Bonjour All :
Bonjour All :
I was very surprised by the recent Blog postings as I am sure you were.
I acknowledge here that there is situation that needs attention immediately and I’ve been taking the necessary steps as quickly as I can on this end to resolve these issues. And I certainly will devote as much time and effort as necessary so that anyone and everyone who may have had some problem until it gets resolved. I assume full responsibility for this objective. I will commit wholly to rectifying it if someone has indeed an issue. I want to thank all of you who have expressed concern and support as I feel this has been an opportunity to re-evaluate and improve my services and communication vehicles. This extends to our past and previous clients, our prospective clients, our consultants and partners, agencies, notaires and friends and individuals in my networks and affiliations.
Regarding the specific postings which I believe was seriously inflated (and slanderous) were taken out of context and in my opinion, the language was very harsh. We have contacted these individuals directly and expressed our position.
Nevertheless, I reflect on this as a real opportunity for me to re-think and re-tool some of my procedures and methods as I try grow this small customized, « boutique » real estate search, acquisition and management business and referral network to serve you better.
Again, for my part I accept the responsibility of not hand-holding these issues more closely, as I believed it was merely a game of words, not the facts from where I stood and ultimately I had the responsibility to insure the each client and guest was protected, even if it appeared differently. Nevertheless, as a result of this experience, and as we now are involved in more projects throughout Paris. We are a small, boutique enterprise and have tried to protect our own properties and our clients properties to the best of our abilities. I have formed a joint venture with a French, Licensed, SARL « Enterprise de Batiment », consisting of 25-50 professionally trained and equipped personnel to handle any renovation and construction projects that our clients may require now or in the future. We now have some very responsive resources on our team. They are fully insured and bonded and really are a delight to work with.
We have made our position known to the (different real names) individuals behind these posts and can verify all of our statements to them if they want to step forward.
As many of you know, this is an ever-changing and challenging process of growing a business here, and I enjoy it immensely and want my services to be as professional and responsive as possible. I believe I do deliver excellent services for search, negotiation, arranging notaires/banks/loans, inspections, renovations, rentals etc... for what amounts to very modest fees (typically, 2% for a search and negotiation, compared to the 4% my competitors charge).
Again, I consider this matter as an opportunity to improve my communication lines, project follow-up and resolution of project and client needs. I thought I was doing a good job before, I realize I need to do more.
On a positive note, many of my clients have found (or leased) exactly the apartment, financing, etc, they have always dreamed about here and I would like to share some of the comments that I have received:
« We have had a great experience with Philip in the acquisition of our property in the 7th. He was excellent in finding the right property for us and accommodating our schedule which takes us all over the globe.
It is important to take seriously all of the nuances of acquisition and understanding them in context of France. Phillip can do all that for you as well. Also it is important to understand that this is a lengthy process and is not like purchasing property in the US.
Also, if you expect to finance the property, it is essential that you have detailed records of your finances. They will be required. Philip is able to put you in touch with a lender, and please understand that credit reports mean nothing to them. Also, carefully follow the instructions from the lender, and completely understand the implication of rentals. It will avoid delays. As far as estate planning it may be advisable to also hire an attorney for that purpose who is a French lawyer who speaks very good English. Only a suggestion.
Philip will do a great job for you!
Hugh and Lisa »
« To whom it may concern;
For a number of years, my partner and I had been thinking about purchasing an apartment in Paris that we could not only use from time
to time ourselves, but also function as an investment vehicle when we
were not using it. Earlier this year, we decided it was time to put thought into action.
As the owner / broker of an Agency in Boston, as well as a real estate investor in Boston and Puerto Rico, I place high-value on hiring a representative to protect and advance my interests in the
process. I know all too well that real estate agents are contractually and ethically bound to represent the interest of their clients, which is usually the seller.
Whenever I have not been familiar with the market where we wanted to invest, we have hired a buyer representative to help us in the process. For acquiring our property in Paris, after much research and corresponding with several buyer representation services, we decided to
use Philip Gordon of MDG.
Our experience with Philip has been exceptional. He combines his knowledge of the Paris real estate market with his design and architectural expertise as well as his understanding of the US cultural
norms and desires. He works in a consultative manner and helps you through the thought process of getting you to really understand what
you want or need versus what you think you want or need. I never got the impression that he was trying to sell us something that was not
going to meet our requirements just to get a sale. He has been very responsive to our inquiries and questions.
Given the complexities of the Paris real estate market, it was great to have Philip researching potential properties and then making
appointments to see only those properties that he thought would meet our needs. While our budget was a bit on the lower end of the
spectrum, under 250K Euro, we had several potential options for properties which met our needs after three days of property
tours. While we have been back in the US, Philip has been keeping the
process moving toward the next phase of our project, the renovation and staging of the property for personal and investment use.
Gary»
These comment are very much appreciated, as are the many emails that have recently been received, but I feel I can always improve, now more than ever, as I have always been grateful for your confidence and opportunity to work for you here in this wonderful place… and, I assure you that this is a priority on this end.
Everyday, I accept the challenge of assisting folks with fulfilling their dreams on this end and I can recount hundreds of wonderful moments and satisfying faces throughout the last few years that makes me feel good about what I do. We aren’t just a search firm, we «prequalify> the potential properties and purchases with over 30 years of real estate and design experience.
For your information, an update on our services is outlined on the attached link for your review, I encourage you to visit:
http://www.mdg-france.com
In addition, here are some other improvements coming along in the near future:
1. Opening a message board so clients and interested parties can relate their experiences on our various referral websites for members as well as investment and rental tips. (An outgrowth of our monthly real estate meetings).
2. New offerings for financing rates at leading French banks as our relationships with leading French banks are extremely solid and I have shared this experience with them. We know we can always do more to promote their services and offerings. We are working on a proposal with one leading French bank to streamline the « baby boomer » investors searching for financing here for their new properties (more about that in the coming newsletters- but it will be a groundbreaking process, and we are very excited about it’s prospects for our clients)
3. Expanding our associate network to cities in France: Nice, Bordeaux, Normandy and in Paris. 4. Soon, perhaps this fall, we will be launching a new website, which is geared towards matching both interested buyers with prospective properties that are being offered by our network agencies. It will also include rental management categories and consultant services. Here, we are envisioning an open contact forum to exchange ideas for investors on purchasing and renting properties in France.
And also, as many of you know, we have monthly meetings to consult with folks who are interested in purchasing property here in Paris, (and in our network cities) and charge a nominal fee for what amounts to valuable property, financing, renovation and management information and sincerely hope you will attend one in the near future.
Thanks for taking the time to read all this and I look forward to hearing from you if you need additional clarifications. I hoped to make this as concise as possible but felt it was an opportunity to demonstrate to all of you that I have responded to with concentrated efforts and the net result is that I will continue to strive to make
M D G – F R A N C E the very best it can be.
I also look forward to addressing your questions if you have any via the email address below or phone number.
Finally, I will make a point of updating this you on these issues, and more, very soon.
A Bientôt,
Philip Gordon
M D G – F R A N C E
mdgfrance@aol.com
+33 (0)6 21 21 13 55
Bonjour Al
