In brief
Home Select supported Denis, a young finance retiree who had spent three years in a serviced apartment after selling his house, in buying a fully renovated four-room flat (49 sqm living room, balcony-terrace, parking) on the 3rd floor in Sceaux (Hauts-de-Seine), found in three months within a very tight perimeter after several agencies had failed. The cash purchase, with no loan condition precedent and 6,000 euros negotiated off, was secured by an independent notaire and a second viewing imposed by the property hunter. A property hunter since 2011, Home Select has 16 buying agents, 1,200+ buyers supported and a 4.8/5 rating on Google.
Key takeaways
- A retiree found a fully renovated four-room flat in Sceaux in 3 months after 3 years of unsuccessful independent searching
- The mandate was signed during Covid lockdown and the entire initial briefing was conducted by phone
- Cash purchase with no loan condition precedent made the offer more attractive to the seller
- Having an independent notaire protected the buyer against pressure from the selling agency
Denis, a young retiree from the finance world, had been living in a serviced apartment for 3 years after selling his house in Bourg-la-Reine. Local estate agencies found him nothing. In the end, an agent recommended Marie Esmieu-Fournel, property hunter at Home Select. The result: a fully renovated four-room flat in Sceaux, found in 3 months, with a 6,000 euro negotiation, the whole search begun during the Covid lockdown.
Mission summary
- Property hunter: Marie Esmieu-Fournel
- Area: Bourg-la-Reine, Sceaux (Hauts-de-Seine)
- Property type: Four-room flat, renovated, 3rd floor, balcony-terrace, parking
- Search duration: 3 months (May to July, during and after lockdown)
- Negotiation: -6,000 euros
- Financing: cash, no loan condition precedent
- Buyer profile: Retiree, grown-up children, referred by an estate agent
Why did Denis spend three years in a serviced apartment in Bourg-la-Reine?
Because in three years no agency put a suitable property in front of him, within a ten-minute perimeter around his serviced apartment. He had sold his large family house in Bourg-la-Reine a few years earlier, his children had grown up, and he was living alone with his furniture in storage.
He registered with several estate agencies. Offers were rare and ill-suited. Three years passed. Denis was still in his serviced apartment, his furniture in storage.
One day an estate agent, aware that his portfolio held nothing that matched, pointed him to Marie Esmieu-Fournel at Home Select.
How do you sign a search mandate during lockdown?
By phone, without ever meeting. Marie and Denis signed the mandate in May 2020, as the first outings were being permitted, and set the entire brief remotely.
Denis’s criteria were precise: a house or flat with 3 bedrooms, a main living area of at least 50 m² (implying a total surface of 120 to 150 m²), perfectly quiet, within 10 minutes of his serviced apartment, with parking. Renovation accepted. The budget matched these requirements.
What does a ten-minute perimeter around Bourg-la-Reine rule out?
The whole centre of this small municipality, where the RER station generates noise while quiet was an absolute condition for Denis. That leaves the streets away from the station: properties there are rare and go quickly.
Marie set up alerts and put her local network to work to reach off-market properties. When lockdown lifted, she put several options to Denis. He was exacting: too far, too close, too noisy. He agreed to widen the search to Sceaux, on the Bourg-la-Reine side.
What did Home Select find in Sceaux in three months?
A fully renovated four-room flat on the 3rd floor, with a 49 m² living room, balcony-terrace and parking, in Sceaux on the Bourg-la-Reine side. One July morning an alert flagged it, freshly relisted: it had come back on the market after the previous buyer’s loan was refused, having first been sold off-market.
The 1970s co-ownership is made up of small buildings with gardens. The renovation went from floor to ceiling: new electrics, automated shutters, soundproofing, fitted kitchen. A perfect profile for a buyer who wanted to move in at once.
Marie slotted the viewing between two appointments to avoid losing a day. Denis was convinced within 30 minutes.
Why negotiate only 6,000 euros on a renovated flat?
Because the asking price was in line with the renovation work done, and other viewings were already booked for the next day. Denis therefore tried a modest 6,000 euro negotiation: the offer was accepted the same day, paid in cash and with no loan condition precedent.
Marie’s support then proved crucial in dealing with a pushy estate agency.
The agency pushed Denis to use the seller’s notaire. Marie opposed this and provided an independent contact. The agency refused to organise a second viewing before the preliminary contract. Marie insisted and secured it: 1 hour 30 minutes for Denis to confirm his choice. Before the final signing in August, the agency was closed and had not arranged the pre-completion inspection. Marie emailed the notaire, copying Denis, and secured access to the flat within minutes.
Why does an estate agent send his client to a property hunter?
Because his portfolio held nothing suitable, while the hunter covers the entire market. Three years with agencies produced nothing for Denis; the search closed in three months once the mandate was signed.
The property hunter does what the agency does not. The agencies in Bourg-la-Reine never found a property for Denis in 3 years. Marie found one in 3 months. The difference: the hunter works exclusively for the buyer, covers the entire market, and is not limited to their own portfolio.
Support goes beyond the search. Independent notaire, imposed inspection visit, pressure on a failing agency: Marie protected Denis’s interests at every stage. This is the invisible added value of the property hunting profession.
Estate agents recommend good property hunters. It was an agent, aware of his limitations, who directed Denis to Home Select. The two professions complement each other.
Looking for a property in Hauts-de-Seine? Entrust your search to our property hunters: 1,200+ buyers assisted since 2011.
Sources
Frequently asked questions
01 Can an estate agent recommend a property hunter?
Yes, it happens more often than you might think. When an estate agent realises that a buyer cannot find what they are looking for in their portfolio, they may refer them to a property hunter who will search the entire market. The two professions are complementary: the agent represents the seller, the hunter represents the buyer.
02 Can you buy a flat without a loan condition precedent?
Yes, if the buyer pays in cash without taking out a mortgage. This is common among retirees who finance the purchase with proceeds from the sale of their previous property. The absence of a loan condition precedent makes the offer more attractive to the seller, as it eliminates the risk of financing falling through.
03 Why is it important to have your own notaire when buying property?
The seller's notaire protects the seller's interests. Having your own notaire ensures an independent review of the file: verification of the co-ownership, easements, diagnostics and clauses of the preliminary contract. The two notaires share the fees at no extra cost to the buyer. At Home Select, we systematically recommend that our clients choose their own notaire.
04 Why does a property hunter find a property the agencies could not?
An estate agency offers its own portfolio of properties and represents the seller. A property hunter works exclusively for the buyer and covers the entire market, including off-market. Denis had searched for three years through several agencies in Bourg-la-Reine with no result. Marie Esmieu-Fournel, at Home Select, found a fully renovated four-bedroom flat in Sceaux in three months, then protected Denis's interests by insisting on an independent notaire and a second viewing before the preliminary contract.
