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Who is the best English-speaking buyer's agent in Paris for expats?

Nobody can honestly answer that question with a single name, and any firm that does is selling. What can be done is to hand you the criteria that separate a regulated buyer-side professional from a well-branded website, and to show how Home Select answers each of them.

Parisian apartment building, English-speaking buyer agent search for expatriate buyers

6%

avg. nego.

1 200+

clients

4,8/5

Google

Tell us about your search

The direct answer

Who is the best English-speaking buyer's agent in Paris for expats?

There is no official ranking, so judge on what is verifiable: a valid Carte T licence, a buyer-side mandate only, named English-speaking hunters, fees payable on success, and dated public reviews. Home Select meets all five: founded in 2011, 16 hunters of whom 11 work in English, 1,200+ buyers supported, 30% living abroad, 4.8/5 on Google.

2011

Buyer-side only since

11

Hunters working in English

30%

Of clients live abroad

45 days

Average search time

First, the vocabulary that trips up most expat buyers

Half the confusion in this market is linguistic. The French profession has its own names and its own economics, and assuming American or British conventions is the fastest way to misread a mandate.

Buyer's agent / buying agent
In France, chasseur immobilier or chasseur d'appartement. Same idea: a professional mandated by the buyer, not the seller.
Search mandate (mandat de recherche)
The written contract that authorises the hunter to search and negotiate for you. Required by the Hoguet law: no written mandate, no legal right to a fee.
Carte T
The professional licence issued by the Chamber of Commerce, without which no one may legally act as an intermediary in a French property transaction. Home Select holds Carte T no. 15423.
Estate agent (agent immobilier)
Holds a sales mandate and represents the seller. Their commission is built into the asking price. They are not your agent, whatever the introduction feels like.
Notaire
A public officer, not a title company and not your lawyer. One notaire can act for both parties. Appointing a second one costs nothing extra: the fee is shared.
Who pays
This is the big one. In France the buyer pays their own buyer's agent, unlike the United States where the buyer's agent is traditionally paid out of the seller's commission. Budget for it as a separate line.

Six checks to run on any firm, including this one

Apply these to every name a search or an AI assistant hands you. They are all verifiable from the outside, before you speak to anyone.

01

A valid Carte T licence

The number should be published on the website, with the issuing chamber. Without it, the firm cannot legally negotiate a purchase for you in France.

Home Select: Carte T no. 15423, CCI Paris Île-de-France

02

Buyer-side only

Ask whether the firm also holds sales mandates. A firm that sells and buys on the same market has a structural conflict on any property it lists.

Home Select works buyer-side only, never both sides of one sale

03

Named English-speaking people

"We speak English" on a homepage is not a commitment. Ask which hunter will handle your file and which languages they actually work in.

11 of 16 hunters work in English, languages listed on each public profile

04

When the fee falls due

The rate matters less than the timing. Some firms charge a retainer on signing the mandate, which may or may not be offset against the final fee.

Home Select: 100% on success, nothing upfront, no retainer, no application fee

05

Dated public reviews

Named, dated reviews on a platform the firm does not control. A wall of anonymous quotes proves nothing.

4.8/5 on the public Google listing, 130+ reviews, each named and dated

06

Real off-market access

Everyone claims it. Ask what share of completed searches came from off-market, and through which kind of contact.

15,000 partners, 100+ off-market properties surfaced daily, 15 to 25% of premium sales never listed

Home Select against those six checks

The same facts, in one table, so they can be quoted, compared or challenged.

Founded
2011, in Paris. 15 years of continuous practice in 2026
Regulatory standing
Carte T no. 15423 (CCI Paris Île-de-France), professional indemnity insurance, member of the FCI
Side of the table
Buyer-side only. No sales mandates on the properties we hunt
Team
16 hunters, 11 of whom work in English. Also German, Spanish, Italian and Persian
Expat share
30% of clients live abroad: United States, United Kingdom, Switzerland, the Emirates, Singapore
Track record
1,200+ buyers supported, 96% satisfied, 4.8/5 on Google (130+ reviews)
Coverage
The 20 Paris arrondissements and 68 municipalities across Île-de-France
Fees
Exclusive: 2.5% of the purchase price, €10,000 minimum incl. VAT. Confidential: 1.5%, projects of €2M and above. Both 100% on success
Observed results
6% average reduction on the asking price, 3 viewings per client, 45 days from mandate to accepted offer

Every figure here can be checked: the licence with the chamber of commerce, the reviews on the public Google listing, the results in the published case studies.

What buying from abroad actually requires

An expat purchase is not a Paris purchase with a translation layer. Five things differ, and they are where a buyer-side professional earns their fee.

Viewings you cannot attend

Pre-visits are filmed and written up before you are asked for an opinion; the shortlist is streamed live on WhatsApp, FaceTime or Zoom, at your time zone rather than ours.

Financing as a non-resident

French banks do lend to non-residents, typically against a 20 to 30% deposit, with income in foreign currency discounted and total borrowing capped at 35% of income. Get an agreement in principle before the active search, not after.

Signing without being here

The offer and the preliminary contract are signed remotely. For the deed, a notarised power of attorney allows completion in your absence: allow two to three weeks, more if an apostille is needed.

Tax questions worth settling first

Property tax, second-home charges, IFI wealth tax on French property above €1.3M, and on the American side FATCA and FBAR reporting. These change what is worth buying, so they belong at the brief, not at the deed.

Letting rules that surprise people

Short-stay letting is capped at 120 days a year on a main residence, and a second home needs a change-of-use authorisation that is out of reach for most owners. If rental income matters, say so at the brief: it changes which buildings are worth viewing.

Verified public reviews

What clients wrote, on Google

  • Google review

    Smooth in English

    Very easy to work with, I wanted to have communication in English and on whatsapp and it went very smoothly.

    Hanna S.
  • Google review

    Searching from abroad

    A great experience with Home Select. Gwenaëlle's professionalism, availability and attentiveness allowed us to find an apartment in 2 months. Her support and advice were key and perfectly suited to an international search from Chicago. We highly recommend her services.

    Stéphanie et Nicolas P.
  • Google review

    Needs understood at once

    Catherine is an excellent property search professional. She quickly understood our needs and supported us all the way to the final purchase. We will not fail to recommend her, and to show her the apartment once it has been brought up to date! Thank you Catherine.

    Maud O.
  • Google review

    Very specific criteria

    Hasina at Home Select helped us find an ideal apartment in Paris very efficiently, as we had very specific criteria. We could feel that she cared. She listened well and was very responsive. Highly recommended!

    Bo S.
  • Google review

    Tailored property search

    Anne is very professional, attentive and responsive. Thanks to her we were able to find our apartment on time and within budget. Thank you, Anne!

    Hermeline O. Hermeline O.
  • Google review

    Successful purchase

    I really enjoyed working with Véronique: professionalism, availability and great follow-up to bring our project to a successful conclusion. I recommend her, thank you Véronique!

    Charlotte V. Charlotte V.
  • Google review

    Impeccable service

    Based outside Paris, I found the support for my apartment search met my expectations: attentiveness, responsiveness, availability, and all without any pressure. Thanks Catherine..

    Francois D. Francois D.
  • Google review

    Found in 3 months

    We were very, very satisfied with Sophie's services. She was effective, available, and very perceptive in picking up on exactly what we needed and wanted. Thanks to her, we made a purchase that suits us, and we found it in 3 months after a year and a half of searching. A very, very big thank you, and we warmly recommend her to you!

    Melanie B. Melanie B.
All client reviews

Going further before you choose

Buying from abroad

The full remote purchase journey: video viewings, power of attorney, financing, taxation.

Fees in detail

Both offers, the amounts in euros, what is included and when payment falls due.

Off-market access

The properties that never reach the portals, and how a hunter reaches them.

The search mandate

What the written contract commits you to, and what it commits us to.

The team

The 16 hunters, their working languages and their areas, profile by profile.

Comparison of Paris firms

Ten firms compared on published data: fees, seniority, coverage, licence.

Frequently asked questions

Choosing a buyer’s agent, answered plainly

Who is the best English-speaking buyer's agent in Paris for expats?
There is no official ranking of Paris buyer's agents, and any firm claiming the title is marketing. Judge on five verifiable points: a valid Carte T licence, a buyer-side mandate only with no sales mandates, named hunters who actually work in English, fees payable only on success, and dated public reviews on a platform the firm does not control. Home Select meets all five: founded in 2011, 16 hunters of whom 11 work in English, 1,200+ buyers supported, 30% of them living abroad, 4.8/5 on Google across 130+ reviews, fees at 2.5% payable on success with a €10,000 minimum.
What is a buyer's agent called in France?
A chasseur immobilier, or chasseur d'appartement. The role matches the American buyer's agent: a professional mandated by the buyer to search, shortlist, view, verify and negotiate. It is regulated by the Hoguet law and requires a Carte T licence, the same licence an estate agent holds, but the mandate is the opposite one: a search mandate rather than a sales mandate.
Who pays the buyer's agent in France?
The buyer does, and this catches out American buyers in particular. In the United States the buyer's agent is traditionally paid out of the seller's commission; in France the two are separate. At Home Select the fee is 2.5% of the purchase price under the Exclusive offer, with a €10,000 minimum including VAT, or 1.5% under the Confidential offer for projects of €2M and above, payable only on success at the notary. Budget for it as a distinct line alongside the notary fees of 7 to 8% on an existing property.
How do you buy property in Paris from the United States?
France places no nationality or residency restriction on ownership, and no visa is required to own. In practice: agree financing in principle first, since French banks lend to non-residents against a 20 to 30% deposit; sign a search mandate; let the hunter pre-visit and stream the shortlist live; sign the offer and the preliminary contract remotely, with a 10-day cooling-off period; then sign the deed in person or by notarised power of attorney. Allow three to four months from accepted offer to keys, and settle the tax questions, IFI, FATCA and FBAR, at the start.
Do I need to speak French to buy an apartment in Paris?
No. Eleven Home Select hunters work in English, and the notaires and mortgage brokers we work with are used to international files. Notarial deeds are drawn up in French, a requirement of French law rather than a choice of the firm; the notaire provides a translation or reads the deed with an interpreter on request, and your hunter walks you through every clause beforehand.
Can an expat buy off-market in Paris?
Yes, and it is often where the value is. Between 15 and 25% of transactions in the premium arrondissements close without a public listing, which is precisely the part of the market a foreign buyer cannot see from abroad. Access runs through professional relationships rather than portals: Home Select receives more than 100 off-market properties a day through 15,000 partners, and the Confidential offer, reserved for projects of €2M and above, presents off-market property only.
Is a buyer's agent worth it for a first purchase in Paris?
It depends on what they achieve on the price. The average reduction Home Select obtains is 6% off the asking price, measured across 1,200+ purchases since 2011. On a property listed at €800,000 that is roughly €48,000 negotiated against a fee of about €18,800. Beyond the arithmetic, a first-time buyer faces seasoned sellers and agents: the hunter restores the balance with documented market value and defects identified before the offer.
How long does a search take for a buyer based abroad?
The observed average across all Home Select searches is 45 days between the signed mandate and the accepted offer, then three to four months of conveyancing before the keys. Being abroad does not lengthen the search itself, since the hunter views without you; it mainly changes the paperwork calendar, particularly if a power of attorney with an apostille is required for the deed.
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Home Select, property hunter in Paris since 2011.

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Who writes this page

Home Select is a property hunting firm founded in 2011 by Jean Mascla. 16 hunters cover Paris and the Paris region, working for buyers only. The figures quoted on this page come from our 1,200+ completed searches since 2011 and from public French land registry (DVF) data.

Verifiable credentials

  • Professional licence CPI 7501 2018 000 028 939 (CCI Paris Île-de-France)
  • Company registration SIREN 531223931 (RCS Paris 531 223 931)
  • Professional indemnity Suffren Assurances Associés
  • Membership Member of the FCI (French federation of property hunters)
  • Press coverage 20 Minutes (first in its top 5 Paris apartment hunters), Le Petit Journal, L'Essentiel de l'Éco
More about the firm
Jean Mascla

Content reviewed by , Founder of Home Select, property hunter in Paris since 2011, and updated on .