The Search for Our Next Fractional Apartment | March 2025

Paris is getting ready to shine as spring is around the corner. My partner, David, had the pleasure of visiting Paris a few weeks ago, seeking out our next property for fractional development. We've had such wonderful reviews from our current owners and with just one share left for Maison Chapon, we know the demand is there for PIED-A-PARIS to find its newest gem. I'm excited for you to hear direct from David on our next potential project.

"While it was cold and rainy during my recent visit, as the Cole Porter song goes, 'I love Paris every moment of the year.' Even in the chill and rain, I couldn’t help but feel the magic of the city. In looking into our next project, I met up with our dear friend and real estate broker in Paris, Yolanda Robins, who took me on a whirlwind tour of properties throughout the week. She’s incredibly knowledgeable about Paris real estate, especially in this niche market, and she’s also taken the time to understand our mission of making property ownership accessible to more people who love Paris. Yolanda also knows the best restaurants in central Paris, so I never hesitate to say 'yes' when she has a viewing available on short notice — I know a delicious meal will follow, giving us the perfect chance to discuss the properties.

During my short stay, I was able to visit at least 15 properties. If you’re ever looking at real estate in the city, keep in mind that arranging viewings here is a bit more complicated than in the States; however, selling agents are always present during viewings, which can be incredibly helpful for potential buyers.

Olga and I had discussed some key criteria for our next fractional. We wanted a property that would have some 'wow' factors, like a view of a boulevard or a monument, a balcony, and high ceilings. We were also focused on finding a location that fractional owners — or their families — would love. It was important that they’d feel like they truly had a 'foot on the ground' in Paris, not as tourists, but as part of the city’s fabric. We’ve seen some people 'trade-up' to larger apartments, and even one instance of someone 'trading down' to something more affordable for the amount of time they spend in the city. As a result, we’ve been more open to considering one-bedroom properties, provided they meet our criteria.

After viewing the apartments, we eliminated most of them. There were some fantastic options, but we’ve learned that certain factors are a dealbreaker, even if everything else checks out. For example, there was a one-bedroom apartment with breathtaking views of the Seine, which seemed perfect, except for one small issue: the ceiling height was only 6’2”. That was the high point between the beams! I could literally touch the ceiling in most places. While the beamed ceilings were charming and undeniably Parisian, the low height was a major concern. This was one of those details that wasn’t listed in the real estate description and would have been easy to miss without a physical walkthrough. We also ruled out three apartments in the beautiful Square du Temple part of Le Marais. They had nice street views, great light, and decent amenities, but the spaces were just too small and the layouts felt cramped.

In the Enfants-Rouges area of Le Marais, however, we did find an apartment that ticked most of our boxes. It’s located between Square du Temple and the Republique Monument, on Rue de Temple. The apartment has large, double-paned windows starting at shin height and stretching above my head, paired with high ceilings and traditional molding. The building itself is well-maintained with updated yet classic common areas and a lift. The view is not only of a boulevard but also offers stunning angles of some iconic Haussmannian architecture. To the right, there’s the park, and to the left, Republique, along with a fantastic variety of restaurants and coffee shops. It’s central to everything and the neighborhood is just wonderful. It’s also very close to a large Monoprix grocery store, plus a few specialty stores.

That said, we would want to optimize the layout to better suit American tastes and fractional use. We envision remodeling the apartment into a two-bedroom space of about 73 square meters (around 800 square feet), with an open floor plan and separate shower and WC areas.

Remodeling in Paris is quite different from doing so elsewhere in the world. It’s a complicated process, with challenges such as slow-moving tradesmen and higher costs than you might expect. While the quality of work is typically excellent, the structural and bureaucratic hurdles are unique to Paris and can be a bit tricky to navigate.

We’re currently in the process of acquiring the property and will keep you updated as things progress. We’ll also be uploading renderings to the website soon, so you can get a glimpse of our vision for the project. If you’re interested, we hope to offer early access for those who want to claim a share as soon as they see what we’re planning.- David Brown, Paris, March 2025"

I'm so grateful to David in checking out the apartments firsthand and (fingers crossed!) discovering our next project. Stay tuned for all the details coming soon. In the meantime, we're still so proud of our first project, Maison Chapon - and with only one share left, we encourage interested parties to seize the opportunity to own a 2-bedroom, 2-bathroom fractional in the Marais.