Have you already identified the house you are planning on buying? I only ask because the process generally takes at least 3 months after the offer to purchase has been accepted.

As far as opening a bank , you may be limited to a "non-resident " until you are actually resident in . I'm not sure what the current "restrictions" are on a non-resident but opening a bank of any type in generally requires that you be present in and that you take an appointment to go through the formalities (part of the Know Your Customer protocols among other regulations).

Banking in is largely controlled at the branch level - and while there are policies within a given bank that apply to all branches in , the current bank manager can make or break your perception of "customer service". Depending on where you are in the house buying process, you may be able to manage by transferring deposits to the notaire from your US bank, perhaps using an exchange and transfer service (i.e. to avoid excessive exchange and/or bank transfer fees).

 

You will probably find that if you have a good french estate agent then they can get you an introduction to a bricks and mortar local bank where you are buying.