Family apartment in Paris 14th: a 105 sqm 5-room in Alésia for 980,000 euros, negotiated at -8%

A Parisian family with three children purchased a 105 sqm 5-room in the Alésia neighbourhood of the 14th arrondissement for 980,000 euros, 8% below the listed price of 1,065,000 euros. The Home Select property hunter conducted this search over 10 weeks in a segment where the supply of large family apartments is structurally scarce.

Mission summary

• Property hunter: Home Select
• Area: Paris 14th, Alésia / Mouton-Duvernet
• Property type: 5-room, 105 sqm, 3rd floor with elevator
• Initial budget: 1,100,000 euros including fees
• Listed price: 1,065,000 euros
• Negotiated price: 980,000 euros (-8%)
• Search duration: 10 weeks
• Buyer profile: Couple with 3 children (ages 3, 7 and 10), living in the 15th

Why did this family of three children target the 14th rather than the 15th?

Because the 14th is less expensive than the northern 15th or the 6th while offering the same family-friendly environment, and they wished to stay on the Left Bank, close to the children’s schools and to parc Montsouris where the family spent their weekends. They occupied a 78 sqm 4-room in the 15th arrondissement that had become too small since the birth of their third child, the two eldest sharing an 11 sqm bedroom.

Alésia, Mouton-Duvernet and rue Daguerre marked out their target. Their budget of 1.1 million euros was tight for a 5-room in this area, a reality the Home Select property hunter confirmed at the first meeting, though he judged the project feasible.

How do you find a 5-room in the 14th when they are under 8% of sales?

By targeting a precise segment, 5-room units of 95 to 115 sqm in buildings from the 1930s to 1970s within the Alésia-Mouton-Duvernet-Denfert perimeter, then prospecting directly with building managers, notaries and local agencies. Those buildings are the only ones offering floor plans with four separate bedrooms in this surface range.

Haussmann buildings in the 14th, with their enfilade rooms, were less suited to a family configuration with three separate bedrooms. Families occupying a 5-room stay an average of 12 to 15 years, limiting the flow of listings: daily monitoring of the property portals could not be enough on its own.

Over 10 weeks, the hunter viewed 11 properties. Three were 4-rooms dressed up as 5-rooms, with a “bedroom” of 6 sqm and no window; two had structural co-ownership problems, including a facade renovation voted at 25,000 euros per unit and left unprovisioned. The chosen flat came through a notary in the 14th handling an elderly owner’s estate.

Which 105 sqm 5-room was found on avenue du Général-Leclerc?

A 105 sqm 5-room on the 3rd floor with elevator, in a 1935 Art Deco building on avenue du General-Leclerc, between Alésia and Mouton-Duvernet. The apartment featured a double living room of 28 sqm with decorative fireplace, four bedrooms of 14, 13, 11 and 10 sqm, a 10 sqm closed kitchen and a bathroom.

The layout was unusually functional for a building of this era: a central hallway served every room without passing through the living room, well suited to a family with three children of different ages. The windows were double-glazed and the original mosaic parquet was in good condition. The DPE energy rating was D.

The building, in good overall condition, had been renovated in 2019. Co-ownership charges amounted to 350 euros/month (concierge, elevator, collective gas heating). Parc Montsouris was a 12-minute walk away, the Mouton-Duvernet station (Line 4) just 3 minutes.

Why did an estate sale allow an 85,000 euro reduction in Alésia?

Because the three heirs wanted a quick and clean sale: agreement came at 980,000 euros (9,333 euros/sqm) against the 1,065,000 euros listed, 8% off, in return for a shortened signing period. The listed price corresponded to 10,143 euros/sqm, a positioning 5 to 8% above the DVF median for the area for comparable 5-room units.

The property hunter negotiated by presenting DVF transaction data for the neighbourhood over the preceding 12 months (median at 9,200-9,600 euros/sqm for 5-room units in the 14th) and highlighting necessary works: replacement of the collective boiler (estimated share of 8,000 euros), refreshing of the kitchen and bathroom (15,000 euros).

The initial offer at 950,000 euros was deemed too low by the heirs. The negotiation proceeded in two stages: a counter-proposal at 1,020,000 euros, then the final agreement, conditional on reducing the final deed signing period to two months instead of three, allowing the heirs to settle the estate more quickly.

The 85,000-euro saving over the listed price funded the refreshing works and notary fees.

What can be learned from buying through an estate on the Left Bank?

Found through a notary before any public listing, this 5-room was bought 8% below the asking price. Inheritances are the best opportunities for large family apartments: heirs, often eager to sell and emotionally detached from the property, accept significant discounts in exchange for a smooth and fast transaction. A property hunter identifies these situations before they reach the public market.

The 14th arrondissement is the Left Bank’s best-kept secret for families. Less publicized than the 6th or 7th, it offers family-sized units at prices 30 to 40% lower, with a comparable quality of life: quiet streets, quality shops, green spaces, well-regarded schools.

The layout matters as much as the floor area. For a family, a 105 sqm 5-room with four genuine bedrooms off a hallway is worth more than a 115 sqm 5-room in enfilade, where you cross the living room to reach the bedrooms. The property hunter judges this fit between layout and daily life, something property portals cannot filter for, as we explain in our article on key points to check during a viewing.

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