Apartment hunter in Paris for expatriates returning to France

Found! Discover research conducted quickly by Catherine Ziegler. An expatriate family is preparing to return to France: as they leave a house for an apartment, they are looking for a property with character, in an optimal time frame. Contacted by recommendation, our real estate hunter specialized in Paris will fully take up the challenge!

What is the context of Estelle and Éric's real estate project?

Of French origin, Estelle, Éric and their 3 children have been living abroad for a few years. But these expatriates plan to return to France in the coming months, during the summer.

Why couldn't they do the research themselves?

Not being on site to orchestrate this search, the couple relies on the expertise of a real estate hunter. Not to mention that, depending on the desired calendar, they only have a few months to find.

Why did these expatriates choose HOME SELECT real estate hunter?

By talking about their project in their expatriate community, they get the contact of Catherine Ziegler from the HOME SELECT network from a person for whom our apartment hunter had carried out a search.

What is the geographical particularity of this research?

Because of the distance, Catherine, Éric and Estelle organized themselves around Skype meetings. During the first exchange, the couple gave him the various criteria for their search: an old apartment, with Parisian charm (Haussmannian, parquet, molding, fireplace) with a surface area of 140-150 m² with 4 bedrooms. The property should be located on line 6 or 10 of the Paris metro, because their children will go to a bilingual school, which is accessible by these lines. Because of their tight schedule, they do not want to do a lot of work - at worst, a small refreshment. And this despite the fact that they are fully aware that they will have to rent when they arrive in France, before they can move in around the start of school.

With the distance, how were they organized?

Before contacting Catherine, Estelle and Éric looked at the ads of real estate agencies: they know the Paris market and the difficulties associated with their search. It is therefore a question of doing “as soon as possible, at best”! Neither one nor two, our real estate hunter starts his research and sends them some selections from the HOME SELECT application...

What were the highlights of this research?

Following their WhatsApp validation, Catherine makes 3 or 4 visits that she carefully illustrates with photos and videos. If no property is selected, our apartment hunter succeeds in identifying the prohibitive criteria: a recent accommodation without charm, a layout that causes a loss of space, access to metro 6 or 10 that would not be direct or even a property with too much work.Éric organizes a trip to Paris and devotes 2 full days to Catherine — from Monday 2 p.m. to Tuesday evening: to prepare for these marathon days, the latter sends them a selection of 5-6 goods, on Friday evening, for validation. Unfortunately, on Monday morning, she learned that some of them were already under offer. Quickly, she contacted about thirty agencies to optimize Eric's stay: she managed to get 4 visits for the afternoon and 4 others for the next day.

How did Catherine spot the announcement that changed everything?

Among these visits, Catherine identified an announcement on the HOME SELECT application, which the couple could very much like. If the asking price is a bit expensive, they hope to be able to negotiate it insofar as it is an individual who manages the sale: the appointment is therefore made for Monday afternoon...

How can you resist the advantages of this property — and in particular a triple reception?

The apartment is located in the Auteuil district, on line 10, in a beautiful old, bright building (2^E upstairs), with the cachet requested by the couple (parquet under the carpet, beautiful fireplaces, magnificent moldings, 3.30 m ceiling)! If it only has 3 bedrooms, it has a triple reception that can be easily transformed to recover the missing bedroom. Concretely, the kitchen will come into one of the 3 reception areas and the current kitchen will become a bedroom. Living the Anglo-Saxon way for so many years, the couple wanted a kitchen open to the living room, to stay with their guests, while concocting good meals for them, in a friendly atmosphere.

How did the negotiation go?

From the first minutes of the visit, Eric is completely under the spell and places the property at the top of the list. In the evening, they even organize a second visit for the next day, in order to reinforce their position and to submit the photos and videos to Estelle. The couple writes an offer below the displayed price, which they submit to the owner's friend, in charge of the sale (professional hunter). The latter takes good note of their interest and does not hide the fact that she has other current offers. Eric therefore leaves without knowing the answer... Of the other visits made during these marathon days, he was however seduced by another property, but he could not consider it, until it was definitively lost... After reflection, the owner asks to see the buyer: if the financial profile of Estelle and Eric was excellent, he wanted to see the buyer: if the financial profile of Estelle and Eric was excellent, he wanted to also entrust the keys to your (precious) property to a family! Eric decides to return to France on purpose, to defend his case. At the interview, the two men meet... After a new visit, a second offer and a second thought, the deal is over! The official agreement arrives 2 or 3 days later by email.

Did Estelle and Éric get help with the work?

When the compromise was signed, Éric took the opportunity to meet the contractor advised by Catherine Ziegler: as it was the same professional as the one who worked on their friend's construction site, Éric and Estelle were completely confident.Before the whole family returned to France, our real estate hunter personally managed the work: sanding the parquet, installing the kitchen, redesigning the bathroom for 20 years, painting... After 6 to 8 weeks of work, they moved into their home after the vacation of All Saints' Day!

“Friendly and open expatriates”

Catherine Ziegler appreciates expatriate profiles, even if the pressure to succeed is significant, especially since, in this case, the timing was very tight. But the couple agreed to compromise on the work: otherwise, it would have been complicated. They preferred to rent longer, to find an apartment that really suited them.

“Great work by Catherine! ”

A real crush for the couple: after Éric, it was Estelle who fell completely in love with the apartment! For having respected all of the couple's priority requirements, Catherine's performance was greatly appreciated and will undoubtedly be relayed at the next opportunity!