Hello everyone, my name is Erik and as a new member of this forum I wanted to introduce myself. My wife Karen and I are planning a real estate scouting trip to France later this spring. We plan on staying approximately 2 months to try to narrow down a more permanent location. Initially we are favoring a month in Nice (some reasons below) followed by a month looking at other cities around France and then making a final decision. We were in Paris for two weeks in November.
Background:
I am a recently retired American physician (radiologist) still working part time in San Diego, CA. Our two adult sons left Los Angeles 2-3 years ago, one moved to Brittany with his French spouse, the other moved to London for work with his spouse. Since our own remaining parents passed away in the last two years we have no close relatives remaining in the US, and it seems unlikely that our children will return to the US for various reasons. Hence our decision to seriously consider resettling in France. We have travelled to France many times and have superficial knowledge of several areas. My wife and I both get by with French, especially Karen who has her B1 French certificate.
Location Criteria:
Urban with excellent public transport, easy access to daily living/shopping needs and cultural activities without needing a car. Trying to prioritize proximity to TGV and/or to international or robust regional airports. Cannot be in a medical desert since I have leukemia (Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia), currently in remission but with an unpredictable future. Otherwise no medical issues! Proximity to good medical care is important. I know that some smaller cities such as Rennes, Montpellier and Tours potentially have good oncology centers. Access to a larger community in which to make new friends.
We would consider northern cities such as Nantes, Rennes, Paris and Lille but I am concerned about the long winters since I am so used to a Mediterranean climate in San Diego and am very active in the outdoors - cycling, swimming, hiking, etc. We have thought about spending the month of April this year in Nice as a base to explore the south - realizing as a downside that the Cote d’Azure gets very crowded in the summer. Also to consider in the South is climate change and excessive summer heat. Montpellier, Toulouse, Bordeaux all seem like possibilities as well.
Questions:
Any recommendations for real estate buyer’s agents you love? At the moment we have an open mind regarding different cities and we would like to view properties during our upcoming visit.
Any comments/recommendations on Nice and surroundings in particular?
Anyone on the forum who could discuss their experience finding a hematologist/oncologist for treatment of lymphoma/leukemia in France (I recently learned about FILO, and will contact them too)?
Sorry for the long post, and thank you in advance for any comments, suggestions, etc.
Bonjour! Welcome to SF and soon to France. You will find great advice freely offered here, included also on other threads. We are seeing many migrating from America these days.
My thoughts on Nice…. As long as humidity doesn’t bother you, the medical facilities in that area are the best in France. Possibly due to being proximate to Monaco but probably frim ling established high value tourism. You will need ample private healthcare insurance for at least your first year. Until you acquire your residency permits you will not be entitled to public healthcare, and even after will want to carry full and comprehensive top-up insurance.
There are beautiful villages and plenty of wild cycling options around Nice, and lots to do in the city, so you wouldn’t be bored. There is also a sizeable English speaking contingent that might help you to settle.
One other place you may like to consider is Aix en Provence. Dryer and ~ two months in summer are hot but it is a beautiful, arts friendly city.
Welcome. There’s a lot in your post to respond to however a few thoughts.
France has great medical care but it is stretched, so great that you are in remission! You will need time to get onto the list of the specialist of your choice for your check ups. I have totally different medical problem but took 7 months to get an initial appointment with my specialist. Once on her list it has been fine. You will also need a referral. This map shows the centres that are renowned so may be a starting point.
Unless you go for an expensive international relocation expert the real estate market does not work the same way. Agents are a lot more localised. You would possibly be better off with ones that focus on international buyers like Leggett or green-acres or high net worth agent like belle-demeure. They have a premium of course. But one you have honed in on an area then use the local agents’ sites to identify your property of choice.
One thing also to look into is the French inheritance tax position as there is a pretty low limit of what can be passed on to children. I know nothing about how it works with the American tax treaty, hopefully better than UK. However I know of several British who have returned to the UK in later life because of this.
I would agree with @susannah about Aix but would also mention Nîmes and Arles (a bit further from the coast) as very lively but not overwhelming cities. Montpellier as well, which you’ve already mentioned. Not sure about medical provision in those though.
Bienvenue! I’d say Nice is great (but I’m not objective) my cousins who live there have a great time, sailing, zipping up to the mountains or over to Italy at the weekend and there seem to be lots of opportunity for drs (she is an endocrinologist) that said they spend the summer in Brittany. I love Nice and would probably choose it if I were in your shoes. Not Nîmes or Arles or even Montpellier - which is nicer to live in the Nîmes or Arles.
I’d second Nice. We’re about an hour west of the City and have friends who live there. We’ve stayed there innumerable times over the last twenty-five years. The reports I’ve received on the scope and quality of hospitals has been very good, the airport is excellent, public transport is very good since the trams were deployed, and it has the TGV, though it doesn’t hit high speeds until it joins the mainline from Marseilles to Paris. We catch it in Les Arcs which is about 8k from chez nous and the trip to Paris is only five hours.
If we ever sell our house and downsize to an apartment it will be in Nice.
Please consider Bordeaux - it is a beautiful City with fantastic Hospitals, rail and bus links and busy modern airport, close to the Atlantic coastline, Fabulous culture, restaurants and of course the vineyards. House prices are reasonable and the Gironde is full of beautiful landscapes, stunning small villages and a very relaxed lifestyle - Thoroughly recommended.
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Hello Erik and Karen! A fellow American here, temporarily in central France. I wanted to welcome you, and wish you the very best with your relocation plans.
FYI - there is another family from San Diego who moved to France not long ago and settled in the Charente. They have a huge place and run all sorts of Creative Retreats and possibly a Bed’n Breakfast. In the event you want to make contact, here is their website and their YouTube channel.
Another American family that could be a resource for information is Jayson and Reyna in the South West (not far from Bordeaux.) Here is their website, their YouTube channel, and their recent video on how to find one’s place in France. Personally, I think Nice is a great choice!
Thank you Bee for these contacts, I will pursue them. And a huge thank you to all the participants in this great forum (and the creator(s)) - I feel very fortunate to have discovered it.
Are you familiar with Adrien Leeds ? She is an American living in Paris and Nice and is a realtor specializing in helping Americans relocate to France. Check her out on Facebook and her website. She sends out a regular newsletter that is very encouraging and full of helpful info. We attended one of her monthly expat events in Paris last fall. A great way to connect with other Americans and make friends. Even if you don’t use her services, she provides a ton of very useful info. There are also many useful Webinars on the subject of relocating to France from Frenchly and FrenchMorning…We are in L.A., dual citizens also with both of our children and grandchildren in Europe : Biarritz and Denmark We are seriously considering Paris because it’s between the two families and there is so much to do there, it’s easy to travel by train and plane if we want to visit or escape the winter ! So glad to have found this group. It’s a big decision and a complicated move for many reasons but why not have another adventure in life ?
