Marie-Lou invested in Reims from Canada

A lobbyist in Montreal, Marie-Lou first called her uncle, a banker who had helped her finance her first home in 2020: he demanded a 60% deposit. Her cousin, a broker who runs ten agencies in the Paris region, would “not even take an expat file”. Using the programme’s bank script, she got three meetings out of three. Her loan: 3.3%, a 36-month deferral and no collateral.

Marie-Lou is aiming for €895 in rent, against a monthly repayment of about €680, insurance included. She chose a small building: 15 units at most, no lift, a newly restored façade. The result: €55 a month in service charges and €60 a month in property tax. On 30 June, the flat was finished and viewings had begun.

Marie-Lou and her wife were leaving on a year-long sabbatical on 24 January: they had two months and twenty days. She worked through 80% of the content in three weeks, and Thomas, from the team, supported her by phone every day. Her wife searched for properties, she handled banks and agents, and friends did the viewings with prepared checklists. Over the holidays, nobody answered from 16 December to 4 January, and she feared the bank would ask for payslips after her departure. In the end, it asked for them up to 15 January.

The duplex needed a full renovation: energy upgrade, staircase, kitchen, bathroom, toilet, floors. In four days, Marie-Lou organised a viewing, a second viewing and two quotes, which later backed up her renegotiation. As soon as the preliminary contract was signed, she booked her tradespeople, who reserved April for her before completion. The works stayed on budget, with a pleasant surprise: solid wood parquet under the old floor.