How a Currency Call Became a
Côte d'Azur Apartment
US cash buyers (brothers, East Bay, California) · Villefranche-sur-Mer, Côte d'Azur
No agent, no strategy, and a $1.4M USD exposure to the market
Brad and Doug arrived in Nice with enthusiasm but no structure. They were cash buyers, serious, motivated, ready to move, but they had no estate agent, no property-finding strategy, and critically, no plan for how to convert approximately $1.4M USD into euros safely.
The currency risk alone was significant. A 5% movement in the USD/EUR exchange rate on a transaction of that size represents $70,000. They didn't know whether to convert immediately, wait, or use a forward contract, and they didn't have anyone advising them on it.
Ben Small met Brad on a currency call on 23 June 2025. What started as a question about exchange rates quickly became something much more useful.
One referral. One week. An offer accepted.
Within the same currency call, Ben introduced Brad to Asher McInerney at Fracc Homes, a trusted Côte d'Azur estate agent in Ibanista's partner network. Asher met with Brad and Doug in Nice the following Friday.
The first property they viewed in Nice wasn't right. But Asher knew exactly where to look next. He introduced them to Kristin King at Riviera King / Akorimmo in Villefranche-sur-Mer, and they wrote up on a 3-bedroom apartment the same week.
Ibanista then handled the entire financial side of the transaction:
The 10% deposit (~$117,000 USD equivalent) was converted and wired directly to the notaire's account via Wells Fargo. AML documentation was prepared and submitted. Full notaire compliance was managed by Ibanista. A forward hedging strategy was discussed to protect the balance (~$1.3M) against any USD slide during the 3-month completion window.
The deposit was confirmed in the notaire's account on 7 August 2025. Completion was expected late September, approximately 90 days from the initial call to keys in hand.
Thanks so much for this referral, showed them property Friday in Nice and it was a pass. Sent them to a partner in Villefranche-sur-Mer today and they wrote up.
A lot of things fell into place and it all started with you and your referral to Asher. None of this would have happened without your kind referral. Thank you 🙏
Timeline
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