" Diana, Shelby and others, Could you describe the differences in floor plans between apartments in Paris and houses in the suburbs, as compared to homes in the States. Do 200 sq. meters seem like a 2000 sq. ft. house; when the add says nombreux placards, what can we assume; do they have separate laundry rooms; does a house of 180 m. or more have room for a kitchen table with 6 chairs and small hutch plus a dining room suite; if a house of 160 advertises 5 bedrooms and sejour double with cuisine americaine-what part of this house is too small??? Anything else you wish to add would be appreciated, so we know what to expect and how much to start to giving away! "

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" Hi Gail, I don''t even want to begin to explain the difference between metric and imperial area measures! Sorry, I''m just afraid I would get it all wrong. BUt I can help you understand housing ads. Cuisine Americaine means the kitchen is not a separate room. I thought it would mean it had the big fridge and everything in a typical american kitchen, but not at all. Then I realized a lot of sitcoms in the states (think Friends) show kitchens that are really part of the living room, maybe separated by a counter. Big difference from what I thought. Sejour Double could simply mean a large living room or it could be two rooms with a large opening. It''s a very subjective call. Bedrooms can be VERY small. Not necessarily, but they can be. I''ve seen apartments with 3 or 4 bedrooms all the same size. There wasn''t one large master bedroom. It''s not always like this, but it can be. A house will more likely have a laundry room than an apartment. It might even have a basements just for that. Some even have a separate wine storage area! (I love France!). You might be able to get a table into the kitchen or you might need to eat in the dining room. It really depends on the house. I often find kitchens to be smaller here than American ones. Again, houses are more likely than apartments to have the space though. Sorry this is so vague. It really depends. Some other things to know though...kitchens are often totally empty - no oven, fridge, cabinets, etc. Showers are often hand held, but you can always add your own attachment yourself. You are likely expected to upkeep the yard. Hope this helps. Let me know if there''s anything else I can help you with. Diana p.s. If your relo agent has contacted you, they should be able to provide you with more info. When are you coming for your house hunt? "

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" Hi Gail, Figuring out French floor plans can drive you crazy. Nothing is measured like in the states. ""nombreux placards"" means many closets as french bedrooms generally do not have closets. ""sejour double"" really means two living rooms..perhaps a living dining combo as used in the US. ""cuisine americaine"" will usually mean one with more cabinets and layouts then the usual french style kitchen and may or may not mean it has appliances ( which are usually not included) Many times the kitchen and almost always the bathrooms and closets are not counted in the size..and as rule of thumb yes you can say that 200sm is 2000sf ( but just slightly smaller. I believe you multiply by 9 point something.) However as a Real Estate Broker I always tell my clients to ignore SF as volume and layout play a large part in the final analysis. I can show you 2 identical sf houses and you will swear that one is considerably larger than the other. Separate laundry rooms in apts. (unless very new) are rare..there is usually a space in the kitchen area...you may also have what in some places is called a butler''s pantry..off the kitchen and they have been accomodated for w/d. Eat in kitchens is just a question of layout. I have friends in the Paris suburbs in a 17th century house with an eat in kitchen and a dining room..so anything goes. Suburbs like Marly have more american style layouts and the american builder Kaufman & Broad have built many houses in the Paris suburbs which have american style layouts. The only thing to do is look. You may sacrifice layout for charm..so good luck. Let me know if you need any further help. When I lived in Paris I did relocation work and know how confusing it can be..also make sure somebody translates any lease you sign and make sure you are present at the ""etat de lieu"" prior to taking possession. Nilsa De Vengoechea, CRS nilsadv@bellsouth.net Serving the Greater Orlando Area "

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Hi Gail: I had been attempting to reach you at your former email address but to no avail. What is your current email address? Still would like to help you with your search and questions about Paris. Shelby shelby@socana.com

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" Thank you so very much Nilsa for your answer--extremely helpful. Shelby, I got sick two weeks ago and sort of zoned out but I''m back and my husband''s email is planesd@fsi.001.flightsafety.com. The home email is still the same but for some reason only works sporadically. My father can''t reach us here either but others can. Hope to hear from you soon. "

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" Diana- Your answers were not vague, you have shown how there is a little of everything. The empty kitchen is a little depressing, I must say. I thought everytime it said cuisine americaine equippe that all I had to do was show up with my refrigerator, dishes and food. Could I just maybe sort of get you or others to give me some really no-nonsense advice? Remember that my husband will work at Le Bourget airport and we are committed to finding a school that teaches English, Spanish and French without being really expensive.... which means St. Germain-en-Laye, the 16th or Noisy-le-roi( north of Versailles). My goal is the following, under 45 minutes for my husband, the kids happy in school and us in a place we can fit in, which is probably at least 180 meters. FEEL FREE TO SAY IT LIKE YOU REALLY SEE IT. My husband''s company sends very few overseas so we are lucky but the decision is still a month or 6 weeks away and all these answers are helping me from giving up--very much appreciated. Incidentally if we are so lucky as to be able to go with a relo person you will be the first to know because you will be it. We are already applying to the free schools, just in case. "

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" HI Gail, One more thing to think about, see what bus lines go to the schools you are thinking about. For the school in St. Germain, there are school buses serving the Western suburbs. If that''s the case, you might not have to be exactly on the train line or really close to the school. You could live somewhere in better commuting distance to the airport and just worry about getting the kids to the bus stops. It is the Lycee International, right? Let me know and I""ll see if I can find out from my end what towns are served. SO far I think the Western suburbs are probably your best bet for finding a house you like with a reasonable distance from the schools. After that it would depend on where you are to see how far it is to Le Bourget. By the way, I recently sent more info on my company to your husband''s company. If they hire us for you, then great! But if not please don''t feel like you can''t ask questions, ok? I was actually under the impression that you had already hired someone else. Oh, if your apartment/house ad says ""equipee"" then it will have appliances. Amenage means there are cabinets, but not necessarily appliances. Cuisine Americain does not imply either way if it''s empty or not - just how it is situated in the house. And I totally agree with Nilsa that square meterage can mean nothing if the house is set up in a strange way. Modern homes tend to make better use of space. Best to see for yourself. diana "

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" Thanks again for such a quick answer. Waiting so long for approval causes me to sometimes have bad days, like oh just forget it all days, and yesterday was one of those. So it was nice to wake up and find you are still with me on this and still answering questions. The Spanish section of the Lycee is sending a packet which should include the list of bus stops. There are several, evidently. This whole thing has been like playing Chutes and Ladders, we go along winning and then we slide down and start over. I have such huge variations in travel time to Le Bourget you can''t imagine. I have heard leaving the 16th at 9 in the morning and arriving in 35 minutes, Maisons Laffitte is 90 minutes away unless it is raining, Orgeval in 35 minutes and Orgeval in two hours, rush hour starts at 7 and rush hour starts at well after 7:30. This all comes from people who live on the west and are driving it. I feel the housing and school situation will sort themselves out but the driving times is still the big mystery because everyone sounds like they know but it isn''t consistent information. Thanks for the specific advice. My first choice is also the west if we can make it work. Happy Groundhog Day! Rent the movie with Andie MacDowell, if you haven''t seen it. "

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" Gail, if you''re interested we''ve still got our househunting pictures posted on our website. It might take away some of the shock of seeing your first house without cabinets or light fixtures if you take a tour through our house. I think a direct link to get you there is http://members.nbci.com/mikkl/France/Househunt/house.html Lori "

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" Thanks Lori for your pictures. I had been to your site before and enjoyed reading about your kids. Diana, something I have started realizing. The Lycee in St. Germain is difficult near impossible to get into. It can be done but it is not at the same as the other international schools. It sits innocently in the lists of schools for foreigners but it is a challenge to be admitted. In your advice you might want to mention it because I would feel bad for anyone who signed a lease nearby thinking it is just a matter of filling in some papers. They have very limited space and so take less than 10% who apply in some of the sections. It is the French who decide, in the end. It is not impossible to get in but everyone should ask questions of the different secretaries before committing to a house. "

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" Hi Gail, Thank YOU for the advice this time. I know it is very difficult for people coming with families. I always tell people to apply to schools well in advance. YOu are right that a house should not be chosen until the school has been chosen. I think they will eventually have to open up another school for foreigners because there just doesn''t seem to be room for them. Whatever you choose for the school though, I''d certainly be interested in hearing your experiences - how the school treated you, how difficult were admissions. And actually I have a client right now who''s come alone, but is seriously considering bringing his children over. They are Spanish speaking too. So any advice on the Spanish school would be appreciated. Diana "

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