Audrey invested in Bourgoin-Jallieu and Saint-Étienne from Switzerland

Banks are not keen on financing two projects at the same time. For the first flat, Audrey was asking for about €130,000 for the purchase and €50,000 for works. What saved her, she says, was the price of the Saint-Étienne flat, €65,000, a small sum for the bank. She secured a 20-year mortgage for the first, with a three-year extension agreed in principle, to be requested in two years. Both properties were bought in her own name.

Audrey expected to let her flat share to students. Only young professionals aged 20 to 30 got in touch, so she made it a women-only flat share. The rooms let for €530 and €560 including charges, about €1,650 a month. In Saint-Étienne, the one-bedroom flat is let to a student for €440; it could go up to €500, but letting started a little late. The rents cover the mortgages.

Audrey did not know whether it could be done from abroad: she knew nobody. By giving the project time, she found trusted people ready to help, and agents used to video viewings. She followed the lessons in the evening while putting her daughter to bed, or on the train, and found topics again by keyword. The group of members in Switzerland was a support.

The first flat, in Bourgoin-Jallieu, had two bedrooms and a large living room that served no purpose. As the programme advises, Audrey turned it into a third bedroom to boost cash flow. The works, about €50,000, were entrusted to trusted people, avoiding delays and overpriced materials. The Saint-Étienne flat needed no work at all.