In brief
In 2026, Catherine Ziegler, property hunter at Home Select, found for a couple with two children a 70 sqm top-floor flat with 5 balconies and a sweeping view over Place Félix Éboué, in the 12th arrondissement of Paris, bought for 590,000 euros then converted into a 4-room flat through 70,000 euros of renovations. The final budget of 707,000 euros, notary fees and renovations included, stayed 53,000 euros under the 760,000-euro budget, the result of 3 months of on-the-ground prospecting: this flat never appeared on any portal. Home Select has supported its 1,200+ buyers since 2011, with a 6% average negotiation.
Key takeaways
- Family of four found a 70 sqm top-floor apartment with 5 balconies on Place Félix Éboué in the 12th for 590,000 euros plus 70,000 euros of renovations
- Final all-inclusive budget of 707,000 euros came in 53,000 euros under the initial 760,000 euro budget
- Property was found through a single local agency and never appeared on any property portal
- 3 months of patient searching without lowering criteria, focusing exclusively on the Dugommier-Daumesnil-Reuilly triangle
- Co-owners unanimously voted to sell the attic space to the buyers, dramatically increasing the apartment's potential
Pauline and Bruno, parents of two young children, were looking for a four-room flat on a high floor with a lift 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 flat with 5 balconies and a sweeping view over Place Félix Éboué after 3 months of active searching. Final cost, notary fees and renovations included: 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 (price + notary fees + renovations)
- Search duration: 3 months
- Buyer profile: Couple, 2 children (ages 2 and 5), already homeowners in the 12th
How do you gain a bedroom without leaving the Dugommier-Daumesnil triangle?
By agreeing to buy a flat that needs converting. Pauline and Bruno were living in a 49 sqm three-room flat in the 12th, used down to the last centimetre, and needed a third bedroom and a larger living room without changing neighbourhood.
Both worked long hours, often travelling, and with two young children they had no time to run the search themselves. After two months of fruitless attempts, they turned to Home Select. Catherine Ziegler won them over at the first meeting with her detailed knowledge of the 12th arrondissement.
Which criteria did this family set for a top-floor flat in the 12th?
Nine, all firm: four rooms with three bedrooms (or the scope to create a third), at least 65 sqm, an open or openable kitchen, a high floor, dual-aspect and bright, a lift essential, a small well-run co-ownership, and no central heating or concierge, to keep charges down. Renovations were 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.
How do you find a top-floor flat that never reaches a property portal?
Through prospecting on foot. Properties matching this brief, period building, high floor, lift, almost never appear on online portals, so Catherine’s approach was threefold: tightly targeted alerts on professional tools, regular calls on local agencies to keep the brief front of mind, and spotting signs and dropping flyers within the perimeter where building access allowed.
Over 3 months, Catherine ran down several leads. A first-floor flat, viewed to gauge the light, which proved too dark. A 1950s building in the right spot but short on character. A street just outside the perimeter, beyond the zone Pauline and Bruno had set. The load-bearing wall between kitchen and living room remained the main technical hurdle in period buildings.
What does this 70 sqm top-floor flat with 5 balconies on Place Félix Éboué contain?
70 sqm Loi Carrez (75 sqm floor area) on the 6th and top floor with a lift of a bourgeois building, with five French windows each opening onto a balcony and sweeping views over the square and the rock of the Vincennes zoo. Listed price, agency fees included: 590,000 euros.
One morning, a listing turned up at a local agency. Catherine viewed it the same day. The layout: a 35 sqm south-facing living room with kitchen, two east-facing bedrooms, a shower room with skylight, a separate WC and a cellar in the basement.
The flat had been formed by combining former maid’s rooms. Few load-bearing walls, which made renovation feasible. And an unexpected bonus: the option to buy the attic space from the co-ownership. Renovation estimate: 70,000 euros.
How do you win against an offer with no financing contingency?
By proving the file holds, contingency and all. A rival buyer came forward with a slightly lower offer but no financing contingency, a strong card with the sellers, yet Pauline and Bruno’s offer was accepted on 4 April.
Catherine sent the video and particulars to the couple, who viewed the flat the very next day and made an offer. She then arranged a second viewing with an architect to show the seriousness of the project. After tight talks with the agent, their financing file, pre-approved by the Home Select mortgage broker, made the difference.
What do 70,000 euros of works buy in this top-floor flat in the 12th?
The third bedroom, with a shower, created without touching a single load-bearing wall. The living room with fireplace kept 25 sqm and the circulation was reworked.
The contractor recommended by Home Select carried out the work between July and November. A final bonus: at an extraordinary general meeting in September, the co-owners voted unanimously to sell the attic space to Pauline and Bruno, extra volume that markedly increased the flat’s potential.
What can be learned from a renovation project that stayed 53,000 euros under budget?
That buying a top-floor flat to renovate costs less than buying a finished one lower down: 590,000 euros of price plus 70,000 euros of works, or 707,000 euros with notary fees, against a 760,000-euro budget. And that a flat like this is not found online.
On-the-ground prospecting is irreplaceable. This property appeared at 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 buying a property to renovate on the 6th floor rather than a finished one on a lower floor, the couple saved 53,000 euros against their initial budget while securing a flat that exceeded their expectations.
Patience pays off. Three months without lowering the criteria, where many buyers would have widened their search or given up on a high floor. Catherine held firm to the original brief.
Looking for a flat in the 12th arrondissement? Entrust your search to our property hunters. 1,200+ buyers assisted since 2011.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
01 How much does a top-floor apartment cost in the 12th arrondissement of Paris?
In the 12th arrondissement, a top-floor apartment with a lift 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 scarcity of this type of property, less than 5% of supply, justifies a premium of 10 to 15% over intermediate floors.
02 Can you knock down a load-bearing wall in a period apartment in Paris?
Technically yes, but it requires 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 layouts. An experienced property hunter spots these constraints at the first viewing.
03 How does a property hunter find properties that are not listed online?
Most top-floor apartments with lifts in period Paris buildings never appear on property portals. The property hunter finds them through three channels: a network of local estate agents, on-the-ground prospecting (flyers, spotting signs) and automated alerts on professional tools. At Home Select, our property hunters cover their area on foot several times a week.
04 Does buying a property to renovate on the top floor help control your budget?
Yes. By buying a property to renovate on the top floor rather than a finished one on a lower floor, you often get a better flat for a lower total budget. In this mission, a couple bought a 70 sqm top-floor flat with 5 balconies for 590,000 euros, then invested 70,000 euros to create a third bedroom without touching the load-bearing walls. The final budget, 707,000 euros including notary fees and renovations, stayed 53,000 euros under the initial 760,000-euro budget, while securing a flat that exceeded expectations.
