Achat Rive gauche depuis les États-Unis
My wife and I decided early in 2026 to purchase an apartment in Paris and, being from the United States, weren't sure how to begin the process. Though my wife lived and studied years ago in Paris, and despite our several visits to the city as tourists, the local Parisian real estate market was not something we knew anything about. We knew we were interested in the Left Bank (5th, 6th, and 7th), but needed serious guidance. After a little research, I came across Home Select and its representative, Catherine Ziegler. After a few brief emails and a flurry of airline and hotel reservations, I flew to Paris in early June to search for the perfect place. I met Catherine the morning after I arrived in 107 degrees Farenheit (42 degrees Celsius). Undaunted, she had arranged for at least eight apartment visits over each of the next several days. Though we had told her generally what we were looking for, she seemed to know exactly the right neighborhood, look, and feel of what we wanted. She was exceptionally knowledgeable about the area, it's streets, shopping, restaurants, etc. She is, after all, a local resident. After a few days of searching, and revisiting a few places, I had made a decision. After a few days of discussion, we made an offer and, I'm happy to say, we closed on our dream apartment in the 6th late in September. I cannot recommend Catherine and her organization highly enough. She made the process easy and painless. I learned more about the neighborhoods I was interested in than I could have imagined. It was obvious that her relationship with the various sellers' brokers was a very good one. I highly recommend any buyer of real estate in Paris who is not a true "local" to use Catherine and her company for advice and recommendations. They were helpful, honest, and highly knowledgable regarding the real estate market, the legal home buying process, and the neighborhoods in general. In sum, an extremely positive experience.
Arthur H.
Réponse de Home Select
Dear Arthur, Thank you very much for your kind words and for your trust. It was a pleasure assisting you in finding your dream apartment in Paris. I wish you and your wife many wonderful moments in your new home! Catherine Arthur, thank you for telling the whole story, from the first emails to the closing: it explains better than any brochure what the job actually involves. Home Select works as a property hunter in Paris (chasseur immobilier), the French equivalent of an American buyer's agent: it represents the buyer only and never receives a commission from the seller, so the search, the viewings and the negotiation all happen on your side of the table. 50% of Home Select's clients are expatriates or live abroad. That is why Catherine had a full program of viewings ready the morning after you landed, heatwave included: when a buyer lives in the United States, a few intensive days must be enough to compare the 5th, 6th and 7th arrondissements of the Left Bank and decide. You noticed her relationship with the sellers' agents. It is the other half of the job: Home Select's network of 15,000 agents and partners is also how off-market apartments reach its clients without ever being advertised. The French process holds a few surprises for American buyers: a preliminary contract (compromis de vente) that commits both parties early, a statutory cooling-off period for the buyer, then the final deed (acte authentique) signed before a notaire, the public officer who checks the title and handles the funds. Catherine lived in the United States herself, works in English with her American clients, and knows exactly where those differences lie. Welcome to the 6th, and thank you for recommending Home Select to every buyer who is not a "true local". Jean, founder
