Bonapart Client interview - Ben Thompson

Ben and his parents, Ronnie and Esther Thompson.
Bangkok based lawyer, Ben Thompson engaged Bonapart to help buy his first Paris property in Bastille's most beautiful hidden courtyard, Cour Etoile d'Or two year's ago. He recently returned to purchase another on the bustling rue Montorgueil in the 2nd arrondissiment. During his very short 4 day stop-over in which we accomplished the second purchase, I found some time to ask a few questions about his experience.

How did you feel when you got the keys to your property?
A combination of excitement, relief and trepidation but overall it was a great feeling.

What happened after renovation, furnishings and utilities set-up?
After renovation Bonapart was quick to get the property on the market. In fact they had been marketing the property for some time before it was even finished. We had a tenant within about two weeks of furnishing the place which exceeded my initial hopes and expectations.

How do you manage your apartment?
Bonapart looks after all aspects of my apartment for me, leaving me free of worry.

Who stays at the apartment?
The target market (and one we have been successful with) has been medium-stay visitors (i.e. 3-6 months) - this allows me to strike a balance between peace of mind at having the apartment rented for reasonably long periods and being able to charge a premium rent (which may be more tricky with longer-stay tenants).

How much do you charge and how do you market the apartment?
We charge 1500 euros per month and the rental amount includes all bills (up to a reasonable monthly cap of 50 euros for electricity which has never been exceeded). Bonapart takes care of the marketing.

Have you had any disasters/funny stories?
No major disasters yet but trying to get a large Indonesian wardrobe up a narrow 18th century stairwell was horrendous at the time but funny in retrospect. We ended up having to completely dismantle then reassemble the whole thing.

How often do you come to Paris?
I don't come to Paris nearly as often as I'd like, living in Asia makes it difficult. About once or twice a year.

What advice would you give to others thinking about investing in Paris property?
By all means go for it but hold out for something wonderful and if you don't find it then have the patience to come back and try again. There are too many beautiful properties in Paris to "settle" for one you haven't fallen in love with. When you do find that one though, do not hesitate.