Ibanista

01/06/2026

Here's one we don't talk about enough. 🇫🇷

Shipping your belongings to France tends to sit at the bottom of the planning list, right up until the moment it becomes urgent. Then it suddenly feels like the most complicated part of the whole move.

Most people get one thing wrong above everything else: they ship too early.

The instinct when you're selling your home and preparing to move is to get everything sorted at once. Sell the house, pack everything up, ship it over, start fresh. It feels clean and decisive. In practice, shipping your belongings to France before you have a confirmed signed address is one of the most common ways a complicated process becomes significantly more stressful.

The French rental market takes time. Properties fall through. The apartment you loved gets taken by someone else. If your furniture is already on a container ship somewhere in the Atlantic when that happens, every one of those setbacks becomes a logistical crisis as well as a personal disappointment.

So what do you do if you've already sold your US home but don't yet have a French address?

You have three options. Store in the US. Ship to European storage, usually the Netherlands or Belgium, and hold everything there until your French address is confirmed. Or wait and store in France once you have a signed lease or completed purchase. Each route has its logic depending on your timeline and budget, and the full article walks through all three.

There's also a lot more worth knowing before you pack a single box. What's actually worth shipping versus buying in France on arrival. Why large American appliances almost never make the journey worthwhile. The customs exemption that lets you bring your belongings in duty-free, and the specific conditions you need to meet to qualify. How to find a removal company that actually knows the US-to-France route rather than a generalist who's worked it out as they go.

It's a longer read but an important one. The people who plan this well save real money and a significant amount of stress.

🔗 Full guide here:
https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vMTsH0

30/05/2026

Most people think buying property in France is about finding the right house 🇫🇷

But the people who’ve already done it often say the same thing afterwards: “There were things we didn’t even know to check.”

These are some of the biggest lessons we hear from buyers after they’ve made the move:

Think long-term, not just emotionally
That beautiful isolated farmhouse can feel idyllic at 55… and very different at 75. Distance from shops, healthcare, airports, and neighbours matters more over time than most people expect.

Understand French inheritance law early
Especially if you’re buying with a partner, have children from previous relationships, or blended family dynamics. France handles inheritance very differently from the US and UK.

Pay for independent inspections
Not just the obvious cosmetic things. Roof structure, drainage, insulation, damp, heating systems, septic tanks, electrical conformity… older French homes can hide expensive surprises.

Know exactly what you’re buying
Land boundaries are not always as clear as people assume. The cadastral map (plan cadastral) is mainly for tax purposes and does not legally guarantee boundaries.

Check the DPE carefully
A poor energy rating can massively impact heating costs, renovation obligations, and future resale potential.

Understand local taxes properly
Property taxes vary significantly depending on the commune, property size, and classification. Two similar houses can have very different annual costs.

Ask about drainage systems
Fosse septique maintenance and upgrades can become very expensive if the system is non-compliant.

Understand co-ownership costs (copropriété)
Apartments and some shared developments come with quarterly charges that cover communal maintenance, buildings, and repairs.

Don’t underestimate capital gains tax
Selling property in France can have significant tax implications depending on residency status, ownership duration, and how the property is classified.

Because buying well in France isn’t just about the purchase. It’s about understanding the life, responsibilities, and long-term reality attached to the property.

And most of those things never appear in the listing photos.

29/05/2026

Rennes or Nantes? 🇫🇷

Ask anyone from either city which is better and you'll get a very long answer, or possibly an argument. We've spent enough time working with expats across both to give you the honest version.

The character of each city
Rennes is often compared to Boston, a city built around its university population, with a historic core that is dense, walkable, and well-preserved. The atmosphere is intellectual and the pace is noticeably more measured.

Nantes has a different quality entirely, the comparison that comes up most naturally is Philadelphia: a post-industrial city that has found a new identity through regeneration, creativity, and culture.

The numbers
🏠 Rent (1-bed): Rennes ~750-900 € and Nantes ~800-950 € 🚄
Paris by TGV: Rennes 1h30 · Nantes 2h10 👥
Expat community: Nantes is home to an estimated 30,000 expats · Rennes growing but smaller

Choose Rennes if...
→ You want a manageable, walkable city with a contained pace
→ You value being closer to Paris by TGV
→ You want a structured, human-scale city to find your footing

Choose Nantes if...
→ You want more cultural energy and urban diversity
→ A large, established expat community matters to you
→ You're drawn to a city with real creative momentum

This isn't a question of which city is better. It's a question of which one fits your life.

Full breakdown, including neighbourhoods, cost of living, and which type of expat suits each city on the blog: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vG54B0

👇 Rennes or Nantes, which one are you? Drop it below

28/05/2026

5 costs nobody mentions when you're planning your France move.

France is genuinely one of the most affordable places to build a good life in Europe. But like anywhere, there are costs that don't always show up when you're doing your initial research. Knowing about them in advance is what separates the people who arrive feeling prepared from those who feel caught off guard in year one.

None of these will change the decision. They just need to be in the budget.

Taxe foncière, annual property tax
Average 1,019 €/year for houses and 811 €/year for apartments. Paid by anyone who owns property in France, whether it's your main home or not. In higher-tax areas or larger properties, it can exceed 3,000 € annually. Always ask the seller for the last three years' bills before you make an offer.

Toll roads
France's motorway network is excellent. Driving in France can be scenic, but it isn't free. A regular city-to-city journey costs 15-30 € each way. If you're driving regularly, budget 100-200 €/month or more.

Internet setup
Broadband is reasonable once you're set up 30-50 €/month for a good package. The catch is setup delays, engineer visits, and patchy coverage in rural areas. Check fibre availability at your address before committing to a property.

Copropriété charges
If you buy an apartment, typical charges range from 150-350 € per household annually, covering maintenance, cleaning, lifts and shared insurance. Always ask for the last three years of accounts.

Home insurance and mutuelle
Home insurance averages 30 €/month. A mutuelle (health top-up) averages 97 €/month depending on age and coverage. Budget them before you arrive.

The good news: once you know what to expect, France is still exceptional value. These are just the numbers worth having before you start.

🔗 Full article available here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vFny40
👇 Which of these surprised you most? Drop it below

27/05/2026

If you're planning to retire to France from the US, understanding the tax implications is an important part of the process.

Will your US pension be taxed in France?
Most people assume the worst, that France will take a second bite out of their Social Security, their 401(k), their IRA. That fear is completely understandable. But the reality, for most Americans, is considerably more reassuring than they expect.

The short version: the US-France tax treaty exists specifically to prevent double taxation. Under the treaty, most US-source pension income is taxed only in the US. France asks you to declare it, but a tax credit mechanism means that for most retirees, the net French liability on those income sources comes down to zero or very close to it.

But there are nuances that matter.

How your income is classified under the treaty. Whether your specific account type qualifies as a pension. The difference between income tax and social charges. The way foreign income can affect your effective tax rate in France even when the credit eliminates the direct liability. These details are where people get caught out, not because the system is unfair, but because it's different from anything they've encountered before.

Our article covers all of it. If you're retiring to France from the US, or seriously thinking about it, this is the one piece you need to read before you make any financial decisions about your move.

🔗 Read the full article here:
https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vF6vd0

26/05/2026

Nobody explains French healthcare to expats properly. 🇫🇷🏥

Carte Vitale. Mutuelles. Waiting periods. Private insurance. Reimbursements. If you've been trying to figure out how healthcare actually works in France as a foreign national, you'll know the information online is confusing, incomplete, or written for someone else entirely.

That changes on Wednesday 10 June at 6pm French time.

We're going live with Fabien Pelissier from Fab French Insurance for a free 45-minute Q&A focused entirely on healthcare and insurance in France for expats.

Here's what we'll cover:
✅ How the French healthcare system works for expats
✅ Applying for your Carte Vitale, and what to do while you wait
✅ What a mutuelle is and whether you actually need one
✅ Public vs private healthcare, the real difference
✅ Health insurance requirements for your visa and residency
✅ Healthcare options specifically for retirees moving to France
✅ How doctor visits and reimbursements work in practice

Whether you're still planning your move or already living in France, bring your questions. This is a live, interactive session and we'll answer as many as possible.

🗓 Wednesday 10 June · 6:00pm France · 12pm EST ⏱ 45 minutes · Free · Live

SAVE YOUR SPOT: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vCVpx0
If you can't make it live, sign up anyway and we will send you a link to the replay!

22/05/2026

Friday question for the property buyers in the community 🇫🇷🏡

Which region of France are you buying in and what made you choose it?

We ask this every so often because the answers are always fascinating. Everyone arrives at their region differently, and the reasons are rarely as simple as "we liked the look of it".

So tell us, where are you buying? And more importantly, what was the moment you knew that was the one? Was it a holiday? A property you saw online at midnight? A conversation with someone who'd already made the move? A feeling you couldn't explain but also couldn't ignore?

Drop it in the comments below and if you're still deciding between regions, tell us that too. There are people in this community who've bought in almost every corner of France. Someone will have something useful to say.

20/05/2026

You don't need a French bank account to rent in France. 🇫🇷

This is one of the most common beliefs we hear from expats planning their move, and it's holding people back from the steps that actually matter.

Here's the truth, and the correct order to do things.
The myth: you need a French bank account before a landlord will consider you.

The reality: there is no legal requirement. Landlords want one thing, to be paid reliably. Whether that comes from a French account or an international one is rarely what decides your application.

The real problem: most French banks require a French address before they'll open an account. Without a lease you don't have an address. Without an account you think you can't rent. The circle never completes.

The correct order:
1️⃣ Secure your rental
2️⃣ Sign your lease, now you have a French address
3️⃣ Open your French bank account, your lease is your proof of address
4️⃣ Set up rent payments in France once your account is live

While you're getting set up, international transfers from your US account work perfectly well. Wise can reduce conversion fees if you want to minimise costs in the interim.

When you do open a French account, start with an online bank: Boursorama, Hello Bank, N26 or Fortuneo. Faster, cheaper, and simpler than a traditional bank for everyday needs.

The bank account question is a distraction. Your dossier is what wins the apartment.

📖 Read the full article here: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vkNKS0
📞 Book your free 15-min consultation: https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0vkPtD0

18/05/2026

If you are planning on renting in France, you should watch our latest YouTube video!

Watch on YouTube:

📅 Moving to France Power Hour - Book a 1:1 strategy session with Ben Small to plan your move with clarity → https://eu1.hubs.ly/H0r4QqT0📩 Join our free wee...