Hello, we are Your Friend in Paris and our goal is to make your move and/or your life in France as easy as possible!
Paris, while magical and wonderful, can also be very challenging when it comes to establishing yourself here. Finding an apartment and/or school, establishing all the services you need, and most of all dealing with French administration can sometimes crush your will to live :). Not to worry! You've got a Friend that can help you with it all!
While in no way an exhaustive list, here are some of the main things that we can help with to make your transition or life in France the best it can be:
Buying or Renting, after looking at your needs and budget, we will identify the properties that meet your specifications. Searching, selecting, and sorting through adverts is very time-consuming, especially for those that work. Not to mention the endless calls and messages necessary to make the appointments.
Next come the visits which can be done with you in-person, remotely (if possible) or in your place. We will give you our best advice on the places we see and let you know if you should apply or not. Please note that for those looking to rent the rental market can be very different from what you are used to. Apartments move fast and it is an Owner's market. They have final say as to who will rent the apartment and just because you like it and were the first to see it, does not guarantee that you will be picked for the apartment. Again, our advice will be indispensable to navigate the waters.
Lastly, once we've got the place we will help with the final contract and inspection. We can also help set up any and all utilities.
Expat Expert Services:
As mentioned French administration is difficult. At times, very difficult. Even if you speak French, the time and hassle to get things done here can be daunting. So we'll take on the headaches so you don't have to. There's a lot we can do in this area but here are some of the more popular services:
Immigration paperwork, because you want to be here legally, of course!
School/Daycare search and registration to get the little ones taken care of.
Getting into the French Healthcare system. It'a good and will keep you healthy!
Signing up for social benefits, mainly CAF but more on that in later posts.
Hiring home personnel such as cleaners and nannies to help around the house!
Vehicle related things like Driver's licenses or registering a foreign car.