within a hôtel particulier).

***Paris, St James: 5+-Bedroom, approx. 70m²

In a prestigious quarter of Paris, and equally prestigious hôtel particulier, with a 70m2 garden, a private entrance road. Very spacious and with 10 rooms, you'll find a space for every Parisian dream. Will require some modernization. Comes with storage space in the cellar and a parking space.

Asking Price: 3 900 000€ + 2.5% Finder's Fee

 

***Paris, 17th arrond.: 5+-Bedroom, approx. 225m²

In an exceptional location in the 17th Arrondissement: Cité des Fleurs, a beautiful seven room hôtel particulier with a total area of 355m² and a garden of 20m². A three-floor triplex, with an atelier of five metres ceiling height. Garage for two cars. An ideal prestige property for the international professional. Has hardwood floors, high ceilings, gas heating and comes with parking.

Asking Price: 2 600 000€ + 2.5% Finder's Fee

 

***Paris, 20th arrond.: 6-Bedroom, approx. 230m²

Many rich industrialists used to have their hôtel particuliers built in the upper parts of the 20th arrondissement. Enjoy the atmosphere of the cozy village "la campagne à Paris" in this hôtel particulier - 230m2 - ground floor and three floors - ground floor entrance hall - huge dining room with sumptuous wooden chimney ground to ceiling kitchen - personnel room - first floor two huge reception rooms - bathroom - second floor three bedrooms bathroom wc - third floor two bedrooms bathroom wc - staff separate entrance - very sound full size caves all in underground - garden surrounding the house - magnificent boiseries (wooden panels floor stairs and wall coverings ) dating back to original 1920 - cathedral verrerie in murano colored glasses - needs restoration work for plumbing/bathrooms/kitchen/electricity.

Asking Price: 1 256 600 € + 2.5% Finder's Fee

 

***Paris, 6th arrond.: 12-Bedroom, approx. 1228m²

This exclusive private mansion, located at the corner of Jardin du Luxembourg, the largest park in central Paris, at the heart of the famous “Quartier Latin” was built in a typical 18th century French architecture.

Built around a very stylish 110 sqm “Cour d’honneur,” it benefits from a double-exposure: North on a 650 square meter private garden with centuries old trees and decorated with a great variety of vegetation, fountains and statues; South on the 7,000 square meter garden of a state-owned institution.

Extremely quiet and very luminous, with four meter high ceilings on the reception floor covered with frescoes, this 1,228 sqm “palazzo” is a unique combination of classical French architecture and Italian Renaissance decoration.

The current display is set with six independent entrances including private accesses for service rooms. The house has 12 bed rooms (three for staff) but six large ones could be easily added by converting existing reception & prestige offices.

A Luxemburg-based Company has held the building since November 2004. The building is the only asset of this commercial company purposely formed for this operation. The company is the sole and full owner of the building and has no other asset.

There are no liabilities but a €11 million bank credit with DEXIA Luxemburg, which is fully guaranteed by the current owner of the company. The future owners can either substitute themselves in this credit and therefore subtract the current amount of the credit from the final price, or alternatively ask the current owner to pay it back the very day of the transaction.

Asking Price: 34 000 000 € (negotiable) + 2.5% Finder's Fee 

 

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The Next Notaires' Property Auction

Notaires de Paris
Place du Châtelet
12 avenue Victoria
Paris 1st

Additional information on Les Ventes aux Enchères des Notaires can be found on the Web site at www.encheres-Paris.com. Though the site has a button for an English version, it isn't necessarily reliable.

To read Schuyler Hoffman's article about the property auctions in Paris, click on:
www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/insider/members/content/articles/auctions1.html

On March 31, 2009 the following properties will be auctioned off:

 

2009-05-01
5 PIECES 128,80 m² + CHAMBRE DE SERVICE 16 m²
37 avenue Bugeaud
68 à 72 rue des Belles feuilles
75016 PARIS 16eme
Starting Bid: 1 089 000,00 €
Deposit: 217 800,00 €

 

2009-05-02
4 PIECES 57,50 m²
10 rue des Francs Bourgeois
75003 PARIS 3eme
Starting Bid: 360 000,00 €
Deposit: 72 000,00 €

 

 

 

2009-05-05
STUDIO 24,11 m²
8 rue Houdart de Lamotte
75015 PARIS 15eme
Starting Bid: 132 000,00 €
Deposit: 26 400,00 €

 

 

 

2009-05-08
STUDIO 21,40 m²
110 rue de Montreuil
75011 PARIS 11eme
Starting Bid: 98 000,00 €
Deposit: 19 600,00 €

 

 

 

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SEEKING A MORTGAGE IN FRANCE?

When you make a purchase as important as a piece of real estate in a foreign country, you ant to know that you can trust the people you are dealing with. Adrian Leeds has developed a network of professionals that meet only the highest of standards. With the expertise and experience of Adrian and her team, you can depend on getting the best advice and support to feel completely confident that you are making an informed investment decision.

Let us help you secure a mortgage in France at a competitive interest rate. Visit www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/loan for more information or contact Loan@AdrianLeeds.com

HELPFUL CONVERSIONS FOR REAL ESTATE

1 square meter = 10.7639104 square feet

1 hectare = 2.4710538 acres

For more conversions, refer to: www.onlineconversion.com/

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Parler Paris Après Midi

 

www.adrianleeds.com/parlerparis/apresmidi.html

Come for a drink and to meet and chat with other readers in Paris...

The next gathering is April 14, 2009 and every second Tuesday of the month (except August).

 

 

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Managing Your French Property Insider Subscription is Easy!

We receive many emails from French Property Insider Subscribers who want to change their email address, or update personal information. But did you know that you can make these changes yourself?

It's easy...

1. Go to adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/insider

2. Click on "Manage Subscription." You'll find it under the "Subscribers Only" section in the sidebar.

3. Enter your username and password.

4. On the Welcome Page, go to "Manage Your Account" and click on "Change Password/Edit Profile"

5. Once you've made the changes, scroll down to the bottom of the page and click on "Save Profile."

Simple!

Of course, we're always happy to help, so if you do need assistance, send an email to members@fpinsider.com

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THINGS YOU NEED TO KNOW

To access password protected pages: click on any of the links on the left panel of the home page of FrenchPropertyInsider.com under "Subscriber's Only," then type in your personal username and password.

Past issues of FPI are available on the Web site. You will find the
"Past Issues" link on the left under "Subscribers Only" or by going to
www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/insider/members

To receive your free French Leaseback Report or the Paris Property
Report, click on
www.adrianleeds.com/frenchproperty/insider/members

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We wanted better guides, So we wrote them!

Insider Paris Guides are written for people who love the City of Light. You'll get a Paris insider perspective on Restaurants... Making a Life... Black Culture... Expat Writers...and the newest guide, Practical Paris!

French Property Insider subscribers receive a discount of 10% off any guide and up to 25% off the entire purchase (if two or more guides are purchased at the same time). Here's how it works:

1. Click on special Web link we give you just for FPI subscribers.

2. Then order one or more guide(s) and use the promotion
code "ED762." This promotion code gives you 10% off your total
order.

3. If you order two or more guides, then an additional 15% will be
taken off automatically. There is no promotion code needed.

Here is the special "coupon" Web link just for you:
www.insiderparisguides.com/offer

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SUBSCRIBE TO PARLER PARIS

If you're not a regular reader of the Parler Paris daily e-letter, and would like to be, simply enter your e-mail address here (it's free!): www.adrianleeds.com/parlerparis

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Copyright 2011, Adrian Leeds®
Adrian Leeds Group, LLC, www.adrianleeds.com