Nick Dierman here. Born and raised in America, enriched and refined in France.
I've always harbored a fantasy of living abroad, but a year and a half of fully remote work during COVID made me realize that where you live matters more than what you do. After 20+ years in California, my partner and I sold our house in Los Angeles, quit our jobs, and took a leap — moving to France with no particular agenda except immersing ourselves in a culture and learning how to savor the art of a good meal, a glass of wine, and a landscape rich with history, heritage, and savoir-faire.
We relied on several resources in making our move, but nothing as comprehensive as what we endeavor to offer you. If the impossible beauty of Paris is calling, or the sunny beaches of Nice — terrific. But you might thrive in Bordeaux, or find your best life on an Alpine lake.
Let's explore together. On y va?
When my partner and I made our move, we cobbled together information from a variety of sources — relocation experts focused on retirees, expat forums, and real estate agents with their own agendas. It worked, eventually, but not without a fair amount of sweat equity. What we wished we'd had was a single point of contact who understood our specific situation — our budget, our timeline, our vision of what life in France could look like — and could help us navigate from there, rather than shoehorning us into a well-trodden handbook.
That's what Emplace is. Not a cut-and-paste guide to moving abroad, but a tailored, top-to-bottom service built around you.
We're not a concierge service. We're not a law firm. We don't book your restaurants or file your taxes (but we can introduce you to people who can).
Think of us as your sherpa — someone who has made this climb before, knows where the terrain gets difficult, and can help you find the path that's right for you.
Thirty minutes for a focused question, an hour for the full picture. Straight answers, no filler — and if we don't know something, we'll point you to someone who does.