In brief
In 2026, Home Select supported Pierre and Benedicte, a blended family with two children in shared custody, in buying a 117 sqm five-room flat with 4 bedrooms and parking in the 14th arrondissement of Paris, signed at 1,000,000 euros after a 13% negotiation off the 1,150,000 euro asking price, a 150,000 euro saving. The property, requiring full renovation (200,000 euros of works), was found in 3 weeks with the offer submitted within 12 hours, despite one buyer being on a probation period. A firm founded in 2011 that has supported more than 1,200 buyers, Home Select achieves an average 6% negotiation off the seller's price.
Key takeaways
- A blended family found a 117 sqm five-room flat in Paris 14th for 1,000,000 euros, 13% below the listed price of 1,150,000 euros
- The property was identified and the offer submitted within 12 hours of the listing appearing
- Banks accepted the buyer's application despite being on probation thanks to strong income and borrowing capacity
- The total investment including 200,000 euros of renovation works came to 1,200,000 euros
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)
Why did this blended family need 4 bedrooms in the 14th?
Because under a shared custody arrangement the two children are there every other week, and each needed their own space. The non-negotiable criterion was therefore 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 and Bénédicte were renting a flat that had become too small. 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.
How do you target a four-bedroom flat when properties sell within days?
By narrowing the filter to a single criterion: the number of bedrooms. In this neighbourhood at this budget it is the sharpest filter, and Marie set all her alerts to it.
The rest of the brief was precise: at least 80 m², a lift above the 4th floor, 4 bedrooms, within a tight stretch of the 14th, on a 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.
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.
What 117 m² four-bedroom flat was found in the northern 14th?
A five-room flat of 117 m² with four bedrooms and parking, on the 1st floor of a 1970s building right by the school. Spotted early one morning on the Home Select alerts, it was viewed the same day: Marie called within half an hour and set up the appointment with Pierre.
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.
How was 13% secured on this flat needing renovation in the 14th?
By costing the renovation: the estimated 200,000 euro works budget brought the total investment to 1.2 million, exactly the couple’s ceiling. The offer therefore went in at 1,000,000 euros, 150,000 euros and 13% below the 1,150,000 euro asking price.
Pierre had asked Bénédicte to see the flat that same evening. Convinced, they made the offer straight away, less than 12 hours after the listing appeared.
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.
What did the 200,000 euros of works on this 117 m² flat pay for?
A complete reworking of the layout: 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.
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, for a total budget of 200,000 euros.
What can be learned from a renovation purchase at 13% below asking?
A 117 m² flat with four bedrooms signed at 1,000,000 euros after three weeks of searching, with 200,000 euros of works bringing the operation to 1.2 million. Three factors made the difference.
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.
Looking for a family flat in Paris? Entrust your search to our property hunters. 1,200+ buyers supported since 2011.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
01 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.
02 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.
03 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.
04 Why is responsiveness decisive for a family flat in Paris?
Four-bedroom flats stay online for just a few days. In this mission, Home Select spotted the property in the early morning on its alerts, arranged a viewing the same day and submitted the offer within 12 hours. Another buyer placed a full-price offer during the negotiation, but the offer that arrived first, technically having priority, was accepted. The 117 sqm five-room flat in the 14th was thus signed at 1,000,000 euros, 13% below the 1,150,000 euro asking price.
