First-time homebuyer in Paris: 10 reasons to go through an apartment hunter

Apartment hunters are called upon to support all buyer profiles: people who are already owners and need to change their lives, investors looking for a profitable investment for their assets, or expatriates, among others. But if you are a first-time buyer, you are undoubtedly one of the future owners who will benefit the most from this support. Focus on 10 arguments that will convince you to ask a real estate hunter in Paris for your project.

1. Specify your project

You have decided to make your first real estate purchase in Paris, to finally become an owner and start building your assets. Instead of spending money on rent every month, you choose to repay a loan that will then be used to fully enjoy your own property, a strategy that is naturally interesting on many levels!

However, since you are a first-time buyer, you logically ask yourself a lot of questions. What budget can you position yourself on? Given your resources, can all your aspirations come true? Can you raise your ambitions, or will you have to be a little less demanding to find a property? The advice of a professional allows you to better identify and frame your project.

At HOME SELECT, we are used to supporting first-time buyers as soon as they define their project. In concrete terms, we can guide you even if you do not yet know what you really want. We will help you establish precise and feasible specifications for this first purchase of an apartment in Paris.

2. Distinguish what is possible from what is not possible

Since you have just arrived on the Parisian real estate market, you probably have dreams, you have a desire for greatness, or why not for cachet. Of course, our role is to make sure that your wishes are fulfilled as much as possible. We only act in your best interests, so that your final purchase meets your initial aspirations as much as possible.

However, you may approach the Parisian real estate market with some prejudices or even misconceptions. You do not know all its specificities, and this is normal, because it is not your job. Using the help of an expert who is fully versed in the subject allows you to know what you can expect, and what you will potentially have to give up, given your budget or market context.

At HOME SELECT, we are committed to scrupulously respecting the requirements of each customer. However, from the beginning, we also know how to take stock of the wishes that can be fulfilled and those that will be more difficult to achieve. We help you find the property that best meets your expectations, while explaining to you clearly why certain criteria are complicated to meet, when this is the case.

3. Preserve your interests throughout the research, right up to the negotiation!

When you buy real estate with an agency, they can offer you reassuring support on paper, but summary in reality. Because in reality, the agency is — and will always be — on the seller's side. Its interest remains to sell the property as quickly as possible and at the best price, which is not necessarily in your opinion...

On the other hand, if you entrust your purchase project to an apartment hunter, you know that this professional will work on your side — and only in your interests — throughout the project. It will change everything for you to be sure that an expert is available to protect your interests.

At HOME SELECT, we have no interest in making you buy one property over another. Above all, we aim to allow you to find the property that meets all your expectations, at the best price. We only act to benefit you, and we can even help you negotiate the selling price.

4. Know if negotiation is possible... or risky!

As you certainly know, a buyer can try to negotiate the property he is interested in when he communicates an offer to purchase to the seller. In some cases, this allows you to save a little, and why not allow yourself a larger work budget later on, for example. But in other configurations, especially on atypical offers and very popular properties, negotiation can put your offer at the bottom of the pile, and prevent you from becoming an owner.

You can't always know if negotiation is possible or not, because you need a particularly good understanding of the local real estate market to answer this question. And even if negotiation is possible, you still need to know to what extent it remains reasonable... Difficult to find the right balance when you make your first real estate purchase!

At HOME SELECT, all apartment hunters know the Parisian real estate market perfectly. Faced with each offer, we are in a position to tell you if negotiation is possible, if it is risky or if it remains strongly discouraged. When possible, we remain available to guide you on the margin that you can use to reduce the selling price.

5. Move forward more calmly

A first real estate purchase is a considerable life project, which can be a source of anxiety: it is totally natural to stress at the idea of taking this step, especially in a tense city like Paris! Whatever your age, you shouldn't think that feeling pressured indicates a lack of autonomy or maturity: it's natural.

You are afraid of embarking on a project that you will regret later, of betting everything on a property and of realizing that it does not correspond to your lifestyle, of making a mistake about the reputation of a neighborhood, of neglecting certain points that are nevertheless of considerable importance... In order to reassure yourself, you have everything to gain from being accompanied by professionals!

At HOME SELECT, we are here to help you buy with more peace of mind. If you wish, we can replace you for various administrative formalities, carry out visits for you, inspect the goods in every detail... Our expert eye and our ability to take care of many aspects related to research and purchase will allow you to consider this step with a much lighter mind.

6. Maintaining your usual lifestyle, while building your future

Starting a real estate purchase project in Paris can become very time-consuming, and also involve a significant personal investment... You can leave a few feathers behind, if you don't protect yourself enough! Indeed, you must be able to free yourself during the day to visit a property that has just been put on sale and that is likely to leave in a few hours... This can be difficult if you already have a busy professional and family life.

A real estate project can have serious repercussions on the quality of life, because it remains a stressful and difficult stage to consider when you are not accompanied. This desire to become a homeowner should not push you to live long days or leave your family behind... Get help!

At HOME SELECT, we have the time you need to devote yourself fully to your real estate project! We make ourselves available quickly for the most urgent visits, we can do them for you and send you reports so that you can maintain visibility on the evolution of the project. We allow you to keep your personal life intact, while moving forward with your real estate project.

7. Access rare off-market offers

Whether they are first-time investors or people already owners, many individuals seek the support of real estate hunters in order to access the off-market. You certainly know it, but the ads you find on traditional networks (advertising sites between individuals, real estate platforms, traditional agencies) represent only a part of real sales.

Some properties are sold in complete confidentiality, without any ads ever being published. These are often exceptional accommodations, or sometimes simply properties that did not have time to be promoted by agencies. Accessing these ads gives you the chance to reduce competition (there are generally fewer offers to buy, because the property is less visible), while visiting properties with sometimes rare assets (a garden in the heart of Paris, a freshly renovated apartment in a building with character, etc.).

At HOME SELECT, we work daily on off-market properties, which we access through our particularly extensive network. We do not hesitate to position buyers on these offers when they meet their expectations, which allows them to access a much wider range of sales.

8. Buy in Paris, without being there!

You can be a first-time buyer, looking for an apartment in Paris, but still living in the provinces, and even abroad. In this case, you may have the impression that you can do your research independently, thanks to the Internet, virtual visits and the possibility of transmitting purchase offers in a completely dematerialized way.

In fact, it is true that technological developments make it easier to buy remotely. However, this does not mean that you will succeed in completing your project quickly, quite the opposite. Because faced with other potential buyers already on site, you will not necessarily be able to make up for it, and your offers may very often be rejected by sellers.

At HOME SELECT, we act as an interlocutor capable of moving around the field in place of the buyer, especially when the buyer is geographically distant. Our support makes it easier to implement projects that would not have been completed remotely.

9. Maintain a single privileged and trustworthy interlocutor throughout the purchase

When you make your first real estate purchase, you can quickly feel lost, because you realize that you need to involve many players at different stages. Beyond the real estate agency with which you will do business, you can sometimes be in contact with the seller, but also the banks for the loan, not to mention the notaries. In order to see more clearly, the apartment hunter can become your privileged interlocutor who centralizes all the procedures, from the first research to the signature and even after.

This intermediary can also introduce you to other professionals when their intervention is required: a broker to find credit with the best possible rate and conditions, craftsmen for renovation work, etc. If necessary, he can even manage the issuance of car registration certificates (when expatriates return to France) or ensure the registration of children in their new school.

At HOME SELECT, we remain the main point of contact for buyers until the end of their project. Whether you need advice, an answer to a question or even support for an administrative procedure, you can contact us and benefit from our services at any time.

10. Never give up for lack of opportunities

It should not be forgotten that many first-time buyers give up on their project (or postpone it) because after several months or years of research, they feel completely discouraged and no longer have the energy to devote themselves to their purchase. They have lost a lot of time and energy, to end up staying in their current living environment, for lack of finding anything better.

Close the door to this eventuality by getting the right support from the start! With an apartment hunter, you have all the cards in hand to finalize your purchase as soon as possible. And even if you have to face a few disappointments — which is always possible, even with the help of a professional, you can be sure that you are supported by a seasoned expert.

At HOME SELECT, we implement numerous projects every year, why not yours? Contact us to let us know your desires, and we will make every effort to find THE property that will meet all your requirements... or even exceed them!

Useful for all buyers, the apartment hunter becomes indispensable when you have a real estate purchase project in Paris, when you lack the time to devote to it and when you need expert support in order to move forward with confidence. Don't start alone, trust HOME SELECT to support you.