Pauline and Bruno, parents of two young children, were looking for a 4-room apartment on a high floor with elevator in the Dugommier-Daumesnil triangle of the 12th arrondissement. Budget: 760,000 euros. Catherine Ziegler, property hunter at Home Select, found a 70 sqm top-floor apartment with 5 balconies and a stunning view over Place Felix Eboue after 3 months of active searching. Final all-inclusive cost: 707,000 euros, 53,000 euros under budget.
Mission summary
- Property hunter: Catherine Ziegler
- Area: Paris 12th, Dugommier, Daumesnil, Reuilly-Diderot triangle
- Property type: 3 rooms convertible to 4, 70 sqm (75 sqm floor area), top floor
- Initial budget: 760,000 euros
- Purchase price: 590,000 euros + 70,000 euros of renovations
- Final budget: 707,000 euros all-inclusive (notary fees + property hunter + renovations)
- Search duration: 3 months
- Buyer profile: Couple, 2 children (ages 2 and 5), already homeowners in the 12th
The project: growing without leaving the neighbourhood
Pauline and Bruno were living in a 49 sqm 3-room apartment in the 12th. The apartment was optimised down to the last centimetre, but with two growing children, they needed a third bedroom and a larger living room.
As busy professionals often travelling for work and parents of two young children, they did not have time to conduct the search themselves. After two months of unsuccessful attempts, they turned to Home Select. Catherine Ziegler won them over from the first meeting with her deep knowledge of the 12th arrondissement.
A very precise brief
The criteria were strict: 4 rooms with 3 bedrooms (or the possibility of creating a third), minimum 65 sqm, open or openable kitchen, high floor, dual-aspect, very bright, elevator mandatory, small well-maintained co-ownership, no central heating or concierge to limit charges. Renovations accepted within the budget.
The geographic perimeter was equally precise: only the Dugommier-Daumesnil-Reuilly-Diderot triangle, plus Ledru-Rollin on the 12th side. No compromise on the neighbourhood.
The field method
Catherine knew that properties matching this brief, period building, high floor, elevator, almost never appear on online portals. Her strategy was threefold: ultra-targeted alerts on professional tools, regular visits to local agencies to remind them of her brief, and physical prospecting within the perimeter, spotting signs and distributing flyers when building access allowed.
Over 3 months, Catherine explored several leads. A first-floor apartment to assess brightness, which proved insufficient. A 1950s building in the right location, not enough character. A street adjacent to the perimeter, outside the zone for Pauline and Bruno. The load-bearing wall between kitchen and living room remained the main technical obstacle in period buildings.
The property: 6th floor on Place Felix Eboue
One morning, a listing appeared in a local agency. Catherine visited that same day. The apartment was on the 6th and top floor with elevator in a bourgeois building on Place Felix Eboue, Daumesnil metro station.
70 sqm Loi Carrez, 75 sqm floor area. A 35 sqm south-facing living room with kitchen. Two east-facing bedrooms. Five French doors, each with a balcony. Stunning views over the square and the rock of the Vincennes zoo. Shower room with skylight, separate WC, cellar in the basement.
The apartment resulted from the merging of former maid’s rooms by the previous owner. Few load-bearing walls, making renovation work feasible. And an unexpected bonus: the possibility of purchasing the attic space from the co-ownership.
Listed price (agency fees included): 590,000 euros. Renovation estimate: 70,000 euros.
The negotiation against a competitor without a financing contingency
Catherine sent the video and specifications to Pauline and Bruno. They visited the very next day and made an offer. A competitor came forward with a slightly lower offer but without a financing contingency clause, a powerful argument for the sellers.
Catherine arranged a second visit with an architect to demonstrate the seriousness of the project. After tight discussions with the agent, Pauline and Bruno’s offer was accepted on 4 April. Their financing file, pre-approved by the Home Select mortgage broker, made the difference.
The renovations: 70,000 euros to create the third bedroom
The transformation was designed to maximise space without touching load-bearing walls: a third bedroom with shower was created, the living room with fireplace retained 25 sqm, and the circulation was optimised.
The contractor recommended by Home Select carried out the work between July and November. The cherry on top: during an extraordinary general meeting in September, the co-owners unanimously voted to sell the attic space to Pauline and Bruno. An additional volume that dramatically increased the apartment’s potential.
What this mission illustrates
On-the-ground prospecting is irreplaceable. This property appeared in a single local agency. Neither SeLoger, nor LeBonCoin, nor any portal had listed it. Without Catherine’s fieldwork in the 12th, Pauline and Bruno would never have seen it.
Staying within budget is possible. By purchasing a property to renovate on the 6th floor rather than a renovated property on a lower floor, the couple saved 53,000 euros on their initial budget while obtaining an apartment that exceeded their expectations.
Patience pays off. Three months without lowering the criteria, when many buyers would have widened their search area or given up on a high floor. Catherine held firm to the original brief.
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Frequently asked questions
How much does a top-floor apartment cost in the 12th arrondissement of Paris?
In the 12th arrondissement, a top-floor apartment with elevator in a period building sells for between 9,000 and 12,000 euros/sqm depending on the area and condition of the property. The Dugommier-Daumesnil-Reuilly-Diderot triangle is among the most sought-after. The rarity of this type of property, less than 5% of the supply, justifies a premium of 10 to 15% compared to intermediate floors.
Can you knock down a load-bearing wall in a period apartment in Paris?
Technically yes, but it requires the involvement of a structural engineer, approval from the co-ownership association, and a works permit. The cost ranges from 3,000 to 15,000 euros depending on the span of the wall. In older Parisian buildings, load-bearing walls often separate the kitchen from the living room, complicating open-plan kitchen designs. An experienced property hunter identifies these constraints during the pre-visit.
How does a property hunter find properties that are not listed online?
The majority of top-floor apartments with elevators in period buildings in Paris never appear on property portals. The property hunter finds them through three channels: their network of local estate agents, on-the-ground prospecting (flyer distribution, spotting signs), and automated alerts on professional tools. At Home Select, our property hunters physically cover their area several times a week.