A couple with two children is looking for a 5-bedroom apartment with 4 bedrooms in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, within a 15-minute walk of the school. Budget: 1.2 million euros. Marie Esmieu-Fournel, property hunter at Home Select, identifies a 117 m² property in 3 weeks and secures a 13% negotiation below the listed price.
Mission overview
- Property hunter: Marie Esmieu-Fournel
- Area: Paris 14th, close to the 6th arrondissement
- Property type: 5-bedroom, 4 bedrooms, 117 m²
- Initial budget: 1,200,000 euros
- Listed price: 1,150,000 euros
- Negotiated price: 1,000,000 euros (-13%)
- Search duration: 3 weeks
- Renovation works: 200,000 euros full renovation
- Buyer profile: Couple with 2 children (blended family, shared custody)
The project: 4 bedrooms near a school
Pierre and Benedicte were renting an apartment that had become too small. With two children present every other week under a shared custody arrangement, each child needed their own space. The non-negotiable criterion: 4 bedrooms, within a 15-minute walking radius of the children’s school, which meant the northern part of the 14th arrondissement, bordering the 6th.
Pierre was on probation at work, which was holding the couple back. Marie Esmieu-Fournel convinced them to launch the search without waiting: on the Parisian family apartment market, 4-bedroom properties sell within days. Buyers who wait miss out. The Home Select partner broker quickly confirmed that the couple’s profile, young with strong purchasing power and more than sufficient borrowing capacity, posed no problem despite the probation period.
The search strategy
The brief was precise: minimum 80 m², lift above the 4th floor, 4 bedrooms, within a restricted perimeter of the 14th. Total budget of 1.2 million euros, including renovation works.
Pierre and Benedicte accepted 1960s-70s buildings. This was a strategic choice: these buildings offer generous floor areas at prices lower than Haussmannian buildings in the same area. Marie focused all her alerts on a single criterion: number of bedrooms. In this neighbourhood, at this budget, it was the most discriminating filter.
In the first week, an apartment on the 4th floor without a lift matched the brief. But by the time an appointment was arranged, the property was already sold. The lesson was clear for what followed: they would need to act within the hour, sometimes without a pre-visit.
The property found: 117 m² with dual aspect
Spotted early in the morning on Home Select alerts, an apartment in the 14th ticked every box. Marie called within half an hour and organised a same-day visit with Pierre.
The property was on the 1st floor of a 1970s building, in the immediate vicinity of the school. Five rooms including four bedrooms, 117 m² with parking included. Dual aspect providing good natural light despite the low floor, enhanced by large bay windows. Two balconies: one on the living room side with an open view 10-15 metres from the street, the other on the bedroom side overlooking a garden with no overlooking neighbours.
The listed price of 1,150,000 euros was slightly below market value. The reason: the apartment required a complete renovation.
The negotiation: 150,000 euros less
Pierre asked that Benedicte see the apartment the same evening. Convinced, they made an offer at 1,000,000 euros, 13% below the listed price. The main argument: the estimated renovation budget of 200,000 euros brought the total investment to 1.2 million, exactly their budget.
During the negotiation, another buyer submitted an offer at the asking price. The timeline worked in Pierre and Benedicte’s favour: their offer, having arrived first, was technically the priority. The seller accepted.
200,000 euros of works: the complete transformation
The apartment was untouched since its original state. During the second visit, Marie and the couple heard construction noise from the neighbouring apartment. Curious, they went to see: the just-completed works were remarkable. Pierre and Benedicte got the contractor’s details and entrusted him with the renovation.
The room layout was completely redesigned: the kitchen became a bedroom, the large bathroom became the kitchen, and the bathroom-WC-cupboard block was reorganised into a shower room and separate toilet. Only the bedrooms kept their original structure. Total renovation budget: 200,000 euros.
What this mission illustrates
Three factors made the difference in this search.
Responsiveness. Between discovering the listing and making the offer, less than 12 hours. On the Parisian family apartment market, 4-bedroom properties do not stay online for more than a few days.
Market reading. Marie immediately identified that the listed price left a 13% negotiation margin. On a property requiring full renovation, sellers expect offers below the asking price.
End-to-end support. From financing validated despite the probation period to the introduction to the renovation contractor, the couple never had to manage a step of the process alone.
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Frequently asked questions
Can you buy a property in Paris during a probation period?
Yes. Banks accept applications from buyers on probation if their financial profile is solid: high income, comfortable borrowing capacity and sufficient personal contribution. A specialist broker can present the file to the most receptive institutions. At Home Select, our partner broker systematically validates the financing feasibility before launching the search.
What negotiation margin can you expect on a property requiring renovation in Paris?
On a property requiring full renovation in Paris, the negotiation margin is between 8 and 15% of the listed price. The main argument is the cost of works backed by contractor quotes. In this mission, the negotiation reached 13% on a 1970s apartment requiring complete renovation, representing 150,000 euros less than the asking price.
How do you find a 4-bedroom apartment in the 14th arrondissement?
Five-bedroom apartments with 4 bedrooms represent less than 5% of properties for sale in the 14th arrondissement. They sell within days. The key is combining automated alerts, a network of local estate agents and immediate responsiveness to visit within hours of the listing going live. A property hunter specialising in this area knows which buildings are likely to offer these floor areas.
