Property hunter and estate agent
The estate agent (in the US: realtor, or real estate agent) represents the seller and acts in the seller's interest. The property hunter, by contrast, works exclusively for the buyer: searching, shortlisting, viewing and negotiating on your behalf. In 2026, this difference between a property hunter and an estate agent is still poorly understood by many Paris buyers. It is a fundamental distinction that changes everything, from the alignment of interests to the negotiation strategy, through to access to the market. Here are the seven key differences between the two professions, illustrated by Home Select's experience (1,200+ buyers assisted since 2011).
6%
avg. nego.
1 200+
clients
4,8/5
The difference
Property hunter or estate agent: what is the difference?
A traditional agent represents the seller and is paid to sell their listings. A property hunter exclusively represents the buyer: search mandate, success fee, no stock to sell. Home Select, an FCI member, has defended buyers only since 2011: 2.5% success fee and an average 6% negotiated off the asking price.
The essential point to remember
The estate agent is instructed and paid by the seller: their natural interest is to sell at the highest possible price, in the shortest possible time. The property hunter is instructed and paid by the buyer: their whole interest lies in negotiating the lowest price for their client. At Home Select, that negotiation averages 6% of the asking price, which on a Paris property means several tens of thousands of euros. This is a fundamental difference in the alignment of interests, and it shapes the entire relationship and the support you receive.
What are the concrete differences?
| Criterion | Property hunter | Estate agent |
|---|---|---|
| Who do they represent? | The buyer, exclusively | The seller (sales mandate) |
| Financial interest | Negotiating the lowest price | Selling at the highest price |
| Search scope | The entire market, listings and off-market | Only their own sales mandates |
| Off-market access | Yes, via a network of 15,000 partners | Limited to their own portfolio |
| Pre-viewings | Yes: you only see the gems | No: the client arranges their own viewings |
| Negotiation | For the buyer (6% reduction on average) | For the seller |
| Buyer's time invested | 3 visits and 45 days on average, about fifteen hours in total | Search and visits are on you: 40+ visits, around 6 months and 150 hours on your own |
| Who pays the fee | The buyer | The seller (included in the asking price) |
| Support through to completion | From the search to the final deed at the notaire, end to end | Limited to putting seller and buyer in touch |
| Knowledge of the buyer's market | Specialist in real prices, trends and undervalued properties | Expertise centred on valuing the properties in their portfolio |
| Properties analysed | Hundreds of properties screened for every search | Only the properties available in their own stock |
The 7 differences explained
Who do they represent?
The estate agent holds a sales mandate signed with the owner: they act on the seller's behalf and earn their commission on the transaction. The property hunter, by contrast, holds a search mandate signed with the buyer. They therefore work exclusively in your interest, not the seller's. This legal distinction, governed by the loi Hoguet, guarantees the transparency of the relationship.
Alignment of interests
The estate agent benefits from the highest possible sale price, since their commission is proportional to the amount of the transaction. The property hunter benefits from you buying at the best price: their reputation and future referrals depend on it. At Home Select, our 16 hunters negotiate an average of 6% below the asking price, a concrete saving that largely offsets the fee.
Search scope
An estate agent can only offer the properties they hold a sales mandate for, so their offering is structurally limited to their own portfolio. The property hunter, on the contrary, prospects the entire market: online listings, agency stock, notarial sales, professional networks and off-market properties. This wider scope multiplies the opportunities and speeds up the search.
Off-market access
The off-market segment accounts for a significant share of Paris transactions, especially on exceptional properties. Through a network of more than 15,000 partners (agencies, notaries, managing agents, wealth managers), the property hunter reaches properties before they are publicly listed. A traditional estate agent has no network of that depth, since they concentrate on marketing their own mandates.
Pre-viewings
The property hunter systematically pre-views every property before presenting it to you. They check it against your brief, the real condition of the home, noise levels, the co-ownership and any works to plan for. The result: you visit only 3 properties on average before finding the right one (Home Select data, 2026). With an agent, you arrange and carry out every viewing yourself, which can mean dozens of trips.
Negotiation
The property hunter negotiates exclusively for you, with the aim of bringing the purchase price down. They build their case on their knowledge of prices per sqm, transaction history and any defects in the property. At Home Select, the average reduction reaches 6% of the asking price. An estate agent, instructed by the seller, defends the asking price instead and has no incentive to lower it.
Payment
The agent is paid by the seller. The hunter is paid by the buyer, only on success: at Home Select, the Exclusive offer, an exclusive search mandate, is billed at 2.5% incl. VAT (minimum €10,000 incl. VAT); the Confidential offer, a simple search mandate at 1.5%, is reserved for projects of €2M and above. The fee is generally offset by the reduction secured.
When to choose what?
Use a property hunter if:
- You lack the time to search actively and arrange viewings every week
- You want access to the off-market and to properties never advertised online
- You are an expat, based outside Paris or abroad, and cannot travel easily
- You want an expert negotiation led by a professional who knows real prices
- You are buying in a tight market where properties sell within days
- You do not know the Paris arrondissements well and need advice on neighbourhoods
- You want full support, from defining the brief to signing at the notaire
- You have already searched on your own for months without finding the right property
- Your search is atypical: top floor, hôtel particulier, a rare character property
- Your budget is high and discretion matters: part of the prestige market changes hands without a public listing
An agency may be enough if:
- You have plenty of free time to prospect every day
- You know the Paris market and the price per sqm of each neighbourhood inside out
- You are an experienced negotiator, comfortable with price discussions
- The market is fluid, not very competitive, with enough properties available
- You are targeting a very small area where a single local agency covers most of the mandates
- You have already spotted a specific property in an agency window and want to view it directly
- Your budget is modest and a hunter's fee would represent too large a share
Frequently asked questions
Can I use a hunter and still search through agencies?
Can the hunter negotiate on agency-listed properties?
Do I pay both the hunter and the estate agent?
Property hunter, flat hunter, buying agent: is there a difference?
Property hunter vs realtor: who represents the buyer in Paris?
How much does a property hunter cost in Paris in 2026?
Do I need to sign a mandate to work with a hunter?
Can I buy in Paris without visiting in person?
Is a property hunter compulsory to buy in Paris?
Your project starts here
Let's talk through your search over 30 minutes. First call free, no commitment. Our 16 property hunters are ready to find your home in Paris.
Home Select, property hunter in Paris since 2011.
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
Content reviewed by Jean Mascla, Founder of Home Select, property hunter in Paris since 2011, and updated on .
