Paris or Vincennes: an 88 sqm 4-room with terrace found in Vincennes for 720,000 euros

A family of four, torn between the 12th arrondissement and Vincennes, bought in the end an 88 sqm 4-room with a 15 sqm terrace in Vincennes for 720,000 euros, or 8,182 euros per sqm. The Home Select property hunter negotiated the flat 5.9% below the asking price of 765,000 euros. The search took eight weeks, three of them spent settling on the right area to look in.

Mission overview

• Property hunter: Home Select
• Area: Vincennes, town centre neighbourhood
• Property type: 4-room, top floor, 1990s residence
• Budget: 800,000 euros
• Negotiated price: 720,000 euros (listed at 765,000 euros)
• Surface area: 88 sqm (loi Carrez) + 15 sqm terrace
• Search duration: 8 weeks
• Buyer profile: Couple with two children (3 and 7 years old), second-time buyers

The brief

Caroline and Sébastien owned a 60 sqm 3-room in the 11th arrondissement, bought seven years earlier. With a second young child, they needed an extra bedroom and some outdoor space. Their budget, the proceeds from selling their flat (estimated at 530,000 euros) plus a further loan, was capped at 800,000 euros.

At that price, the 12th, their first choice, offered only 4-rooms on low floors with no outdoor space, or flats needing 60,000 euros or more of work. The couple were unsure about crossing into the suburbs. The property hunter arranged two walks around Vincennes, one on a Saturday morning and one on a Wednesday afternoon, so the family could picture themselves there.

The search strategy

After those visits, the couple settled on the town centre as the main search area, keeping the 12th as a fallback. The property hunter then ran a twin search: monitoring listings in Vincennes (local agencies, portals, private sales) and watching for the rare opportunity in the 12th that would fit the brief.

The requirement for a terrace or balcony of at least 10 sqm sharply cut the supply. In Vincennes, such flats are found mainly in 1980s-to-2000s blocks, on the top floors. Alongside standard market monitoring, the property hunter approached the managing agents of four blocks identified as having rooftop terraces.

The property

The chosen flat is on the 6th and top floor of a 1992 block with lift, caretaker and underground parking, a 7-minute walk from the Château de Vincennes metro station (line 1). Its 88 sqm comprise an entrance, a 30 sqm living room opening onto the 15 sqm south-west-facing terrace, a separate 11 sqm kitchen, three bedrooms (14, 12 and 10 sqm), a bathroom, a shower room and a separate WC. The terrace looks out over the rooftops of Vincennes and part of the château.

The flat was in very good order, renovated by the sellers in 2021 (kitchen, bathroom, paintwork). No work needed. Service charges of 280 euros a month cover the caretaker, communal heating and parking upkeep. One parking space is included in the price.

The negotiation

The asking price of 765,000 euros worked out at 8,693 euros per sqm, at the top of the Vincennes market for a block of this era. The property hunter built an offer of 700,000 euros around comparable sales in the building (a 3-room on the 4th floor sold at 7,800 euros per sqm three months earlier), the relatively high service charges, and the fact that the flat had sat on the market for six weeks without an offer.

The sellers, a couple moving to the provinces, needed to close quickly. After negotiation, the parties settled at 720,000 euros, a saving of 45,000 euros. The preliminary contract was signed in eight days, helped by the financing file the couple had prepared in advance.

What this mission illustrates

Guidance on choosing the area is part of the job. When a client hesitates between two places, the property hunter’s role goes beyond the search itself: it is to help ground the decision in fact. The walks arranged for Caroline and Sébastien let them choose Vincennes without second thoughts. This is at the heart of our work as property hunters in Île-de-France.

Modern blocks offer amenities older Parisian buildings cannot. A 15 sqm terrace, parking included, a caretaker, efficient communal heating: none of it to be found in a Haussmannian building in the 12th at the same budget. A comparison of Paris and the near suburbs, backed by figures, lets the client choose with open eyes. Our hunters draw on the latest price data to inform that thinking.

Managing agents are an effective source of leads. They learn of their residents’ plans to sell before flats reach the market. Our property hunter keeps up regular contact with the main managing agents in Val-de-Marne, which gives access to early opportunities.

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Torn between Paris and the near suburbs? Our property hunters will guide you through the decision and the search. Contact us for an open conversation.