Paris 12th apartment hunter: client based in France and the United States

Found! Discover a search quickly conducted by Lisa Mimran, our Paris 12th apartment hunter. On the one hand, Frédéric, a very busy businessman; on the other hand, an American partner still residing in the United States at the time of the purchase: how to erase the distances and satisfy both parties in an extremely tense Parisian real estate market?

What prompted the client to invest?

Frédéric is the vice president of a group, at the origin of an innovative application. Currently, he is a tenant of a 2-room apartment in the 12th arrondissement and lives alone in this apartment. His partner, living in the United States, is due to join him in October 2017.

What did Frédéric expect from a real estate hunter?

As part of his work, Frédéric has to travel a lot — whether in the United States or in Asia. It still has an anchor point, in its Parisian offices in the 13th arrondissement. Obviously, as his agenda is extremely busy, he does not have time to carry out a real estate search. Therefore, to fill this gap, he decided to be accompanied by an apartment hunter. And through him, to be able to rely completely on his know-how and his research qualities to save time and find his future love nest, with the problem of satisfying him (obviously!) , but also to please his American partner.

How did the first contact with HOME SELECT happen?

Frédéric therefore contacted “Home Select” via his website, as well as two other real estate hunting agencies, “Property Enter” and “Flat Enter”. Our property researcher, Lisa Mimran, immediately wanted to contact him, but communication proved difficult, as Frédéric's schedule was really very busy. The tipping point came a little later, when our real estate hunter sent him a text message, to present him with an apartment that she imagined to suit her. An initiative that attracted his attention because of its relevance, especially since they had never met before!

How to formulate a purchase project quickly and effectively?

Faced with scheduling difficulties, Lisa Mimran first spoke to her client by phone for half an hour. A very useful conversation, since it allowed our real estate hunter to better understand the personality of Frédéric.At the same time, she collected his wishes, as to the property sought (recent, luxury building, 2 bedrooms, or even 3, at least 3, minimum 100m², minimum 100m², a balcony and a certain luminosity) and its location (close to the metro, central districts). As the research had a substantial budget, meeting all of these criteria became absolutely feasible.

Why was the reactivity of the real estate hunter decisive?

Contrary to the usual patterns of our apartment hunter, the search, for Frédéric, took place in a very unusual way. While they could not find time, together, to sign the mandate, Lisa remembered her file, during a visit she made for another client, with similar criteria and who did not want to give a favorable follow-up to this apartment visit... A text message later, Frédéric decided to visit him the next day. Action/reaction: a perfect attitude to find the property of your choice on the Parisian real estate market!

How to overcome customer unavailability?

Following this text message, Lisa and Frédéric met, for the first time, in a café at the National Library. After talking for a few minutes, to refine the search criteria, she told him about the apartment on Rue Lamblardie, in the 12th arrondissement, specifying that she could not organize any visits without a warrant. The same evening, the exclusive search mandate was signed! Fully aware that Frédéric was only at the beginning of her research, she then decided to organize 3 or 4 visits, starting with the apartment that she had already presented to him orally.

Under what circumstances did the hunter identify the ideal apartment?

The apartment, located on Rue Lamblardie, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, was first announced at a price of €1120,000. With parking in addition. Then, after a month, its price dropped to €1090,000. You should know that the owner did not want to work with real estate professionals. It was only by dint of persuasion that Lisa was able to get her agreement. This property had difficulty finding a buyer, because it was sold as a 115m² apartment with 3 bedrooms, although one of them was really small. It was therefore necessary to target a childless couple, with sufficient financial resources: Lisa immediately thought of Frédéric and Allison. The small room was perfect for receiving your American in-laws during their visits to Paris.The only downside noted by our property hunter was its location on the 2nd floor, so with relatively low light...

How do you show the good to a partner on the other side of the Atlantic?

After the first visit on April 28, 2017, Frédéric was enthusiastic, he was completely blown away! Naturally, he couldn't position himself without getting Allison's advice. And since the owner didn't want us taking photographs, Lisa suggested organizing a Skype visit so Allison could get an idea. Result? She liked it! It must be said that the apartment on Rue Lamblardie offered very good benefits: originally, it had 4 bedrooms, but the former owners sacrificed one, to benefit from a large kitchen with dining room, separate from the living room. Because of its design, Lisa found it an American style, likely to please Frédéric's partner...

How did the negotiation take place?

After a few organized visits, to compare, Frédéric settled on this apartment on Lamblardie Street. So he decided to bring his friend from the United States, for 2 days, in order to introduce him to her. Immediately said, immediately done: Lisa worked hard to organize a marathon of visits, on the Saturday and Sunday of her visit, so that she could see and compare it, too, with other goods on the market.During the weekend of May 6, 2017, before going up to the famous apartment, she began a discussion with Frédéric and Allison, to define a possible offer. If the price offered by the sellers is €1090,000 at the base + a parking lot of €20,000, Frédéric wants to offer everything at €107,000 (parking + apartment). It is also agreed that if they like the property, an immediate proposal should be made to the current owners. In this way, they will benefit from a position: in fact, knowing that they are going to make other visits during the day, owners may have to take their proposal more seriously! Seduced by the visit, Allison encouraged Frédéric and Lisa to launch their proposal, which was immediately accepted by the owners, even though they were hoping for €108,000. Our apartment hunter then announces to them that they are going to make 3 more visits and that they will contact them again at the end of the afternoon. At the end of the day, everyone meets on Lamblardie Street: Frédéric and Allison reiterate their proposal, the owners then try to cut the pear in half, by announcing €1075,000. The offer was signed at this price, immediately, accompanied by a raspberry tree and a few macarons, all washed down with champagne!

How did the couple personalize their new home?

It was a superb apartment, offering great benefits and in which you could immediately drop off your suitcases. Afterwards, Frédéric and Allison still planned a budget of 30,000€, for a “refresher”, resulting in particular in a change of floor covering (tiling against parquet) .For this interior renovation, our real estate hunter will advise using the service of a craftsman recognized by Home Select... Note that in addition to this “work” support, Home Select also offers notary support, for the drafting of the various documents. The idea is to offer a turnkey service!

The perfect agreement between seller and buyer

Once again, on this issue, Lisa was able to convince the seller AND the buyer. After a relevant telephone call, our property researcher was able to reassure the owner, in particular about the profession — still unknown — of real estate hunter. In addition, she knew how to seize the opportunity to present a property that was difficult to sell, because of her small room, to a client — Frédéric — who only requested 2 and who was able to consider the 3rd as a bonus for her in-laws. You can discover another search in the 12th.

The testimony of a couple satisfied with the help of the real estate hunter

A customer who was obviously very satisfied with our services, and in particular with Lisa's attention, from the start, who has thus made a difference with her competitors. “Thank you so much Lisa for this day and your thoughtful advice, as well as for your help and the time that you have given us. We are very grateful to you.” Frederic and Allison.