Clémence invested in Saint-Malo from Canada
Is investing in France from Canada really impossible? Clémence bought a 31 m² apartment inside the walls of Saint-Malo, 20 m from the beach, rated G for energy, for €113,000 and renovated it with about €40,000 of works (insulation, heating, double glazing). A €150,000 loan over 20 years and a 17% gross yield targeted in short-term letting.
Canada
Clémence tells the story
“Now is the time to take the plunge, quite simply. And when you’re well supported, it lets you take the plunge sooner.”
Clémence, who lives in Canada
What Clémence had to overcome from Canada
Financing“You’re in Canada, it’s not possible”
People around her kept saying that investing in France from Canada was impossible. In Montreal, prices are very high and banks require a 20% cash down payment. Using the programme’s scripts for approaching banks, she secured €150,000 on a project of around €174,000, over 20 years at an APR of 3.7%, with a deferral to cover the works. She saw no difference from the terms her friends living in France get.
LettingShort-term letting she would never have dared
Before the programme, Clémence would “never, ever” have done short-term letting: too risky in her eyes. But Saint-Malo draws tourists, and the figures changed her mind: she estimates a 17% gross yield on Airbnb, with everything taken into account, against around 9% on a long-term let. She is also considering letting to students for nine months and on Airbnb in summer, and wants to test it this year. Meanwhile, she is fighting to install a key box.
Remote managementHer mother on site, the decisions from Montreal
Clémence used a holiday in France to meet the tradespeople. Since then, her mother, who lives 30 to 40 minutes away, lets them in: three or four came to quote for the windows. But Clémence makes every decision, including materials, and asks the tradespeople for a weekly update. On the paperwork side, the notary allowed an electronic signature with power of attorney.
Renovation worksAn EPC rating of G that scared her
The property is rated G. “Of course it’s scary when you don’t know”, she admits, but she learned that this is how you find good deals. In detail, nothing huge: insulation to redo, heating to replace, double glazing. She budgets around €40,000 of works and reorganises the 31 m²: the former owner slept in the main room, with a closed kitchen and bathroom. Clémence moves the partitions to create a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and a living area with kitchen, dining and lounge corner.
How Clémence invested in Saint-Malo from Canada
Montreal
Five years of thinking about it
Clémence has lived in Montreal for seven years. Originally from Brittany, between Rennes and Saint-Malo, she had been thinking about investing for around five years: her money was sitting in a savings account in France. In Montreal, property is very expensive and banks require a 20% deposit. She describes herself as “stressed” and needs to understand before taking the plunge: “you’re not buying a baguette”.
February 2025
She joins ImmoPourExpat
Her goal: buy a property before turning 30, in May 2026, to prepare for retirement. She discovers that investing from abroad is possible, and that there are even tax advantages. She likes lessons built on examples, with a step-by-step template for approaching banks, building a budget and working out the yield.
A first flat ruled out
A noisy bar right next door
She hesitates over the town at first, then focuses on Saint-Malo. She likes a first flat and is ready to make an offer. On Google Street View, she spots a bar next door. On Frédéric’s advice, she calls the hotel opposite: its guests complain about the noise. She walks away, because a bad review can do real damage on Airbnb.
Saint-Malo, inside the walls
31 m², 20 m from the beach
After six to eight weeks of intensive searching, she buys a 31 m² flat inside the walled town for €113,000, in a quiet part 20 m from the beach. The property is rated G for energy, which explains its price. With the works, notary and agency fees, the project comes to around €174,000.
September 2025
Six months ahead of her goal
The bank lends €150,000 over 20 years at an APR of 3.7%, with a deferral for the works. Clémence signs the deed in September 2025, more than six months before her 30th birthday, using an electronic signature and a power of attorney.
The works
Her mother opens the door, she decides
Back in France on holiday, she meets the tradespeople. She has the partitions moved to create a bedroom with an en-suite bathroom and a living area, and plans insulation, heating and double glazing. Her mother welcomes the tradespeople on site; Clémence manages everything directly and asks for a weekly update.
Today
An estimated 17% gross yield
She plans to let on Airbnb, with the option of letting to students for nine months and short-term in summer. On a long-term let, the yield would drop to around 9% and the flat would still pay for itself. Clémence says she is “super proud” of her journey. Without support, she thinks she would have invested five or ten years later; she is already thinking about the next one.
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