Expatriate couple with 3 children: a 110 sqm 5-room apartment found in the 16th through a remote purchase

A Franco-American family of five, expatriate in Singapore for four years, bought a 110 sqm five-room flat in the Auteuil quarter of the 16th arrondissement for 1,280,000 euros, or 11,636 euros/sqm. Catherine Ziegler, property hunter at Home Select, ran the whole mission remotely and negotiated the property 4.4% below the listed price of 1,340,000 euros. The search took ten weeks.

Mission summary

• Property hunter: Catherine Ziegler
• Area: Paris 16th, Auteuil neighbourhood
• Property type: 5-room Haussmann flat, 3rd floor with lift
• Budget: 1,400,000 euros
• Negotiated price: 1,280,000 euros (listed at 1,340,000 euros)
• Surface area: 110 sqm (Loi Carrez)
• Search duration: 10 weeks
• Buyer profile: Franco-American couple, 3 children (ages 5, 8, and 11), expatriates in Singapore

The project

Nathalie and David were planning to return to Paris within 18 months. Nathalie, French, had grown up in the 16th arrondissement. David, American, worked in finance and would be based at La Défense. With three children at an international school in Singapore, they wanted to enrol the two eldest at the Lycée International or the EIB Victor Hugo in the 16th. The choice of Auteuil was thus both practical and sentimental.

The couple needed at least four bedrooms, a generous living room to host both families on visits from the United States, and a safe, quiet area for the children. Their budget of 1,400,000 euros included the proceeds from a property they owned in Singapore.

Buying from abroad without viewing in person was the main constraint. Nathalie and David needed a property hunter who could stand in for them completely on the ground while keeping them involved at every stage by video conference.

The search strategy

Catherine Ziegler set up a protocol suited to remote buying. Every shortlisted property came with a complete file sent to the couple before any viewing: scaled floor plans, detailed photographs, minutes from the last three general meetings, diagnostics, and a summary note from Catherine setting out strengths, weaknesses and an estimate of true value.

Viewings ran on live WhatsApp video, with Catherine commenting on each room, opening cupboards, checking the state of the joinery and answering questions in real time. The 6-hour time difference with Singapore meant early-morning slots in Paris, which Catherine arranged with agents and sellers.

The search focused on the Auteuil-Passy perimeter, between Rue d’Auteuil, Rue de Passy and the area around the Jardin du Ranelagh. Catherine called on her network of agents in the 16th, approached the managing agents of upmarket buildings, and watched the exclusive mandates of high-end local agencies.

The property found

The chosen flat sits on the 3rd floor of an 1890 Haussmann building with a lift, on a quiet street in Auteuil, 5 minutes on foot from the EIB Victor Hugo school. Its 110 sqm comprise an entrance with storage, a 32 sqm double living room with marble fireplace and two French windows onto a 3 sqm balcony, a 12 sqm separate kitchen, four bedrooms (15, 13, 11 and 9 sqm), a bathroom, a shower room and a separate WC. Point de Hongrie parquet, mouldings and a 3.20m ceiling.

The seller had renovated the flat in 2021: new fitted kitchen, bathroom and shower room redone, fresh paintwork. No works needed on moving in, a decisive point for a family arriving from abroad. An 8 sqm cellar completed the lot.

The negotiation

The listed price of 1,340,000 euros worked out at 12,182 euros/sqm, at the top of the range for Auteuil for a 3rd floor with a lift. Catherine put in an offer of 1,250,000 euros, based on recent DVF transactions in the same perimeter, on the fourth bedroom at 9 sqm being small for a child, and on the lack of parking in the building.

The sellers, a retired couple moving to the south of France, refused at first, then came back to Catherine after ten days with no other offer. The final agreement came at 1,280,000 euros, a saving of 60,000 euros. The preliminary agreement was signed by video conference with both parties’ notaires, a procedure Catherine handles with ease for expatriates.

What this mission illustrates

Remote purchasing calls for a trusted property hunter acting as proxy. Nathalie and David never set foot in the flat before signing the final deed. The whole mission rested on Catherine’s ability to assess, document and convey information in full. This is the level of commitment we offer expatriate clients, set out in our guide to buying property in Paris remotely.

School proximity shapes where expatriate families buy. For a family with three school-age children, the arrondissement is dictated by the international schools on offer. The 16th holds Paris’s main bilingual and international establishments. Our property hunters know the international schools in each area and build this into the brief from the outset.

A turnkey property eases the stress of moving from abroad. Returning from Singapore with three children and then running a renovation would be a logistical nightmare. Catherine favoured recently renovated properties, even at a slightly higher price per square metre. This pragmatism is the mark of a property hunter who understands the particular constraints of expatriates buying in Paris.

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Are you an expatriate preparing your return to Paris with your family? Catherine Ziegler and the Home Select team manage your search remotely, from A to Z. Contact us to arrange a first video conference call.