Anne Pontabry of 56Paris was indispensable in my recent purchase of an apartment in Paris. I have bought many residential properties over the years, but this was my first purchase in France. Although I spent most of my childhood in Paris, and I speak quotidian French fairly fluently, I could not have done this purchase without Anne’s expert guidance. Being able to chat at a dinner party in French does not mean that you are prepared to navigate the arcane vocabulary and intricate procedures involved in purchasing a property in France.
From the beginning, Anne’s know-how was essential. She listened to what I was looking for and found every available apartment that matched my request. Because there is no centralized real estate listing system in Paris, only someone with Anne’s contacts and deep involvement in the Paris real estate community could achieve this. As the process moved forward, she helped me refine my search and prioritize my needs/wants. Steered by Anne’s sage guidance, I am now living in an apartment in Paris that is exactly the perfect apartment for me.
Finding the right apartment is the hardest part, but once the apartment has been identified, the negotiation and contractual phases require expert guidance, and Anne excelled at this. Although I am a lawyer, or perhaps because I am a lawyer, I appreciated Anne’s clear, precise, and accurate interpretation of the pitfalls and liabilities of the transaction. Anne excelled at this – her knowledge of the ins & outs of Paris real estate transactions was extraordinary, and I really believe that I would have paid more and received substantially less if she hadn’t been advising me.
On a more personal note, Anne is a lovely person, and I enjoyed interacting with her through all phases of the transaction. She has been a ‘Parisienne’ for more than two decades, she loves and understands the city, and has wonderful anecdotes that underscore the warmth and charm of Paris. It is a joy talking to her about the people and places that make Paris the most beautiful city on earth. I highly recommend that anyone thinking of making the leap to Paris reach out to her.
Unprofessional and condescending experience
I reached out to 56Paris regarding a short-term rental and was disappointed by the unprofessional tone of the exchange. My questions were straightforward — about the lease duration, commission amount, and deposit procedure — yet the responses I received were curt, condescending, and dismissive.
Rather than offering clarity or reassurance, Kerstin, the managing director, repeatedly told me to “trust that I know what I am doing,” and ultimately suggested that I try “other rental platforms” instead. It was an unnecessarily rude interaction for what should have been a simple rental inquiry.
What makes this even more baffling is that they were charging €750 in commission and an additional €250 “greeting fee” just to open the door and do a brief walkthrough on move-in day — a fee they agreed to waive only after I pointed out it wasn’t mentioned in the original listing.
I also made it clear several times that I wanted the apartment only for one month. Despite that, they insisted on a one-year lease and told me to cancel it on the first day of move-in to comply with a 30-day notice period. Under bail civil (a standard French civil lease), one-month contracts are perfectly legal — yet their response was simply, “trust me, I know what I’m doing.”
This raised serious concerns that they may be handling short-term rentals without the property owners’ full awareness. To add to this, a close friend of mine who is French and lives in Paris called them earlier on my behalf was also shocked by how condescending they were, even over the phone.
For anyone unfamiliar with the French rental process or seeking transparent, respectful communication, I would strongly recommend considering other agencies. Professionalism should include patience and clarity — not making clients feel unwelcome for asking reasonable questions.
Kerstin is very knowledgeable about the Paris real estate market and was very helpful in giving us advice and guidance above and beyond what we could have expected. She went out of her way to assist and fit in with our schedule despite her being very busy at the time. She is positive and flexible, speaks English, French and German, possibly more, and was a pleasure to meet. I would recommend 56Paris.
My experience working with 56Paris was just extraordinary - I couldn’t rate them highly enough! Kerstin, who is fluent in English, French and German, worked with me remotely, doing the initial evaluations of an apartment I’d found online while I was in NYC. She visited the place and provided a virtual tour to confirm that it was exactly what I was looking for. She pointed out the strengths and highlighted the weaknesses of the place. We visited it together in person, and she told me she felt the property was overpriced. She handled the negotiations, and brought the price down nicely. She introduced me to a good contractor and an experienced facilitator, and helped me look for an architect to handle the renovation.
Ultimately, although the apartment was perfect, I suffered a financial reversal, and was unable to go through with the deal. She handled my disappointment - and hers - with tremendous kindness and understanding. An absolutely perfect experience, and I can’t imagine having a better realtor to represent a buyer’s interests. Just the BEST.
