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 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 three-room flat in the 12th. The space was used down to the last centimetre, but with two growing children they needed a third bedroom and a larger living room.
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.
A very precise brief
The criteria were strict: 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, 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.
The field method
Catherine knew that properties matching this brief, period building, high floor, lift, almost never appear on online portals. Her approach was threefold: tightly targeted alerts on professional tools, regular calls on local agencies to keep the brief front of mind, and prospecting on foot within the perimeter, spotting signs and dropping flyers 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.
The property: 6th floor on Place Félix Éboué
One morning, a listing turned up at a local agency. Catherine viewed it the same day. The flat was on the 6th and top floor, with a lift, in a bourgeois building on Place Félix Éboué by Daumesnil métro station.
70 sqm Loi Carrez, 75 sqm floor area. A 35 sqm south-facing living room with kitchen. Two east-facing bedrooms. Five French windows, each opening onto a balcony. Sweeping views over the square and the rock of the Vincennes zoo. Shower room with skylight, separate WC, 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.
Listed price (agency fees included): 590,000 euros. Renovation estimate: 70,000 euros.
The negotiation against a competing buyer with no financing contingency
Catherine sent the video and particulars to Pauline and Bruno. They viewed the flat the very next day and made an offer. A rival buyer came forward with a slightly lower offer but no financing contingency, a strong card with the sellers.
Catherine arranged a second viewing with an architect to show the seriousness of the project. After tight talks 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 conversion was designed to gain space without touching load-bearing walls: a third bedroom with shower was created, 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 this mission illustrates
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.
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 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.
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.
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.
