56Paris Real Estate

My wife and I are eternally grateful for the 56Paris Real Estate team that made our dream of owning an apartment in Paris come true. They have an incredibly organized approach to helping clients learn about the process of buying an apartment in Paris, to finding an apartment, to finally closing the deal, and then support while you are living in the city. They have a wonderful set of partners in Paris who help make this process seemless, inclusive of a notaire, immigration attorney, Paris banker, mortgage broker, property manager, contractor for renovations, and connections to MoneyCorp for fund transfers. The whole process begins by working with Anne Pontabry who teaches you about the different neighborhoods and things to look for when working to identify the neighborhood you desire. Then you are handed off to an agent, in our case the beloved Ana-Marie, who works hard to find places that match your desires. She visits the places with you, always teaching you what to look for and evaluate. She then plays the key role of negotiating the price and getting the deal for her clients. Then you begin working with Gregory, the notaire, who assembles all the documents relevant to the property, and ultimately leads the process of getting the deed to the property. In all this process we were connected and still work with their recommended immigration attorney partner, banker (they make getting a French bank account painless!) and the lovely property manager who oversees our apartment and its renovations when we are not present. Hats off to Leo - the amazing contractor they work with - he does great work. Never in my life have I worked with such a well organized team, all of which possess great communication skills, and all which are lovely human beings. All work to advocate for you and make your transition to Paris as lovely as this city itself!

Anne Pontabry of 56Paris was indispensable in my recent purchase of an apartment in Paris. I have bought many residential properties over the years, but this was my first purchase in France. Although I spent most of my childhood in Paris, and I speak quotidian French fairly fluently, I could not have done this purchase without Anne’s expert guidance. Being able to chat at a dinner party in French does not mean that you are prepared to navigate the arcane vocabulary and intricate procedures involved in purchasing a property in France. From the beginning, Anne’s know-how was essential. She listened to what I was looking for and found every available apartment that matched my request. Because there is no centralized real estate listing system in Paris, only someone with Anne’s contacts and deep involvement in the Paris real estate community could achieve this. As the process moved forward, she helped me refine my search and prioritize my needs/wants. Steered by Anne’s sage guidance, I am now living in an apartment in Paris that is exactly the perfect apartment for me. Finding the right apartment is the hardest part, but once the apartment has been identified, the negotiation and contractual phases require expert guidance, and Anne excelled at this. Although I am a lawyer, or perhaps because I am a lawyer, I appreciated Anne’s clear, precise, and accurate interpretation of the pitfalls and liabilities of the transaction. Anne excelled at this – her knowledge of the ins & outs of Paris real estate transactions was extraordinary, and I really believe that I would have paid more and received substantially less if she hadn’t been advising me. On a more personal note, Anne is a lovely person, and I enjoyed interacting with her through all phases of the transaction. She has been a ‘Parisienne’ for more than two decades, she loves and understands the city, and has wonderful anecdotes that underscore the warmth and charm of Paris. It is a joy talking to her about the people and places that make Paris the most beautiful city on earth. I highly recommend that anyone thinking of making the leap to Paris reach out to her.

Unprofessional and condescending experience I reached out to 56Paris regarding a short-term rental and was disappointed by the unprofessional tone of the exchange. My questions were straightforward — about the lease duration, commission amount, and deposit procedure — yet the responses I received were curt, condescending, and dismissive. Rather than offering clarity or reassurance, Kerstin, the managing director, repeatedly told me to “trust that I know what I am doing,” and ultimately suggested that I try “other rental platforms” instead. It was an unnecessarily rude interaction for what should have been a simple rental inquiry. What makes this even more baffling is that they were charging €750 in commission and an additional €250 “greeting fee” just to open the door and do a brief walkthrough on move-in day — a fee they agreed to waive only after I pointed out it wasn’t mentioned in the original listing. I also made it clear several times that I wanted the apartment only for one month. Despite that, they insisted on a one-year lease and told me to cancel it on the first day of move-in to comply with a 30-day notice period. Under bail civil (a standard French civil lease), one-month contracts are perfectly legal — yet their response was simply, “trust me, I know what I’m doing.” This raised serious concerns that they may be handling short-term rentals without the property owners’ full awareness. To add to this, a close friend of mine who is French and lives in Paris called them earlier on my behalf was also shocked by how condescending they were, even over the phone. For anyone unfamiliar with the French rental process or seeking transparent, respectful communication, I would strongly recommend considering other agencies. Professionalism should include patience and clarity — not making clients feel unwelcome for asking reasonable questions.

Kerstin is very knowledgeable about the Paris real estate market and was very helpful in giving us advice and guidance above and beyond what we could have expected. She went out of her way to assist and fit in with our schedule despite her being very busy at the time. She is positive and flexible, speaks English, French and German, possibly more, and was a pleasure to meet. I would recommend 56Paris.

My experience with 56 Paris has been a pleasure from start to finish. Kerstin and her team manage to combine friendliness and ease with super efficiency and professionalism. They made buying an apartment in Paris an enjoyable and seamless experience. All the stress was taken out of it! Her team are always responsive and helpful and they go out of their way to accommodate your individual needs and preferences. I couldn't recommend them more strongly.