
73.9K
Downloads
203
Episodes
Real estate: the ultimate game of risk and reward. It’s the biggest investment most people ever makeFortunes are won and lost every day. How do you stay ahead of the game? Who’s buying, who’s selling and why? You need an edge. Boroughs & Burbs. This podcast is your secret weapon, giving you the insider knowledge and strategies you need to succeed in the high-stakes and cutthroat world of real estate. The Boroughs are New York City.The Burbs are wherever you are: Connecticut, Austin, the Hamptons, Carolinas, Florida and beyond. From Palm Beach to Palm Springs, Manhattan to Malibu, we travel the country pressing the experts in every luxury market to expose the pain, find the deals, and occasionally predict the future. Don’t settle for mediocrity - tune in to Boroughs & Burbs Thursdays 3pm Eastern and start dominating your market.
Episodes

Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Boroughs & Burbs 115 || ”We’ll Always Have Paris”
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Thursday Dec 07, 2023
Watch on YouTube: We’ll Always Have Paris | Ep. 115
Episode page: Boroughs & Burbs 115 – We’ll Always Have Paris
Episode Overview
As Oscar Wilde quipped, “When good Americans die, they go to Paris.” But today, Americans aren’t waiting for the afterlife—they’re investing now. In this episode, John Engel and Roberto Cabrera are joined by:
-
Alison Ashby — Managing Director at Junot Fine Properties, a Knight Frank affiliate, fluent in French and German, and a specialist in international buyers
-
Roddy Aris — Partner at Knight Frank, overseeing Paris and the French Alpine market, from the 3 Valleys to Chamonix
Together, they unpack the realities of the French property market and why Paris continues to enchant investors, expats, and lifestyle buyers alike.
Key Themes
-
Size Matters
Despite its global allure, the French real estate market is smaller and less liquid than many expect. That scale has implications for both opportunity and stability. -
An Opaque Industry
With no central MLS, limited public listings, and ads without addresses, Paris real estate requires insider knowledge. Alison and Roddy stress why choosing the right broker is critical. -
Financing Challenges
France offers historically low rates (around 4%), but lending criteria can be stringent for Americans. Buyers need patience, strong documentation, and often local expertise to close. -
French Castles & Châteaux
Demand for historic castles has dipped by about 8%, even as broader French property values rise by 6% annually. It’s a niche market, increasingly driven by passion buyers. -
New Construction
Unlike London or New York, Paris produces little new development. One example: the transformation of a Renault garage into luxury housing, illustrating adaptive reuse. -
The Romance of Paris
Beyond numbers, the discussion keeps returning to Paris’s cultural gravity: its architecture, lifestyle, and enduring magnetism for international buyers.
Links & Social
Guests
-
Alison Ashby — Junot Fine Properties • LinkedIn • Email: Alison.Ashby@knightfrank.com
-
Roddy Aris — Knight Frank Profile • LinkedIn • Email: Roddy.Aris@knightfrank.com
Hosts
-
John Engel — IG: @jengel199 • LinkedIn
-
Roberto Cabrera — IG: @rcabrera1 • LinkedIn
Related International Episodes (verified)
Keywords
#Paris #FrenchRealEstate #JunotFineProperties #KnightFrank #luxuryrealestate #chateaux #internationalbuyers #EuropeProperty #investinparis #boroughsandburbs
No comments yet. Be the first to say something!