I emailed the contact and I feel skeptical because all the answers were perfect.
I asked if there was an elevator, and I was told there were 2. I asked if there was a crib, and I was told he just purchased a pack and play for the previous tenant and it%26#39;s only been used 5 days (then he linked to a random pack and play online).
I asked for a good time to call tomorrow and I%26#39;m not sure what to ask to find out if this is real or not. I don%26#39;t want to be cheated out of our money but I haven%26#39;t found anything available within my budget.
I am trying to find a VRBO for my parents, my wife, and I, and my 23 month old daughter.
We are trying to keep it at 200 Euros or less /night.
Is there anyway to verify this building and how many floors it has? Also is there anyway to verify this address to see if it exists?
2 avenue des Ternes, 75017 Paris, France
Apt 64.
It is supposed to be on the 6th floor (though the original advertisement says 5th floor). The owner says that they made a mistake.
My gut says I should find another place since this one has no comments or anything.
I searched the guys name and he is supposed to be a French Architect so I feel like this is real....
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... don%26#39;t forget George Costanza used to say he was an architect too! ;^)
Go to http://maps.google.com
Type your address into the location bar. Use the small yellow human figure a the top left above the zoom control and drag and drop it right onto the street. You%26#39;ll now be in street view and be able to see what%26#39;s what. I think your number is to the right of the Bocage store... large blue door...
You can do something similar with http://pagesjaune.fr
The 5th/6th floor confusion likely has an innocent explanation. What to you is the 1st floor is to a Frenchman the 2nd.
Good luck!
Rob
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I agree that the 5th/6th floor is easily explained.
There is %26quot;elevator%26quot; listed in the description. How important is the floor? The top floor could be stifling in hot weather, especially if there is no cross ventilation. On the other hand, it could be quieter to have others under you, but not both over and under you.
There appear to be seven floors total in the building if you look at the photo on PagesJaunes. And, you can take a %26quot;walk around the neighborhood%26quot; there. But, I can tell you that this is a beautiful (and very desirable residential) neighborhood, and the building is across the street from a restaurant we very much enjoyed, Le Ballon des Ternes, a few years ago.
It%26#39;s also right on bus route #43. Especially with parents and a small child, I%26#39;d recommend using the buses over the metro.
I think the very reasonable price for the space and decor is probably due to a location not in the %26quot;central%26quot; tourist area and so close to the Peripherique. But, it%26#39;s definitely not %26quot;out there%26quot; or inconveniently located.
However, the VRBO description %26quot;Paris Arrondissement 8%26quot; is definitely incorrect - the postal code is 75017.
I could not find any mention of a security/damage deposit?
My one quibble would be the methods of payment, all of which are inconvenient and incur fees, and which provide no recourse (as with a credit card). But, this is not uncommon with apartment rentals in Paris, and does not indicate that the rental is not legitimate. And, there are lots of units on VRBO with no comments.
Many, many, people stay in VRBO units, and over all the years I%26#39;ve visited travel forums, I cannot recall any significant complaints. Most people are satisfied to very pleased.
But, see
http://guarantee.homeaway.com/
So, there is protection of a sort.
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A friend of mine who is an attorney (!!!!) was scammed over an apartment rental. Everything was perfect, and the contract was absolutely what it should have been. He paid a large deposit, and when he got to Rome, he had no apartment, and no reservation anywhere.
It%26#39;s easy to make everything sound wonderful when you have no intention to honour the contract or back up anything you say. It%26#39;s also easy to hijack someone else%26#39;s property description and code.
If I were as uneasy about a property as you seem to be about this one, I%26#39;d walk away without further thought. Life is too short for this level of concern. You%26#39;ve got a gut instinct for a reason - pay attention to it.
Try www.venere.com - besides their hotel listings, they list small inns, B%26amp;Bs and both self catering and serviced apartments. They%26#39;ve been around for a while and many of us have used them without problems.
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If you are still looking, I can vouch for #39183 on the outskirts of the 12th in St. Mande. Although it is on the very edge of Paris, it is on Metro Line #1, so very convenient for getting to the heart of the city. It is in a 100 yr old building, but has an elevator (small), and it is well under your budget. We stayed there in 2005. http://www.vrbo.com/39183
I can%26#39;t personally vouch for these, but here are some other possibilites:
www.frenchyrentals.com/twobedrooms.html
http://www.vrbo.com/38907
Vacation In Paris is very highly regarded on this forum and it has 2 bdrm apts in your price range. www.vacationinparis.com/infop/two_br.htm
If you are still considering the Ave, de Ternes apt you could ask the owner for references.
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Thank you all for all of the very good feedback.
I am supposed to speak with the owner on the telephone today so I will ask if he has any references.
Since this is my families first time there I would like to start off on a good foot. We were avoiding hotels because the ones in our budget seem to be hit or miss. Plus the VRBO allows us to share the time together and experience a non-touristy experience.
The actual site of the owner includes the terms and conditions here:
www.vrbo.com/global/siteFrame.asp…
parisamsterdam2007
Thanks, I did try that, but google states the address a little difference. It looks like there are 6 floors on that buildling so that makes me think it%26#39;s legit but google uses the address:
2 Place des Ternes
75008 Paris, France
(I%26#39;m assuming 2 Place des Ternes = 2 Avenue des Ternes)
djkbooks
Thanks for the reply, I appreciate all of your comments! You are right, it should be in the 17th Arrondissement.
1BCTraveler
Yes I want to believe it%26#39;s true (because I think most people are good by nature), but since it%26#39;s my first time I%26#39;m a little skeptical. I will update everyone on whatever we choose and our experience.
Paris_2004
Thank you very much for the recommendations, I will take a look at those. I definitely appreciate first-hand reference!
Thanks again everyone, TA users are awesome!
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place du whatever and whatever avenue are NOT the same address --
your spidey sense is tingling -- maybe time to go through an agency or try another property
we have rented about 24 times -- most of them in Europe from anywhere from 3 days to 2 months -- we have never had a bad experience -- the places have ranged from mildly disappointing but okay to unbelievably better than expected -- we have never had a problem connecting with the agent for key, with serious defects in the department or in getting our deposit back
but we shy away when we get that %26#39;sense%26#39; that things are not quite right -- and I always insist on lots of pictures and also look for a floor plan -- sure they can lie -- but having lots of pictures helps check the prose description -- so unless the thing is entirely a scam, you are not likely to get seriously misled
there are hundreds of Paris apartments -- if you don%26#39;t feel right about an owner -- move on
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I wonder if anyone in Paris knows this area:
When I compare 1 of the owner%26#39;s pictures to the current picture on google maps (pan up in google%26#39;s photo to see tops of buildings, etc.) I feel like this might be real. One of the photos might be older and one might be newer.
Can anyone tell me which photo is newer and what actually exists? Does the %26quot;Bistro Romain%26quot; exist there? I can ask the owner that to find out if he just got a couple of good photos or if he really knows the area.
Owner%26#39;s Picture:
…free.fr/page2/files/page2-1016-full.html
Google Map%26#39;s Picture:
2 Avenue des Ternes, 75017 Paris, France
Link: %26lt;http://maps.google.com/maps?f=q%26amp;source=s_q%26amp;hl=en%26amp;q=2+Avenue+des+Ternes,+75017+Paris,+Paris,+Ile-de-France,+France%26amp;sll=37.0625,-95.677068%26amp;sspn=33.435463,79.101563%26amp;ie=UTF8%26amp;cd=2%26amp;geocode=FaXR6QIdnw0jAA%26amp;split=0%26amp;ll=48.877961,2.297291%26amp;spn=0.003387,0.009656%26amp;z=17%26amp;iwloc=A%26amp;layer=c%26amp;cbll=48.877999,2.297148%26amp;panoid=YdGLxlE4v5jN7cOPm2A_Qg%26amp;cbp=12,203.7931133759756,,0,-2.0999999999999988%26gt;
Thanks everyone...you have all been really helpful.
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howie: I have found PagesJaunes to be very accurate. Over the years, I%26#39;ve collected addressed of Art Nouveau buildings and look them up on PagesJaunes to determine if they are worth a visit, and the photos have always been accurate.
Go to www.pagesjaunes.fr
In the black box on the left, click on Photos/villes en 3D, then in the second column click on Photos de votre ville
When the next page comes up, enter the number in the fist box and Ternes in the second, and select Paris from the dropdown list. You will receive a choice of three streets (rue des Ternes, Place des Ternes, avenue des Ternes are each different streets) - choose Avenue...
I%26#39;m sure the photo is accurate. And, the photos of the neighborhood match the one on the VRBO listing.
I, personally, believe you may be overly suspicious.
While the apartment is a few blocks beyond the 8th, it is not uncommon for apartments to be described as (or be listed under) being in the 7th, when they%26#39;re actually in the 15th (but in the Eiffel Tower %26quot;area%26quot;), or in the Marais, when they%26#39;re actually a bit beyond in one direction or another. That apartment is only a ten minute walk from the Arc de Triomphe.
You may want to Google VRBO or look on other forums (SlowTravel, Fodor%26#39;s, etc.) for VRBO experiences in general. Lots and lots of people use VRBO the world over.
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djkbooks
Thanks. I do believe the place exists based on what I see in google maps and pagesjaunes (thanks for the detailed instructions).
I also did research a lot of VRBO which is why I started looking at them. There are always positive and negative experiences and I%26#39;m just doing a lot of research since I would be really embarrassed (not to mention, need emergency housing) if my family turns up in Paris and we get scammed.
I think at this point, I going to go for it and hope for the best.
I have a couple hotels written down as backup in case we turn up and don%26#39;t have anywhere to turn to.
I also have a list of other VRBO%26#39;s but I doubt I could convince my family once in Paris if the 1st one I try scams me .....
If I was on my own, I%26#39;d just find a hostel or something of that nature...but I guess this is the %26quot;overly suspicious father%26quot; gene that has found it%26#39;s way out of me...hehe
I do appreciate all of your help though!
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I agree with the posters about asking for references. There should be no hesitation about providing 2-3 of them. We get that question when people rent our apartment and I think it is a very good and legitimate question. Also, when you converse with the owner on the phone, you%26#39;ll get a feel about the legitimacy of the property and its condition, etc.
Ask about fans and cross-ventilation is my only other question.
I%26#39;ve walked through this area many times. Parc de Monceau is nearby which is very nice.
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