In brief
In 2026, Home Select supported Nicolas and Lucie, a French couple living in England, in buying a 47 sqm two-room apartment near the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement of Paris. The purchase was completed on photos and videos, with no physical viewing before signing the preliminary agreement, and closed within 48 hours at a price very close to asking thanks to the absence of a financing contingency. A property hunting firm founded in 2011 and member of the FCI, Home Select runs this kind of search entirely remotely for its expatriate clients.
Key takeaways
- French couple in England bought a 47 sqm apartment near the Champs-Élysées in the 8th arrondissement to grow their property portfolio
- Purchase completed on photos and videos: buyers only saw the apartment in person at the signing of the preliminary agreement
- Final property matched almost none of the initial criteria (floor, building era, budget, surface area), illustrating how briefs evolve during a search
- Viewing in July, during the quiet market period, meant less competition and a seller eager to close before autumn
Nicolas and Lucie, a French couple living in England, bought a 47 sqm two-room flat in the 8th arrondissement, a few steps from the Champs-Élysées, to grow their property portfolio. The purchase, handled by Catherine Ziegler, was concluded on photos: Nicolas and Lucie only saw the flat in person at the signing of the preliminary agreement.
Mission summary
- Property hunter: Catherine Ziegler
- Area: Wide scope: 1st (Louvre), 5th (Panthéon), 8th, 14th (Montparnasse), 7th
- Property type: 2 rooms, 47 sqm, bright, quiet, renovated 1960s residence
- Budget: Consistent with a renovation budget, without financing contingency
- Negotiated price: Offer very close to asking price, accepted within 48 hours
- Search duration: 2 months (including a brief change)
- Buyer profile: Expatriate couple, already owners of a studio in the 17th
Why did this couple living in England want a second Paris property?
To grow a Paris portfolio that until then amounted to a single studio in the 17th, and to plan ahead for the children they wanted. Nicolas and Lucie, based in England, were after a slightly larger two-room flat at a prestigious address, with their financing already settled.
They owned that studio near Parc Monceau. Living in England, they knew Paris well, having both studied there, and naturally turned to a property hunter to run the search remotely.
The initial brief: a two-room flat of about 25 sqm, quiet, bright, well laid out, on a high floor, in an upmarket building, with a bonus feature such as a balcony or a view. The couple wanted a prestigious address, Madeleine, École Militaire, Opéra or Montparnasse, without fixing a rigid zone. Their financing was solid, with no contingency.
How do you search for a portfolio two-room flat for a buyer based in England?
With a wide call to a network of contacts, across a perimeter covering five arrondissements (1st, 5th, 7th, 8th, 14th). Catherine Ziegler played up the strengths of the file: a cash purchase, no contingency, a quick decision. The broad search area cut both ways: more choice, but harder to target.
The couple turned down the first listings one after another. Catherine soon read the unspoken criteria: light was decisive, the common areas had to be immaculate, and the price per square metre had to stay reasonable. A contact offered her an off-market property in the 7th, with a view of the dome of the Invalides near Avenue de La Motte-Picquet. Nicolas came over, confirmed the offer and brought in a contractor to quote for the works. Lucie signed off a few days later. Everything was in place, but the owner finally decided not to sell, without explanation.
Which 47 sqm flat was secured near the Champs-Élysées?
A bright, quiet, dual-aspect 47 sqm two-room flat a few steps from the Champs-Élysées, in a perfectly renovated 1960s residence: immaculate common areas, a recent lift. Tellingly, it was the couple, not the property hunter, who spotted the listing.
A few weeks earlier, while on holiday abroad, Nicolas and Lucie had sent Catherine the link. The property was above the initial budget and did not fit the brief: 1st floor, 1960s building, no period features. But it had an extraordinary view, and the couple were ready to stretch.
The option of opening the kitchen onto the living space to make the most of that view gave it real layout potential.
Catherine was the first to view it, in mid-July, a quiet period that favours buyers. The agent told her the owner, herself living abroad in a different time zone, wanted to sell quickly.
How was an offer accepted within 48 hours in the 8th?
The owner accepted an offer very close to the asking price within 48 hours, made on photos alone before any travel. The absence of a financing contingency and the speed of the decision made the difference with a seller who was herself an expatriate and keen to close.
Nicolas and Lucie made that offer on the strength of Catherine’s dozens of photos and videos, without having seen the flat.
Nicolas and Lucie only saw the flat in person at the signing of the preliminary agreement. There was no disappointment: Catherine’s thorough photographic coverage had already reassured them. The renovation was planned with several contractors put in competition during later visits.
What can be learned from buying on photos in the 8th from England?
Three lessons: the brief shifts during a search, buying on photos holds up when the pre-viewing is documented without flattery, and July opens a window of lower competition on the Paris market.
The brief shifts during the search. The final property matched almost none of the original criteria: floor, building era, budget, surface area, all had changed. It was Nicolas and Lucie who spotted the listing, not the property hunter. The case shows why clients should keep their own alerts running alongside the property hunter’s work. The interplay between professional on-the-ground knowledge and the client’s personal watch is a success factor we see again and again at Home Select.
Buying on photos as a structured method. Buying without having seen the property is no gamble when the pre-viewing is rigorous. Catherine produces reports with dozens of photos and videos, together with an honest assessment that includes the flaws. This level of documentation lets expatriates decide on a sound basis without travelling. We describe the method in our guide to buying property in Paris remotely.
The quiet season as a window of opportunity. Viewing in July, when the market slows, means less competition, more time to position an offer, and sellers keen to close before autumn. Catherine was the first, and possibly the only one, to view it, which let the couple bid in ideal conditions. It is a tactical edge our property hunters use as a matter of course.
Do you live abroad and want to invest in Paris? Contact us: our property hunters manage the entirety of your remote search.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
01 Can you buy an apartment in Paris without having physically visited it?
Yes. At Home Select, Catherine Ziegler sold a 47 sqm property in the 8th to a couple living in England on the strength of dozens of detailed photos and videos taken at the pre-viewing. Nicolas and Lucie only saw the flat in person at the signing of the preliminary agreement, with no disappointment. The method works when the property hunter provides thorough photographic coverage and an honest report that includes any flaws.
02 Why does a client sometimes send the winning listing to their property hunter?
Because the brief shifts during the search. Nicolas and Lucie spotted a property that met none of the initial criteria (1st floor, 1960s building, over budget) but offered an extraordinary view. The property hunter, bound by the mandate, would not have put it forward. It is the interplay between the client's own alerts and the property hunter's on-the-ground knowledge that produces the best result.
03 Is an offer without financing contingency enough to secure a sought-after property?
It is a major advantage, but not enough on its own. Speed matters too: making the offer within hours of the viewing, at a price in line with the market. For Nicolas and Lucie, it was the combination of all three (no contingency, a fast offer, a price very close to asking) that convinced a seller who was herself an expatriate and keen to close.
04 Why is viewing a Paris apartment in July an advantage for a buyer?
July is a quiet period on the Paris property market: fewer competing buyers, more time to position an offer, and sellers often keen to close before autumn. In this mission, Catherine Ziegler was the first, and possibly the only, hunter to view the apartment near the Champs-Élysées in July. That window allowed an offer to be made in ideal conditions, accepted within 48 hours. At Home Select, our 16 buying agents make systematic use of these lower-competition periods.
