From a 2-room to a 4-room without leaving the neighbourhood: a winning bet in the 17th in 6 weeks

A couple in the 17th arrondissement wanted to move from a 42 sqm 2-room to a 4-room in the same Batignolles neighbourhood, on a budget of 740,000 euros. The Home Select property hunter found an 82 sqm flat on the 3rd floor in 6 weeks and negotiated it to 715,000 euros, a saving of 25,000 euros.

Mission summary

• Property hunter: Home Select
• Search area: 17th arrondissement, Batignolles / Epinettes neighbourhood
• Property type: 4-room apartment, 75-90 sqm
• Budget: 740,000 euros
• Negotiated price: 715,000 euros (-3.4%)
• Search duration: 6 weeks
• Buyer profile: Couple in their thirties, one young child, owner-sellers

Why did this Batignolles couple want a 4-room without changing neighbourhood?

Because their 42 sqm 2-room on rue des Batignolles had become unworkable for three, and they had built their whole social and working lives in that neighbourhood. Antoine and Clara had bought it five years earlier for 390,000 euros; the arrival of their daughter a year ago and Antoine’s move to part-time remote work had turned the main bedroom into a nursery, put a sofa bed in the living room and wedged a desk into the kitchen.

Their 2-room, sold for 470,000 euros in a market kind to small flats in the 17th, plus a further 270,000 euro mortgage, brought the budget to 740,000 euros. The challenge was to find a 4-room within a 15-minute walk of home, in an area where family demand runs high.

How do you search for a 4-room around the parc Martin-Luther-King in six weeks?

By holding the area tight to the parc Martin-Luther-King, rue des Batignolles and the Épinettes neighbourhood to the north, where 4-rooms run 8,500 to 9,500 euros/sqm. Over 6 weeks, 16 flats were shortlisted, 6 viewed and 2 finalists put to the couple.

This part of the 17th arrondissement is more affordable than the Monceau or Ternes areas to the south, which is what made the upsizing affordable.

There was a double urgency: the preliminary sale agreement on the 2-room had been signed with completion set at 4 months. The property hunter therefore had a tight timetable to find the new flat, sign the purchase agreement and line up both final deeds.

Which 82 sqm 4-room was found on rue Nollet?

An 82 sqm flat on the 3rd floor of a 1920 post-Haussmann building with lift, on rue Nollet, an 8-minute walk from their old address. The layout: a 24 sqm living room with a decorative fireplace, a 10 sqm separate kitchen, two bedrooms of 13 and 11 sqm, an 8 sqm study and a bathroom.

The building, last renovated in 2020, has a planted courtyard and a concierge. The energy rating of C, excellent for a century-old building, reflects the insulation done during the renovation. Annual charges of 3,200 euros include communal gas heating, a cost the building keeps in hand.

Why did the seller accept 715,000 euros on rue Nollet?

Because the flat, listed at 740,000 euros or 9,024 euros/sqm, had spent four weeks on the market slightly above the local median for its type, with a working but dated kitchen (an estimated 8,000 euros to modernise). Agreement came at 715,000 euros, or 8,720 euros/sqm and 3.4% off, the living room chandelier and curtain rods included.

The offer of 700,000 euros had first been rejected, the seller countering at 725,000 euros. The property hunter then co-ordinated the two notaries so that the sale deed on the 2-room came 48 hours before the purchase deed on the 4-room, removing any need for a bridging loan.

What can be learned from going from 42 to 82 sqm without leaving Batignolles?

Forty extra square metres, an 8-minute walk from the old address, and no bridging loan. The 17th has enough price variation between its pockets to allow real upsizing without moving away. The property hunter works these gaps between neighbouring streets, as set out in our price analysis by arrondissement.

Lining up two transactions without a bridging loan. Co-ordinating a sale and a purchase is a technical exercise the property hunter knows well. By bringing the two completion dates within 48 hours of each other, Antoine and Clara avoided the cost of a bridging loan (2 to 4% interest) and the worry of a spell without a home. This arrangement is described in our article on the preliminary sale agreement.

A deadline as a spur. Unlike an open-ended search, a deadline focuses the effort. The property hunter steps up the contacts, the viewings and the pace of decisions. Far from a handicap, a fixed timetable often produces better results. See our case studies for other time-limited searches.

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Want to upsize without leaving your neighbourhood? Contact Home Select: our property hunters manage the move from start to finish.