Long-term research in Paris 15th

Found!

Discover a research conducted by Catherine Ziegler, our apartment hunter specialized in Paris 15th. Invited by their asset manager to invest in their main residence, Cécilia and Patrick are embarking on this real estate project with rigorous specifications and very precise sectorization. In charge of the case, our hunter will take a good 3 years to find the accommodation, which will check all the couple's boxes. The story of a research full of twists and turns and finally rewarded...

Why did Cecilia and Patrick start their real estate project?

Cecilia and Patrick are managers in two large French companies: in addition to their very active professional life, they have two teenage children. Until now, tenants of their home, they are encouraged by their wealth manager to invest in a main residence.

How did they know our HOME SELECT apartment hunter?

Unfamiliar with the real estate industry and having no time to devote to this project, they decide to rely on the good care of an apartment hunter. Their wealth manager refers them to Catherine Ziegler, a member of the HOME SELECT network, with whom he has already had the opportunity to work...

What are the criteria for the first research mandate?

Once put in touch with Catherine Ziegler, Cécilia and Patrick outline the particularities of their search for her: with two children aged 12 and 15, they want to buy a property that requires 3 bedrooms, a bathroom (or even two), a bathroom (or even two), a kitchen necessarily separate from the living room, in a rather modern building, with parking, at a level equal to or greater than 3^E floor. A balcony or terrace would undeniably be an asset...

But the essential nature of research lies mainly in sectorization: future housing must be integrated into the school map of Collège Buffon. In other words, it reduces the perimeter to 3 blocks, knowing that, for half, the buildings are old.

How did the first year of research go?

Fully aware of the difficulties in reconciling their criteria, Cécilia and Patrick are not asking Catherine Ziegler for the impossible: they are in no hurry and prefer to wait rather than relax their position.

After activating his network and the settings of the HOME SELECT application, our apartment hunter remains on the lookout for opportunities in the sector. Throughout the first year, she sent them a few announcements, but none resulted in a physical visit, since none managed to meet all the couple's criteria at the same time.

Why did Catherine Ziegler end the research mandate?

During the renewal of the mandate, Cécilia and Patrick reaffirmed their desire to buy through Catherine Ziegler, but did not change the criteria, to allow her to extend their perspectives. During this second year of research, our apartment hunter managed to find them a property that corresponds in every way: unfortunately, it is located on the wrong sidewalk on Vaugirard Street and no longer depends directly on Collège Buffon. Even if exceptions are possible, the couple prefers not to follow up...

Faced with this sector that is definitely too small and the inflexibility of her customers, Catherine Ziegler gives up and prefers to stop working with Cécilia and Patrick.

Why did they end up calling Catherine Ziegler back?

Six months later, the couple called Catherine Ziegler back to tell her that they no longer had any sectoral obligations in their search for real estate since their child had now joined middle school. Cecilia and Patrick then broaden the field of investigation to 3 or 4 metro stations (instead of the 2 initials). However, as they both work outside Paris, each has a car, but must easily get along the Seine and the ring roads...

They even agree to consider the old, but the price of freestone buildings does not match their budget: while the old one is comfortable in the modern, it is too fair in the old.

How did the second phase of the research go?

Under this new research mandate, Catherine Ziegler took the opportunity to invite her clients to come and physically visit the apartments: the videos do not accurately reflect the volumes. Under Covid-19, these very active managers are teleworking and have agreed to set up their Friday afternoons for visits...

During lockdown, our real estate hunter presents them with 4 or 5 apartments to visit, but she feels they are reluctant to commit further. In this pandemic context, she realizes that they are afraid to make offers. As a result, Catherine Ziegler takes time with them to explain the market, the evolution, the health effects and the situations that were open to them, in order to reassure them.

How did the apartment hunter find it?

One day, our apartment hunter receives an announcement from a negotiator working in a notary office. She had already had the opportunity to work with members of the HOME SELECT network and knew their professionalism. After having had Catherine Ziegler for a completely different file, she did not hesitate to contact her again, to offer her this property, which was apparently perfect for Cécilia and Patrick, off-market, a few days before publishing the announcement on the major sites.

Ideally located along the banks of the Seine, in a semi-recent building, the apartment, facing due west, was entirely in need of renovation, but it was at 5^E 1st floor, with a clear view, gardens in front and behind and a caretaker.

How did the apartment visit go?

When the announcement was submitted, Cecilia and Patrick immediately agreed to come and visit it: once there, they discovered the extent of the work, but that did not bother them. Catherine quickly quantifies the cost of a professional intervention: based on a standard ceiling of 265 cm and at the rate of around 1000-1200 € per m², care is part of their budget. An estimate quickly confirmed by contractor quotes.

Another contentious point: the sellers do not want to sell the parking lot attached to the apartment. But Cecilia and Patrick know that there is space to park nearby and decide to ask the caretaker to monitor the next sales opportunity.

Were they able to negotiate the price of the apartment?

Posted at a high price considering the work to be done, Catherine Ziegler advised Cecilia and Patrick to write a lower offer, which, after some procrastination, was finally accepted.

In July 2020, when the promise of sale was signed, the purchasers' notary wanted to clarify the date of release of the premises. Indeed, the result of a succession, the sale of the apartment supposed the departure of its current occupant. An exit scheduled, but delayed by the health context: in fact, the health crisis has frozen the start of work to be carried out on his new home...

The date is finally set at the end of October 2020 (when it was initially indicated in August in the real estate announcement). On October 10, Catherine Ziegler then decided to visit the apartment again, just before the signing of the authentic act, to check if everything was in accordance. She takes the opportunity to schedule an appointment with a contractor, to confirm the dimensions/measurements and quickly notes that the move is in progress. When he passed through, the following week, the property was completely empty. The signature was confirmed at the end of October.

Did they use a contractor for the work?

Catherine suggested several entrepreneurs from her address book and the couple was able to choose one. They had non-load-bearing partitions removed to review the layout of the apartment: the disappearance of the corridor distributing the sleeping area, made them gain 5-6 m² that had hitherto been useless. After some refreshing work (wallpaper, painting...), they moved in at the end of January 2021.

“The very favorable “Covid-19 effect” on this research”

The small scope of actions and the lack of flexibility in the other criteria undermined the first two years of research. Not to mention that the rare goods presented were not sufficiently valued by Catherine Ziegler's videos: Cécilia and Patrick, completely physically unavailable, were unable to grasp the potential and the volumes.

With the professional reorganization linked to Covid-19 and this window of visits on Fridays, research has had a new impetus!

“A home that meets all criteria! ” The patience of Cecilia and Patrick was rewarded: they bought within the original perimeter and in the good side of the 15^E arrondissement of Paris, one street from the quays, thus facilitating their access to the peripheries, far from the traditional traffic jams on the boulevards.