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Buyer-side only. Always.

The Paris Buyer's Agent for Americans

The French market is built for sellers. When you buy an apartment in Paris, we represent only you: the search, the negotiation, the notaire, the keys. Off-market access, paid only at closing.

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A Paris apartment balcony at golden hour, with the Eiffel Tower in the distance.

Your Paris address

Every Paris apartment is also an address. The number on the door, the floor in the building, the street in the arrondissement, the neighborhood your life will unfold in. For Americans buying from a distance, that address is often something they have imagined for years before they ever sign the deed. A street they walked once on holiday. A view they remember from a particular light at a particular hour. The first apartment they ever rented for a week, returned to in their mind a hundred times since.

In a French transaction, almost everyone works for the seller. The listing agent represents the seller. The seller sets the terms. An American buying from four thousand miles away can end up the only party at the table with no one on their side. My Paris Address exists to be that side. We are a Paris-based team that has secured more than twelve hundred addresses for buyers over fifteen years, and we work one side of the deal only: yours. The search, the negotiation, the French bank, the wire across the Atlantic, the notaire, the keys, the renovation, the rental setup, the annual filings on both sides. One service. One fee, paid at closing.

A renovated Haussmann living room in soft light, with original moldings and a marble fireplace.
A recently delivered apartment in the 7th arrondissement, renovated for a US-based client.

The offer

The Paris Acquisition

One mandate, on your side of the table, from the first call to your keys: property search and off-market access, negotiation against the seller, French bank account, transatlantic wire, mortgage facilitation, English-speaking notaire, technical inspection, renovation management, rental setup, and ongoing French and US tax support. One service. One fee. Paid only at closing.

Fee

2.5%

of the purchase price, with a €10,000 minimum, paid at closing. No upfront fees.

Third-party costs

Trusted partners we coordinate (notaire, mortgage broker, contractors, property managers) charge their own services directly. We coordinate everything end-to-end at no additional cost from our side.

II

Coordination with your US advisors

Most of our clients work with their own attorney, accountant, or wealth manager in the United States. We coordinate directly with them. Tax structuring questions, estate planning, source-of-funds documentation for FATCA compliance, ITIN application if you need one. We brief your team in plain English so the French side and the American side stay aligned throughout the acquisition.

III

Opening a French bank account

You will need a French bank account before the notaire can complete the sale. We have working relationships with three banks that accept non-resident American clients and can open accounts remotely: BNP Paribas International Buyers, HSBC France, and BRED. We submit your file, manage the back-and-forth, and the account is typically operational within two to four weeks.

IV

Wiring funds across the Atlantic

A standard SWIFT wire from a US bank to a French bank costs roughly one to three percent in hidden currency conversion margins. On a 1.5 million euro purchase, that is 15,000 to 45,000 dollars left on the table before you have even paid for your address. We coordinate with currency specialists who reduce that cost to a fraction. We schedule the transfer in coordination with the notaire's funding deadline so the money is on the French side exactly when needed.

V

Mortgage facilitation for US citizens

French banks lend to American citizens at 60 to 70 percent loan-to-value, often at rates competitive with US mortgages. Most Americans assume this is impossible. It is not. We introduce you to mortgage brokers who specialize in non-resident files, walk you through the documentation requirements, and coordinate the bank's appraisal with the purchase timeline. If you are paying cash, we skip this step entirely.

VI

The notaire and the signing process

In France, the notaire is a public officer who handles every property transaction. There is no escrow agent, no title company, no closing attorney as you know them. We work with a roster of notaires who speak English fluently and have years of experience with American buyers. They explain the process in plain language, prepare every document, and the signature can be done remotely by power of attorney if you cannot be in France.

VII

Technical inspection and diagnostics

Before signing, French law requires a stack of diagnostic reports: energy performance, lead, asbestos, electrical, gas, termites, building condition. We translate the substantive parts into English and tell you what actually matters at this address. We also analyze the building's financial statements and the minutes of the homeowners' association to spot upcoming repair assessments or structural issues that could cost six figures after closing.

VIII

Renovations, managed remotely

If your new address needs work, and most pre-war Paris apartments benefit from at least light renovation, we coordinate the entire project. Interior architect, contractor selection, permits, construction management, weekly photo updates. You see the progress without leaving home. We have done this for clients living in Texas, California, Florida, and most points between.

IX

Long-term or short-term rentals

If your address will be a pied-à-terre that you only occupy a few weeks per year, we connect you with property managers who handle long-term tenants or licensed short-term rentals depending on your goals and the Paris regulations that apply to your specific arrondissement. Tenant screening, lease drafting, rent collection, taxes on rental income, all coordinated from our side.

X

Ongoing French and US tax support

Owning a Paris address creates filing obligations on both sides of the Atlantic: French wealth tax thresholds, taxe foncière, taxe d'habitation for second homes, FBAR reporting if you have a French bank account over $10,000, FATCA disclosures, IRS Form 8938 in certain cases. We maintain a single point of contact for these annual filings and coordinate with your US accountant so nothing falls through the cracks.

One acquisition, fully handled. One address, found and secured. Most of our American clients come to Paris once during the search and once to receive their keys. The rest happens between us and our network, on your behalf, in your language, on your timezone when needed.

A bright Paris apartment with tall windows, parquet floors and Haussmann balconies beyond.

By the numbers

Fifteen years of securing Paris addresses for Americans.

1,200+
Addresses secured for clients since 2011.
45 days
Average time from signed mandate to accepted offer.
6%
Average negotiation obtained on the seller's listed price.
4.9 / 5
Google rating across more than 250 verified client reviews.

Figures verified across more than 1,200 completed transactions in Paris and the inner suburbs, January 2011 to present.

A recent address

7th arrondissement, off-market, secured for a US-based family.

A Paris address secured by My Paris Address for American clients
This 126-square-meter address (1,356 square feet) was secured in the spring of 2026 for a family based on the East Coast. It came to us through a notaire in our network three weeks before it would have been publicly listed. We negotiated 4% below the seller's expectation, coordinated the diagnostics review remotely, and the buyers signed in Paris on a single short trip. The video is the walkthrough we sent them for the first viewing.
See more recent addresses

In their own words

“We bought our Paris apartment without flying back and forth.”

A few months after she received her keys, we sat down with one of our American clients to hear how the process actually felt from her side of the Atlantic. What follows is unedited.

Client testimonial, American buyer, Paris 16th arrondissement

What stood out for us was that nothing was ever ambiguous. We always knew what was happening, what was next, and what we had to do, which was usually nothing. We trusted them, and they delivered exactly what they said they would deliver.

American client, Paris 16th arrondissement, 2026

Full video transcript available on request. We are happy to put prospective clients in touch with past American buyers who have agreed to speak about their experience.

The team behind your address

My Paris Address is delivered by a team of sixteen property hunters who work for the buyer, never the seller, in your time zone when needed. These are three of them.

Catherine Ziegler

Senior property hunter

Catherine Ziegler

Catherine has worked with American buyers across most of our largest transactions, including a recent 170-square-meter top-floor apartment in the 16th arrondissement for a family relocating part-time from Los Angeles. She handles the search, the negotiation, and the relationship with American clients from first call to signing. Bilingual French-English, with a particular eye for terraces, light, and the kind of Haussmann details that do not photograph well.

Jean Mascla

Founder

Jean Mascla

Jean founded Home Select in 2011 after spending years on the buyer side of Paris transactions and concluding that the market was structured almost entirely for sellers. He built the firm around a simple idea: the buyer deserves the same level of professional representation that the seller takes for granted. He oversees the team, the standards of practice, and the long-term clients who return for second and third apartments.

Ladan Miranz

Property hunter, 16th and 7th arrondissements

Ladan Miranz

Ladan specializes in the premium arrondissements where most of our American clients buy. Her recent acquisitions include a 130-square-meter apartment in Chaillot at 2,250,000 euros, negotiated 200,000 euros below the asking price in a single week. She works fluently with international clients and is known among the team for finding apartments that have been on the market for months and unlocking them quietly.

Everything Americans need to know before their Paris address

The Paris Buying Guide

Six in-depth guides written for American buyers, covering every part of the process from first contact to long-term ownership of your Paris address. Each can be read on its own, or as a sequence.

Questions we often hear

Frequently asked questions

Can Americans buy property in France?
Yes, without restriction. The United States and France have no reciprocal limitations on real estate ownership for non-residents. You do not need French citizenship, French residency, or a French visa to own a Paris address. The purchase is registered in your name, or in the name of a French SCI if you prefer that structure, which we discuss further on a separate page.
Do I need a French bank account to buy?
Yes. French notaires require funds to be transferred through a French bank account belonging to the buyer, both for the deposit and for the final settlement on your address. We have working relationships with three banks that open accounts for non-resident Americans remotely. The process typically takes two to four weeks and we manage the documentation on your behalf.
What are the closing costs in France?
Plan for approximately 7 to 8 percent of the purchase price in total acquisition costs. This includes notaire fees, which are largely transfer taxes paid to the French state rather than professional fees, at roughly 7 to 8 percent for older properties or 2 to 3 percent for new construction, plus our buyer's agent fee of 2.5 percent (minimum €10,000). Mortgage broker fees, if applicable, are separate.
Can I get a mortgage in France as a US citizen?
Yes. French banks lend to American non-residents, typically at 60 to 70 percent loan-to-value, with terms of 15 to 25 years. Rates are often competitive with US mortgages and sometimes lower. The documentation requirements are heavier than for a French resident (expect to provide three years of US tax returns, proof of income, and a complete financial profile), but the process is well-established. We coordinate the introduction and the file with brokers who specialize in non-resident clients.
Do I need to be in France to buy?
No. We have completed full transactions for clients who never set foot in France during the search and signed remotely by power of attorney. That said, most clients prefer to come to Paris once during the final selection, to walk through two or three addresses in person, and once for closing if their schedule allows. Both visits are optional.
What taxes do American owners pay on a Paris apartment?
Several categories apply. Annual taxes in France include taxe foncière (property tax) and, for non-primary residences, taxe d'habitation. If your French real estate holdings exceed €1.3 million, you are subject to the impôt sur la fortune immobilière (IFI), the French wealth tax on real estate. On the US side, you must report the asset on Form 8938 if it exceeds reporting thresholds, file an FBAR if your French bank account exceeds $10,000 at any point in the year, and declare any rental income to the IRS, with offsetting credit for French taxes paid.
How does FBAR and FATCA work for Paris property?
FBAR (FinCEN Form 114) is required if the aggregate balance of your foreign financial accounts exceeded $10,000 at any time during the calendar year. Your French bank account qualifies. FATCA reporting (Form 8938) is triggered when the value of specified foreign financial assets exceeds certain thresholds, typically $50,000 for single filers, higher for married couples filing jointly. The property itself is not reported on these forms; the bank account that holds the funds is. We work with US tax professionals who specialize in expat and non-resident filings.
Is now a good time to buy in Paris?
The Paris market has been remarkably stable over the past decade compared to most American markets. After a softening period in 2023 to 2024, prices in central arrondissements are stabilizing in 2026, with averages around €10,500 per square meter (roughly $1,050 per square foot). For an American buyer with a long horizon, entry points are reasonable by historical Paris standards. The dollar-euro exchange rate matters more than local market timing for most American buyers; we can model the total cost across exchange rate scenarios if helpful.
A Haussmann facade in full sun, stone balconies and mansard roof against a blue sky.

Ready to find your Paris address?

Tell us about the address you have in mind. A bilingual advisor based in Paris will get back to you personally, usually the same business day.

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