Investing in French Real Estate from New York City
New York brings together two distinct profiles, each with their own real estate project in France. French executives on expat assignments in finance or tech, looking to build a euro-denominated asset base while living in the United States. And American buyers drawn to France: a pied-à-terre in Paris, a house in Provence, an apartment on the French Riviera as a foundation for a European retirement. The motivations differ, but the obstacles are often the same: 6,500 kilometers of distance, a six-hour time difference, and a Franco-American tax framework that requires careful navigation.
For more than twenty years, Homelike Home has been supporting expatriates and international buyers investing in France from abroad: a tailored search mandate, in-person pre-visits, detailed reports, video calls scheduled around your time zone, and full coordination through to signature. You stay in New York; we handle the ground work.
Why invest in France from New York
For a French expat, investing during an assignment is a window of opportunity: higher income, stronger savings capacity, and the ability to either prepare a smooth return to France or generate rental income in euros throughout the American chapter. Major regional cities like Lyon and Nantes deliver gross yields between 4.5% and 6%, at entry prices that bear no comparison with New York.
For an American buyer, France answers a lifestyle logic as much as a financial one. Paris remains one of the most sought-after cities in Europe by international buyers, with a depth of market and long-term asset value that hold up over time. Nice, Aix-en-Provence and the Basque Country combine a Mediterranean or Atlantic setting with sustained rental demand. Investing in euros also represents genuine currency diversification for a buyer whose income is denominated in dollars.
What distance from New York really changes
A well-positioned apartment in Paris or Lyon can be gone within 24 to 48 hours. French agencies call back during your morning meetings. And by the time you are free at the end of the day, it is 10pm in France. Without a team capable of visiting and acting immediately on the ground, you miss the best opportunities or you make decisions based on incomplete information.
At Homelike Home, our property finders across France carry out physical visits on your behalf, send you comprehensive reports including photos and videos, and organize video calls on time slots that work with the New York time zone. When a property fits, we negotiate the price in your name. The signing can be completed by proxy at the notary’s office, with no need to cross the Atlantic.
Franco-American taxation: the crucial point
This is the most specific complexity for US-based buyers. American citizens are taxed on their worldwide income, regardless of where they live. Your French rental income must therefore be declared both in France and in the United States. The Franco-American tax treaty provides a tax credit mechanism to avoid effective double taxation, but the dual filing obligation remains. A tax advisor familiar with both systems is essential.
If you hold one or more French bank accounts whose combined balance exceeds $10,000 at any point during the year, an FBAR filing is also required. Non-compliance exposes you to significant penalties.
For French nationals living in the United States without American citizenship, the situation is simpler: your French rental income is taxed in France, with double-taxation neutralization mechanisms that apply depending on your exact tax status in the US.
The LMNP scheme under the réel tax regime remains in both cases the most effective strategy for neutralizing French tax exposure. The accounting depreciation of the property, works and furnishings brings taxable French income to zero in the vast majority of situations, which considerably simplifies coordination with your American tax return.
Bare ownership (nue-propriété) is particularly well suited to high-income New York profiles: no income received for fifteen years, meaning nothing to declare in France or the United States in relation to this asset. You buy at a discount of 30 to 40% and recover full ownership of an appreciated property at the end of the period.
Financing: anticipating FATCA
The FATCA legislation has led some French banks to be cautious toward American nationals. Lenders specializing in non-resident financing remain accessible, but the file must be airtight: a personal deposit of 25 to 35%, dollar-denominated income documents translated and certified, and recent American tax returns. A broker specializing in expatriates helps you avoid rejections linked to US status and identify the most responsive institutions for your profile. An all-cash purchase remains a solid alternative when financing proves too restrictive.
What strategy suits your profile
Long-term furnished rental (LMNP) is the reference choice for generating regular rental income with controlled taxation. It requires full delegation of property management to a professional on the ground: managing emergencies from New York with a six-hour time difference is simply not viable.
Off-plan new build (VEFA) suits buyers who want to minimize distance-related constraints: ten-year structural guarantee, no immediate renovation works, reduced notary fees.
Older properties with renovation potential offer the highest appreciation upside, but require rigorous local oversight. A property hunter or a delegated project manager on site is non-negotiable when buying from the United States.
SCPIs (real estate investment trusts) allow you to enter French real estate with no direct management, an accessible ticket size, and immediate diversification. Returns run around 4 to 5% net, paid quarterly. Distributed income remains subject to French non-resident taxation and must be incorporated into your American return: prior tax advice is strongly recommended.
Homelike Home, your partner in France
For more than twenty years, Homelike Home has been supporting French and international buyers who invest in France from abroad. We work exclusively on your behalf, as a buyer’s agent, with no ties to sellers or developers. Discover why buying in France makes sense and how our tailor-made process works from mandate to signature.
We operate across the whole country, with property hunters throughout France and a team that has already guided many buyers through acquisitions in Paris, Lyon, Bordeaux, Nice and beyond.
Contact our team for a no-commitment first conversation, at a time that works for you.
