Young couple: a 3-room flat with character found near Place Voltaire in the 11th

A young couple of teachers wanted to make their first purchase in the 11th arrondissement, where they had been renting for five years. The Home Select property hunter found a 3-room Haussmann flat of 52 sqm near Place Voltaire, negotiated at 500,000 euros against 520,000 euros asked, a saving of 20,000 euros.

Mission summary

• Property hunter: Home Select
• Area: Paris 11th arrondissement (Voltaire, Charonne)
• Property type: 3-room Haussmann, 52 sqm, 2nd floor
• Initial budget: 520,000 euros
• Asking price: 520,000 euros
• Negotiated price: 500,000 euros (-3.8%)
• Search duration: 8 weeks
• Buyer profile: couple of teachers, aged 31 and 33, first-time buyers

What were these two first-time buyers looking for near place Voltaire?

Anaïs and Julien were looking for a Haussmann 3-room in the 11th arrondissement, on a budget capped at 520,000 euros, built on two permanent civil-service contracts and a deposit of 80,000 euros from a family gift. Both secondary school teachers and renting a 2-room flat on boulevard Voltaire for five years, they wanted to stay in their neighbourhood as owners, with one more room to make space for a first child.

Haussmann character was the criterion they had set their hearts on. They had viewed around ten properties alone but kept hitting the same two problems: flats within budget were often reconfigured, with false ceilings, laminate flooring and mouldings stripped out, or sat on the ground floor.

How do you find an intact Haussmann 3-room in the 11th?

The Home Select property hunter narrowed the search to the Voltaire-Charonne-Nation triangle and to buildings put up between 1860 and 1900 only, setting aside the 1930s post-Haussmann blocks and the modern developments, which did not meet the couple’s taste. Alongside the digital alerts came fieldwork: agencies specialising in the 11th were contacted and buildings spotted on foot in the neighbourhood were worked through systematically.

That method opened up two properties before they reached the portals.

Which 52 sqm Haussmann 3-room was chosen out of 12 viewings?

The flat chosen, the only one kept out of the 12 viewed, was a 52 sqm Haussmann 3-room on the second floor of an 1875 building on rue de la Roquette. It held a 20 sqm living room with a white marble fireplace, ceiling mouldings and original solid chevron parquet, a second room of 14 sqm with the same features, and a third of 10 sqm serving as an office but readily convertible into a child’s bedroom; the kitchen and bathroom, refitted in 2020, were practical and well done.

The building was in excellent condition, with a concierge and well-kept common areas, period floor tiles and a wrought-iron handrail. Co-ownership charges came to 200 euros a month, reasonable for a building with a concierge, and no works were voted or planned.

How did an electrician’s quote yield a 20,000 euro saving?

The price went from 520,000 euros to 500,000 euros, a 20,000 euro saving and 3.8% below the asking price, after a single round. The lever was a quote: the electrics, though working, did not meet the NF C 15-100 standard in two rooms, and a partner electrician priced bringing them up to code at 4,500 euros.

The flat was listed at 10,000 euros/sqm, right at the couple’s ceiling. The property hunter also noted that the D energy rating, with single glazing on the street side, raised a fair question about performance. The offer of 495,000 euros, set out with these facts, was met by the seller at 500,000 euros, and the 20,000-euro saving went towards new windows and the rewiring.

What can be learnt from a first purchase as a couple in the 11th?

Haussmann character has to be hunted out. It took ruling out 11 of the 12 properties viewed to find this 52 sqm flat with its original mouldings, marble fireplace and chevron parquet. In a market where many period flats have been stripped of character by standardised renovations, a property hunter can pick out those that have kept their authenticity, and fieldwork complements the digital alerts to reach them. The 11th arrondissement page sets out the character of the housing stock here.

A first purchase need not mean settling. With 520,000 euros in the 11th, the couple could afford to be exacting, given the right support. The property hunter rejected 11 of the 12 properties viewed for falling short on quality. Our guide to viewing a flat in Paris sets out the essential checks.

Hidden works are a negotiating argument, not a deterrent. The non-compliant electrics opened up a 20,000-euro negotiation while funding the upgrade. A property hunter quantifies such items to turn an apparent fault into a price lever. Our article on the preliminary sales agreement explains how to set these conditions down.

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