In brief
In 2026, Home Select supported a French expatriate living in the United States in buying a 300 sqm apartment on the Paris Left Bank, at 7,500,000 euros including agency fees, around 25,000 euros per square metre, two months after the mandate was signed at the end of May, with the notarial deed at the end of July. The property was never publicly advertised: it came from a property dealer after the search was broadcast to more than 15,000 partners. The buyer, already receiving off-market properties through his own network of premium agencies in the 5th, 6th and 7th arrondissements, knew none of the properties presented. The mission falls under Home Select's Confidential offering: a simple search mandate, off-market properties only, reserved for projects of 1 million euros and above, with a 1.5% fee payable entirely on success. A Paris property hunter since 2011 and a member of the FCI, Home Select fields 16 hunters and has supported more than 1,200 buyers.
Key takeaways
- A 300 sqm apartment bought for 7,500,000 euros including agency fees, around 25,000 euros per sqm, on the Paris Left Bank
- Two months between the mandate signed at the end of May and the notarial deed at the end of July 2026
- More than 15,000 partners alerted at the launch of the search, and none of the properties surfaced were known to the buyer
- The buyer, highly active and already receiving off-market properties through his own network, had never seen the apartment he bought
- Three viewings in total, the first two carried out by family in Paris, the third filmed for the buyer who stayed in the United States
A French expatriate who had lived in the United States for many years wanted to move back to Paris. He knew the market, the agencies and the properties, and was already receiving off-market proposals through his own network. He came to us without conviction, just to see. Two months later he signed the notarial deed on a 300 sqm apartment at 7,500,000 euros, on a property he had never come across.
Mission summary
- Property hunter: the Home Select hunter
- Offering: Confidential, simple search mandate, off-market properties only
- Area searched: Paris 5th, 6th or 7th arrondissement
- Property type: 300 sqm apartment
- Purchase price: 7,500,000 euros including agency fees, around 25,000 euros per sqm
- Duration: 2 months, from the mandate at the end of May to the deed at the end of July 2026
- Viewings: 3
- Buyer profile: French expatriate in the United States, returning to France, cash purchase
Out of respect for the confidentiality the buyer asked for, the address and the exact arrondissement are not published.
A buyer who did not need us
The starting point of this case is not a helpless buyer. It is the opposite.
This buyer had a mature project and was running his search himself, actively. He kept up contacts across the most premium agencies of the 5th, 6th and 7th, and was already receiving, on his own initiative, a steady flow of off-market properties. When he contacted us it was not out of conviction, it was a try: why not, just in case.
That is the most honest position a buyer can take, and it is also the one a simple mandate allows: nothing was exclusive, he stayed free to search in parallel, and he had nothing to lose.
Why a 300 sqm search in the 5th, 6th or 7th does not happen on the portals
The area entrusted to us was deliberately narrow: three Left Bank arrondissements, a floor area of 300 sqm. Within such a small perimeter, public availability is close to zero. Large floorplans rarely change hands there, and when they do, owners usually refuse the exposure of a listing, which reveals an address, an interior and sometimes a family’s financial situation.
Waiting for the right listing in that perimeter can take years. That is exactly the situation in which access to a network changes the nature of the problem.
More than 15,000 partners alerted at once
As soon as the mandate was signed at the end of May, the search was broadcast widely: estate agents, property dealers, notaries, selling owners. More than 15,000 trusted partners knew precisely what this buyer was looking for.
Properties came in, all of them off-market. The decisive point of this case fits in one sentence: the buyer knew none of them. Not one, even though he was highly active himself and already plugged into off-market channels through his own agencies.
His family, based in Paris, viewed two apartments on his behalf. Well located, but neither was the one. The search continued.
The property nobody had on their radar
The third property came from a property dealer, in direct response to the broadcast sent to our partners. He was selling precisely the apartment the buyer was looking for: the floor area, the neighbourhood, the character.
We viewed it immediately and filmed complete videos for the buyer, still in the United States. His family came to see it in turn. This time, it was the one.
That apartment was not in his alerts, not at his agencies, and not in any of the channels he had been working for months.
An offer at the asking price, then three weeks of negotiation
An offer at the asking price was made straight away. It was far from a done deal: three weeks of discussions were needed to get the offer accepted, with support at every step.
In this segment, negotiation is not always about the price. It is about securing the property: the strength of the file, the credibility of the timeline, the ability to reassure a seller who has options. Here the purchase settled in cash, with no financing condition, which carried weight and allowed a very fast signature.
A mandate at the end of May. Keys at the end of July.
What this mission shows about the Paris off-market
A network cannot be replicated individually. This buyer had everything: market knowledge, contacts, premium agencies, a personal off-market flow. And yet the dozens of properties our search surfaced were all unknown to him, and the one he bought came from a channel he did not have. Sixteen hunters, each maintaining their own network since 2011, cover a stretch of the market that an individual, however well connected, does not.
“Just in case” is a rational strategy. Under a simple mandate the buyer gave up nothing and committed to nothing: he kept his own search, his agencies and his alerts, and added one more channel. Fees were only due if he bought a property we had presented. That is the principle of our Confidential offering, reserved for projects of 1 million euros and above.
Distance is not an obstacle in the prime segment. The buyer stayed in the United States from start to finish. Viewings were handled by his family and through complete videos filmed on site. Around 30% of Home Select’s clients are expatriates or international buyers, and a purchase can be run entirely remotely.
Already searching on your own? The Confidential offering runs on a simple mandate: you stay free to search in parallel, and fees are only due if you buy. Talk to our team.
Meet our team of property hunters who support your project.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
01 How do you find an off-market luxury apartment in Paris?
There is no off-market portal and no subscription that grants access: by definition, a property listed somewhere is no longer off-market. Access comes from three sources. Agencies holding a discreet mandate, who show the property to a short list before any publication. Notaries, building managers and property dealers, who know about an estate settlement or a resale in preparation before it reaches the market. And direct approaches to owners. In this mission, it was the broadcast of the search to more than 15,000 partners that surfaced the property bought, offered by a property dealer.
02 Does a well-connected buyer still need a property hunter?
That is exactly the question this case put to the test. The buyer knew the market, had his contacts in the most premium agencies of the 5th, 6th and 7th arrondissements, and was already receiving off-market properties on his own initiative. He came to us without conviction. Of the dozens of properties our search surfaced, he knew none, and the apartment he bought was neither in his alerts nor at his agencies. A network of 15,000 partners maintained since 2011 by 16 hunters cannot be replicated individually.
03 How long does it take to find a 300 sqm apartment in Paris?
Within an area as narrow as the 5th, 6th or 7th arrondissement, waiting for the right public listing can take years: 300 sqm apartments are rare there and most often sell without any advertising. In this mission, two months passed between the mandate signed at the end of May and the notarial deed at the end of July 2026, including three weeks spent getting the offer accepted. The average Home Select search, across all segments, takes 45 days.
04 Can you buy prime property in Paris while living in the United States?
Yes, with no nationality restriction and no residency requirement. In this case the buyer stayed in the United States throughout the search. The first two viewings were carried out by his family in Paris, the third was filmed in full on site by the hunter before his family viewed the apartment in turn. The purchase settled in cash, with no financing condition, which allowed a very fast signature. Around 30% of Home Select's clients are expatriates or international buyers.
