In November 2018, Canadians Leah and Alan were referred to Renestance to find their French dream home, and they signed a Mandat de Recherche to hire Renestance as their exclusive buying agent.

Moving abroad presents some obvious vocabulary challenges. The tourist phrases books aren’t much help when opening a bank account and getting medical insurance. However, some of the hardest situations involve professionals providing more intimate services – dentists, opticians, gynecologists and yes, hairdressers!

Sometimes, even with an example photo and in your native language, describing how you want your hair done isn’t straightforward. Here we share some of the most common terms used when you visit a hairdresser in France.

You would think that ordering a cup of coffee in France is pretty straightforward. But it can be much more confusing than requesting une baguette or un croissant.

Traditionally, un café will be a tiny cup of strong black espresso. If that surprises you, here’s a quick guide to coffee variations and café etiquette to help you through the day …

Today Renestance celebrates its 4th birthday. As with most startups, we’ve had to adapt our market strategy to double in size each year. It’s funny to think that our first plan was to run an English-speaking retirement home in the South of France! Our team is still based in the Occitanie region, but we can help you live out your French lifestyle dream anywhere in the country.

Bills and bureaucracy are synonymous with life in France. French bureaucracy is a burden we simply have to grin and bear – but the good news is that there is always something we can do about the bills!

For many people, a move to France represents the ultimate dream come true, but what does it really mean to do it?