Possibly moving to Montpellier, France

[sabarientos]

Bonjour

I was hoping to get some help from the experts about moving to Montpellier, France. There's big possibility that this will happen sometime in early January. I would like to be prepared if this happens and was hoping that somebody can answer some of my questions.

- How do I go about finding a place to rent? Any good website I should visit? Would you recommend buying a place outside of Montpellier?
- Any ideas on how much a place should cost to rent for a 2 - 3 bedroom?

- As far as location in Montpellier - I would like to know what areas I should stay clear from and what areas you would recommend.

I will be moving with my family. I have two boys ages 3 years and 4 months. So we would like to find a place where a good school is close by. My little guy is currently in a prematernelle here in Canada and would like to to continue taking him to a French school - not necessary bilingual.

My husbands job will be at the University - do you think it's possible to live just outside of Montpellier and still work in the city?

- How far is traveling time if we decide to move just outside of Montpellier - is it easy to access the Tram from the country?

Thanks - any info is very much appreciated - this way we can decide better if France is a good place for us to go to.

Merci

S.

[Bevdeforges]

Hi and welcome to the forum.

Montpellier is an absolutely marvelous town! It's probably the closest France has to a big university town, like in the States - where the university plays a big part in the "character" of the town.

And, if your husband will be working at the university, there are plenty of resources available for helping you decide where to live. For information about the town, try contacting the AVF in Montpellier avfmontpellier - AVF Montpellier They have a service called "pre-accueil" that is intended for folks like you, just in the process of making the move.

Basically, the school system in France in highly centralized, so you don't really need to make a choice between schools. Your kids go to the school that serves the area in which you live. The Montpellier school district is highly sought-after (by teachers looking to make a transfer) so they can probably claim to have many of the best teachers in all of France.

The Montpellier transport site Transports de l'Agglomération de Montpellier - TaM will give you all the information about the public transport system - and give you an idea where you need to look for housing if you're planning on using the transport system.

It's probably best to rent for a while on arrival so that you can get to know the area for yourself and the types of homes that are available.
Cheers,
Bev

[sabarientos]

Merci Beaucoup Bev

I will check out the website and get back to you. I will probably have more questions when we find out if we will be moving there. For now - it's in the process and we will still have to decide. This is a good start for me to do my research. I have already read a few things about Montpellier and it sounds really good, so looking forward to maybe making the move there next year.

One more question - What is a good website to find house, apartments for rent - am I calling it the right way or is there another word use to describe a french home - I see to be getting holliday homes for rent when i look around the web. But i guess I'm more looking for an apartment/condo type.

Thanks again for the info.

S

[Bevdeforges]

Assuming your French is up to it, you could probably take a look at IMMOBILIER De Particulier A Particulier - Annonces immobilières de particuliers - Immobilier | PAP.fr which is the big publication here devoted to people who want to sell or rent their property directly, without an agent. It will at least give you some idea of the rents in the area.

Best to find some temporary accommodation on arrival and do your house hunting in person, however. You absolutely don't want to rent something sight unseen, as photos on the web can be very misleading. That's where the holiday places come in handy - set up there for the first month until you can get a place - and until your stuff arrives from back home. Coming from Canada, your belongings will take a good 6 to 12 weeks to catch up with you, clear customs and get delivered.
Cheers,
Bev

[hils]

You could also try Petites annonces immobilières | 1er site immobilier français | Portail immo for an idea of properties and rents in the area.

[wendyj]

Kids & Montpellier

You might find my blog interesting if you are moving with kids...

[sabarientos]

Thanks for all the help with this. We are in the process of making a decision and this will come very handy. I will check out the websites you recommended. I'm sure once we decide I will have a ton of questions to ask. Thanks again.