A couple with two children were looking for a five-room flat 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, found a 117 m² flat in 3 weeks and secured a 13% negotiation below the listed price.
Mission overview
- Property hunter: Marie Esmieu-Fournel
- Area: Paris 14th, close to the 6th arrondissement
- Property type: five-room flat, 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 Bénédicte were renting a flat that had become too small. With two children there every other week under a shared custody arrangement, each child needed their own space. The non-negotiable criterion: 4 bedrooms, within a 15-minute walk 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 persuaded them to begin the search at once: on the Paris family flat market, four-bedroom properties sell within days, and buyers who wait miss out. The Home Select partner broker quickly confirmed that the couple’s profile, young, with strong earnings and ample borrowing capacity, posed no problem despite the probation.
The search strategy
The brief was precise: at least 80 m², a lift above the 4th floor, 4 bedrooms, within a tight stretch of the 14th. Total budget of 1.2 million euros, renovation included.
Pierre and Bénédicte were open to 1960s and 1970s buildings, a deliberate choice: these offer generous floor areas at prices below Haussmannian stock in the same area. Marie set all her alerts to a single criterion, the number of bedrooms, the sharpest filter in this neighbourhood at this budget.
In the first week, a flat on the 4th floor with no lift matched the brief. By the time a viewing was arranged, it had already sold. The lesson was clear: from then on they would have to act within the hour, sometimes without a prior viewing.
The property found: 117 m² with dual aspect
Spotted early one morning on the Home Select alerts, a flat in the 14th ticked every box. Marie called within half an hour and arranged a same-day viewing with Pierre.
The flat was on the 1st floor of a 1970s building, right by the school. Five rooms including four bedrooms, 117 m², with parking. Dual aspect gave it good light despite the low floor, helped by large picture windows. Two balconies: one off the living room with an open outlook 10 to 15 metres back from the street, the other off the bedrooms, over a garden and not overlooked.
The listed price of 1,150,000 euros sat slightly below market value, because the flat needed a complete renovation.
The negotiation: 150,000 euros less
Pierre asked Bénédicte to see the flat that same evening. Convinced, they offered 1,000,000 euros, 13% below the listed price. The argument: the estimated 200,000 euro renovation budget brought the total to 1.2 million, exactly their ceiling.
While the negotiation was under way, another buyer offered the asking price. The timing favoured Pierre and Bénédicte: their offer had come in first and so took priority. The seller accepted.
200,000 euros of works: the complete transformation
The flat had never been touched since it was built. On the second viewing, Marie and the couple heard building work from the flat next door. They went to look: the newly finished work was excellent. Pierre and Bénédicte took the contractor’s details and gave him the renovation.
The layout was completely reworked: the kitchen became a bedroom, the large bathroom became the kitchen, and the bathroom-WC-cupboard block was turned into a shower room and a separate WC. Only the bedrooms kept their original layout. Total renovation budget: 200,000 euros.
What this mission illustrates
Three factors made the difference in this search.
Speed. Less than 12 hours passed between spotting the listing and making the offer. On the Paris family flat market, four-bedroom properties rarely stay online for more than a few days.
A reading of the market. Marie saw at once that the listed price left a 13% margin. On a property needing full renovation, sellers expect offers below the asking price.
Support throughout. From financing approved despite the probation to the introduction to the renovation contractor, the couple never had to handle a single step 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 four-bedroom flat in the 14th arrondissement?
Five-room flats with 4 bedrooms make up less than 5% of properties for sale in the 14th arrondissement, and they sell within days. The key is to combine automated alerts, a network of local estate agents and the readiness to view within hours of a listing going live. A property hunter who specialises in this area knows which buildings are likely to offer these floor areas.
