Finding our apartment

Nearly two years ago, Sam and I came to Paris for a short break. Sam reserved an airbnb apartment in the 5eme, just by Place de la Contrescarpe. I'd visited the 5eme on previous visits to Paris but the touristy shops and large crowds around Place Saint-Michel had always put me off. Our apartment in the 5eme suddenly gave me the chance to explore this area away from the crowds and I fell in love! A year later when the prospect of moving to Paris was first raised by Sam's company, I knew straight away where I wanted us to live! Working out whether we could afford to live there was a whole different ball game!

We initially planned on getting a short-term rental from September to December-we figured that it would be relaxing to stay in a furnished apartment with wifi and utilities all sorted for us. We even found a few potential short-term lets, including one beautiful apartment overlooking the Pantheon. However, there were a few issues...1) short-term lets are more expensive so we were struggling to find an apartment with ample space for all of us, 2) we would have to pay agent fees twice over-once for the short-term and then AGAIN for our long-term let 3) it would involve moving all our things twice! So in the end, we decided to go straight for a long-term let and I'm so glad we did! The kids have been able to settle in without worrying about leaving again in just a few weeks! It also means we can relax and enjoy Christmas without another move looming over us.

When we started looking for a long-term let, it was a little daunting. Every blog and article described how aggressive the rental market is in Paris-I read that you often have to queue to even see inside and you need to come armed with your bank statements and proof of employment just to get inside. Terrifying! So when we saw this apartment appear online, we moved fast! Sam got a dawn flight over to Paris, viewed this apartment and one another (which was too small) and made an offer straight away. We were really lucky with our agent too- not only does she speak fluent English but she has also gone above and beyond her job spec to help us out!  

We feel so lucky to have this apartment; it has all the traditional Parisian features that we'd hoped for such as high ceilings and glossy wood floors. Even its quirks are charming (for now! I'm sure the tiny kitchen and four flights of stairs will drive me mad at some point!!). The small size is forcing to reconsider our attitude towards 'stuff'- Christmas this year will be about experiences not things and I am definitely having to rein in my ASOS hauls and only buy things I really need! When we move back home, I won't know what to do with all that space!