June 2009

"Susan is a wonderful person who is dedicated to her job. She listened to our wishes and found us the best house ever!
She helped us with almost everything (except packing boxes :)) during the move and is always just a phonecall away!
We're so thankful we met you! You're the best!"

Mark & Annemieke, Netherlands

March 2009

My wife Susan and I moved from Melbourne, Australia to the beautiful town of Chantilly located in the Picardie region North of Paris in late 2008. Moving Country can be a very complex and stressful exercise. From our own recent personal experience, moving to France takes the complexity and stress levels to an altogether different level! To think of moving to France without the support and guidance of an experienced French and English speaking relocation agent would be extremely unwise. But the challenge is who do you appoint without recommendation or personal experience? Thanks to the Internet we found HOUSEFINDERINFRANCE.com and after our first meeting with Managing Principal - Susan Toursel over coffee in Chantilly - we felt simpatico - we knew we were in safe hands.

My wife and I now refer to Susan as our Irish Angel. We were gently coached from the outset that there would be challenges in dealing with French bureaucracy. But nothing could have prepared us for the level of bureaucracy we were faced with. But we needn’t have worried - Susan was there to help at every turn – responding within minutes to a myriad of what must have sounded like really banal questions and regularly going well outside of her brief to provide support with a shrug of shoulders and saying with a wry smile “Hey – this is France!”

Susan and her French husband Frederic are highly professional yet amiable and empathetic in all their dealings. My wife and I were not the easiest clients I am sure. Like many, we wanted more than we could afford but thanks to Susan’s tenacity and hard work we ended up with our ideal home in a perfect location.

HousefinderInFrance comes with our highest recommendation.

Malcolm (Marketing Manager for Global IT Organization) and Susan H. (ESL English Language Teacher and Naturopath) Melbourne, Australia.

 February 2009

"We found housefinderinfrance on the internet and took a chance - what a winner. We found that Susan understood exactly what sort of worries, uncertainties and insecurities we were going to have and answered most of our questions before we asked them. We found (through Susan's suggestion) the right school for our son and then the right house to fit with the school and my job in Paris. The whole process would have been an absolute nightmare if we had tried to go it alone and with the inevitable hassle of moving to a new country, new language, new job it was all the more important to have someone helping with the practical domestic issues. This will sound like it was written by Susan herself but I genuinely cannot recommend her highly enough - 100% right result for us"

Andy and Jackie, Manchester, U.K.

January 2009

 Thanks to Susan's commitment to her clients and their needs, her knowledge and understanding of the area and how things work, we find ourselves living in the most extraordinary place. Not only did she find us a house and property in an idyllic setting, but she also introduced us to a wonderful community of people who have welcomed us with open arms. Susan's high degree of professionalism and attention to detail comes with warm sincerity and a wonderful sense of humour. You're in good hands with SusanToursel.

Annabel and Jonathon M. - Canada

 January 2009

 "Dear Susan,

When Laurent and I started out on our search for a house to rent in France this past summer we had absolutely no idea where to begin looking but by a stroke of luck we heard that there was an English speaking community in the Chantilly area which led us to the Chantilly Expat website.

Luckily you happened to see our posting and quickly responded with a brief introduction and an offer of help which we jumped on immediately. With very short notice we arranged to visit the Chantilly area and you managed to arrange for us to visit 5 potential houses in one day. Your insight and comments were invaluable and your knowledge of the area immensely helpful. By the next day we had secured a rental agreement for a house located in this lovely village.

 Susan not only did you help us find a house you gave us referrals for local vendors, assisted with purchasing all of the household appliances and over the past few months since we have lived here you have offered us introductions to others in the community. Our comments although long past due are nonetheless heartfelt.

You provide an invaluable service that we benefited from and that we appreciate immensely. Your professionalism, knowledge, common sense approach and friendliness all together provide a relocation and house finding service that cannot be beat. We highly recommend your company and plan to use your services again in the near future."

Sincerely,

Annare & Laurent B - Chicago, U.S.A.

August 2008

 "Sacha and I would like to thank you for your help in our search for a house. Your help make a big part of renting property here in France much easier. Especially your help with the problems we had with our former landlord and real estate agent was much appreciated. It showed even more how big the difference can be in starting a new life. This second time with your help was a pleasant experience for the whole family. Not only information concerning the house, but also a lot of information about the social items which comes with the move to another country and making this as pleasant as possible.

Susan, Thank again !!"

Sacha, Richard, Malika and Danique

Netherlands

 October 2007

"When my husband first talked to me at the beginning of the year about an opportunity to work in France, it sounded interesting so we came over with the children for a weekend to have a look!

We were ready to embrace change - we loved the region so we decided to go for it – that is where the logistical challenge began!  We spent a long weekend trailing around Property Agents not knowing whether to rent or buy, which town or village to look at, which school(s) would accommodate our son (11) and daughter (8) neither of whom spoke French, plus we were also bringing three horses and two dogs.  At the end of this weekend, we felt overwhelmed as to how we could make it happen…… and then to our enormous relief we found Susan and Housefinder in France!  We put a detailed, rather complicated specification together for our ideal house and sent it to Susan - kept our fingers crossed and waited …….

The rest as they say is history - we are now here comfortably installed in our new home in a beautiful village, the children are in a bilingual school, we are making new friends and enjoying our new life. 

Not speaking French myself, I found Susan’s relocation service invaluable, and now have comprehensive details of doctors, dentists, vet, hairdresser and so on for the area in which we live – most of whom speak some English to enable us to get by – although I look forward to the day when I can converse competently in French! Needless to say the journey of getting here has had its ups and downs….. I can put my hand on my heart and say I’m not sure we would have made it without Susan!

To anyone who is considering a lifestyle change like ours, or the acquisition of a holiday home / investment - look no further – Susan truly listens to your requirements …… which when blended with her comprehensive knowledge of the region and shrewd negotiating skills will ensure you find your ideal home. She takes great pride in what she does and the outcome really matters to her!

To you Susan …. Thank You doesn’t really seem to cover it …… but ‘THANK YOU’ from the bottom of our hearts! "

Julie S. - U.K.

  October 2007     

" I must say if you deal with Susan then "lookout" as far as this Australian sees it!!

I gave Susan what I thought was a very difficult brief  for a property in France which was going to be very hard to achieve if not really possible at all. I'm ecstatic with what Susan was able to find for my family for which I'll be forever grateful.

It also changed completely my preconceived ideas and experience of Real Estate Salespeople as we have all heard about "I'm here to help 24/7" but Susan actually does.  Her after sales service was just fantastic not just sell to get my commission and then every question afterwards falls on deaf ears - not with this girl!

So if you're only dreaming about buying a house in France then "lookout because" this one turns dreams into reality"

 Simon L.  Australia

 May 2007

" Susan Toursel was a godsend. After receiving my transfer to France from Australia, I must have sent over 100 emails and faxes to local real estate agencies in our desired area. No responses. Exasperated and at my wits end, and with only a week before my family (including 2 children under 3 years old) and I were due to fly out of Australia, I stumbled across Susan's website whilst desperately surfing the internet one night. With nothing to lose, I sent an email seeking help....and had a reply within the hour! A light at the end of the tunnel began to flicker. Within 3 days, Susan had managed to organise 2 weeks of temporary accommodation (and had negotiated a great discount on our behalf) and several viewings of suitable houses in our preferred locations with several local real estate agents. During these viewings, Susan took time out from her own busy schedule to accompany us and ensure we asked the right questions, were given the right answers and also advise us on the area from a local's point of view. Her advice and insight was both invaluable and spot on. We found the perfect house for our needs on the first day of viewings and had a signed lease within 2 days! We could not have been happier and owe this stress-free transition to Susan and her dedication to helping people find their feet in France. We could not recommend Susan and her service highly enough and will always be indebted to her for her tireless work in this hugely important and stressful life change. Chapeau! "

Jeremy B. Australia

April 2007

"Hi Susan,
We just wanted to say thank you very much for your help in our property search when we visited France recently. It was so helpful to have someone who spoke fluent French and English to liaise with the estate agents and vendors and to explain how things worked in France. You were so friendly and made us feel really welcome and we feel very confident dealing with you. It's a terrifying thought, buying a property abroad, and you've helped make the process much easier!
Thanks again, "

Marie, Neil, Sophie and Kian - Cambridge, UK.