A family of six, two parents and four children aged 4 to 14, were looking for a flat of at least 120 sqm in the 11th arrondissement, without leaving the neighbourhood where the children were at school. The Home Select property hunter found a 125 sqm 5-room between Bastille and Nation and negotiated it to 1.05 million euros, 70,000 euros below the asking price, after a demanding 13-week search.
Mission overview
- Property hunter: Home Select
- Area: Paris 11th, Bastille / Nation / Charonne
- Property type: 5-room, 125 sqm, 2nd floor with elevator
- Initial budget: 1,150,000 euros
- Negotiated price: 1,050,000 euros (-6.2% from the asking price of 1,120,000 euros)
- Search duration: 13 weeks
- Buyer profile: Large family, 4 children (4, 7, 11 and 14 years old)
The brief
This family lived in an 85 sqm 4-room on rue de la Roquette. Four children in three bedrooms: the 14-year-old wanted a room of their own. The couple had searched on their own for 6 months without success. 5-rooms of more than 100 sqm in the 11th are rare, and the few that came up sold before they could make an offer.
The school constraint was decisive: all four children were at schools between Bastille and Nation. Moving out of the 11th would mean four changes of school, which was out of the question. The couple needed a property hunter who could find the seemingly impossible: a large family flat in one of the densest arrondissements in Paris.
The search strategy
The 11th arrondissement has historically been a neighbourhood of workshops and small businesses, its housing stock dominated by modest sizes. Flats over 100 sqm are exceptional there: roughly 3% of the total.
The property hunter ran three approaches at once. First, targeting the Haussmannian buildings on the main boulevards (Voltaire, Richard-Lenoir, Charonne), the only ones with flats over 100 sqm. Second, watching for combinable units: two adjacent flats sold together or with scope to knock through. Third, contacting managing agents to flag upcoming sales not yet published.
Over 13 weeks: 6 flats over 100 sqm found (no small feat in this neighbourhood), 4 viewed, 2 offers made, one of them rejected.
The property
The chosen 5-room took the 2nd floor of a Haussmannian building on boulevard Voltaire, with lift and caretaker. Its 125 sqm: a 35 sqm double reception in a row, with two decorative fireplaces, 4 bedrooms of 10 to 14 sqm (one reached directly from the entrance, ideal for the teenager), a 12 sqm separate kitchen, a bathroom with bath and shower, and a separate WC.
The flat had been tastefully renovated in 2018: oak parquet throughout, neutral paintwork, a fitted kitchen. The common areas were spotless. The building had completed a facade renovation in 2023 and held a well-funded works reserve.
The asking price was 1,120,000 euros, or 8,960 euros per sqm.
The negotiation
The flat matched the brief exactly, rare for large flats in the 11th. The property hunter nonetheless found two levers.
The first: the double reception in a row, prized for entertaining, was less practical for a family of four children, since reaching the second room meant crossing the first, which cut down on privacy. The second: service charges of 4,800 euros a year (caretaker, lift, common-area upkeep) weighed on the monthly budget of a family already stretched by four sets of school fees.
Recent sales on boulevard Voltaire showed an average of 8,400 euros per sqm for flats over 100 sqm. The opening offer of 1,020,000 euros was rejected. The parties settled at 1,050,000 euros, or 8,400 euros per sqm, on the strength of a finalised financing file and a commitment to sign the preliminary contract within 7 days. The saving was 70,000 euros.
What this mission illustrates
Large flats in the 11th do exist, but you have to know how to find them. With only 3% of the stock above 100 sqm, every opportunity counts. A property hunter who watches the market daily for 13 weeks misses nothing, where a private buyer risks letting the right flat slip past for want of speed.
Large families in Paris are not condemned to the suburbs. With the right help and a suitable budget, you can stay in your neighbourhood and still gain the space you need. The 11th arrondissement offers solutions, provided you accept a longer search than in arrondissements where large flats are more common.
Perseverance is the first quality of a good property hunter. Thirteen weeks in search of a single flat: that is the price of a perfect result. A professional property hunter keeps the same attention from the first week to the thirteenth, so that the search ends as well as it can.
A large family in Paris? Contact our team to find the space your family needs, in the neighbourhood you love.
Frequently asked questions
Can you find a 5-room of more than 100 sqm in the 11th arrondissement?
It is rare but possible. Large apartments in the 11th are mainly found in Haussmannian buildings on boulevard Voltaire, boulevard Richard-Lenoir and the streets near Place de la Nation. They represent less than 5% of the stock for sale. A property hunter significantly increases the chances of finding one.
Is the 11th arrondissement suitable for large families?
The 11th offers many advantages for families: varied public and private schools, parks and gardens (square Maurice-Gardette, jardin Truillot), a dynamic neighbourhood life with local shops, and excellent transport links (lines 1, 2, 5, 8, 9). The main challenge is finding sufficient surface area, as the 11th is historically a neighbourhood of smaller units.
What budget should you plan for a large family apartment in the 11th?
In 2026, a 5-room of 100 to 130 sqm in the 11th trades between 950,000 and 1,300,000 euros depending on the location and condition. The Bastille-Charonne area is the most expensive (9,500-11,000 euros per sqm), followed by Voltaire-Nation (8,500-10,000 euros per sqm) and Père-Lachaise (8,000-9,500 euros per sqm).
How was this 5-room in the 11th negotiated down by 70,000 euros?
Listed at 1,120,000 euros (8,960 euros/sqm), the flat was bought for 1,050,000 euros (8,400 euros/sqm), a 70,000 euro saving of 6.2%. The Home Select buying agent found two levers: a double reception in a row, less practical for a family of four children, and service charges of 4,800 euros a year. DVF analysis on boulevard Voltaire put the median at 8,400 euros/sqm for flats over 100 sqm. The offer of 1,020,000 euros was rejected, the deal settling at 1,050,000 euros with a finalised financing file and a preliminary contract within 7 days. Home Select's average negotiation is 6% off the seller's price.
