Rémi and Pauline, parents of three children, live in Rouen and wanted to buy a Paris flat to let and later pass on to their children. Sophie Rivière, property hunter at Home Select, found them a 33 m² art deco two-room flat on the 8th and top floor, with a panoramic balcony, in the 9th arrondissement. It was found and the offer signed on the same day.
Mission overview
- Property hunter: Sophie Rivière
- Area: Central Paris, from the 6th to the 9th arrondissement
- Property type: two-room flat, 33 m², 8th floor, lift, balcony, art deco
- Offer accepted: on the day of the viewing
- Buyer profile: Rouen-based couple, 3 children, buy-to-let wealth-building investment
- Objective: let then pass on to each child (3 properties in total)
The project: 3 Paris flats for 3 children
Rémi and Pauline own their main home in Rouen. Their plan was ambitious: buy three flats in Paris to let now, then give them to their three children once grown. Yield was not the only consideration; the quality of each neighbourhood mattered too, since these flats would one day become homes.
Rémi’s preferred area was the 6th, where he had studied. The couple remained open to central Paris, provided the neighbourhood was pleasant to live in.
The constraint: buying in Paris from Rouen
With three young children and two demanding jobs, Rémi and Pauline could not travel often between Paris and Rouen. Rémi came up during his business trips, and Sophie Rivière arranged viewings around those windows.
First attempt: a two-room flat in the 6th, on the 1st floor of a busy street, needing a complete renovation. Rémi was not convinced. The search went on.
Second attempt: a dual-aspect two-room flat, full of charm, in the heart of the pedestrian Montorgueil quarter in the 2nd. Rémi drew up an offer at the asking price at once. Too late: another buyer had beaten him by a few minutes.
The property found: art deco on the 8th floor
That same day, Sophie spotted a just-published listing and secured a viewing before Rémi caught his train back to Rouen. The flat was in the upper part of the 9th, in Nouvelle-Athènes, just beyond the agreed zone. But Sophie knew the area and sensed the place would win her clients over.
A 33 m² two-room flat on the 8th and top floor of an art deco building. Lift. Original oak parquet. Generous ceiling height. Windows on every side. Cleverly laid out with no wasted space, it felt far larger than its 33 m². And, above all, a balcony with a panoramic view over the Paris rooftops and landmarks.
The flat was back on the market, and Sophie knew the price at which it had first gone under offer.
The offer signed that same afternoon
Rémi did not hesitate. After the morning’s disappointment at Montorgueil, he would not let this one go. He set his offer at the price of the failed sale, a figure he knew the owner would accept. His file, solid and with no suspensive condition, settled the matter quickly.
The work was limited to a bathroom renovation, given to a contractor recommended by Home Select.
What comes next: two more flats to find
Rémi and Pauline were so pleased that they at once asked Sophie to find two more flats to complete their three-for-three plan.
What this mission illustrates
Acting the same day made the difference. That morning, Rémi lost a flat in Montorgueil by minutes. That afternoon, he secured one in the 9th, thanks to Sophie arranging the viewing at short notice. On the Paris market for small properties, hesitation costs you the deal.
A property hunter widens the field. Rémi was set on the 6th. Sophie took him to the 9th, a neighbourhood he did not know. The result: an art deco flat with a panoramic view, rarer and more charming than anything he would have found within his original area.
Loyalty is won in a single mission. A successful first purchase generated two more mandates at once. At Home Select, this is a familiar pattern.
Planning a buy-to-let wealth-building investment in Paris? Entrust your search to our property hunters. 1,200+ buyers supported since 2011.
Frequently asked questions
Is the 9th arrondissement attractive for buy-to-let?
The 9th arrondissement offers a hybrid profile: a reasonable rental yield (3.5 to 4.5% gross on small properties) and strong capital growth. The Nouvelle-Athènes neighbourhood and the Blanche-Pigalle area draw a young, active clientele, keeping the vacancy rate very low. Art deco buildings, rarer than Haussmannian, command a premium at resale.
Can you buy a flat in Paris without living there?
Yes. At Home Select, around 20% of our clients live outside Paris or abroad. The property hunter carries out all pre-viewings and only arranges the buyer's travel for properties that match the brief precisely. Offers can be drafted and submitted on the same day as the viewing.
What does a buy-to-let wealth-building investment mean?
A wealth-building investment prioritises the quality of the property and its long-term capital appreciation rather than immediate rental yield. The idea is to buy in a sought-after neighbourhood, a property with character, which can be passed on to children or resold at a profit. The gross yield is often lower (3 to 4%) but the security and capital growth compensate.
Why use a property hunter to buy a small Paris flat from the regions?
A property hunter secures a remote purchase by handling pre-viewings, checking the co-ownership and drafting the offer the same day when a rare property appears. On this mission, the Rouen-based couple could not make repeated trips: Sophie Rivière arranged a viewing at short notice and had the offer signed during the visit, on a 33 sqm art deco two-room flat on the 8th floor in the 9th. Home Select has supported 1,200+ buyers since 2011, secures a 6% average negotiation and charges 2.5% of the purchase price, payable only on success.
