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.

Describe your search

Haussmann corner building in cut stone with wrought-iron balconies and a zinc roof in Paris

6%: average negotiation on the asking price
45 days: to find, on average
1,200+: buyers assisted since 2011
4.8/5: on Google (141 reviews)

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 the experience of Home Select, which has assisted 1,200+ buyers since 2011.

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. Home Select negotiates an average of 6% off 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: Home Select relies on 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: Home Select obtains a 6% reduction on average	For the seller
Buyer's time invested	Home Select limits the effort to 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. Home Select, with its 16 hunters, negotiates 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), Home Select 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: Home Select has you visit only 3 properties on average before finding the right one (2026 data). 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. Home Select obtains an average reduction of 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: Home Select bills its Exclusive offer, an exclusive search mandate, 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

Go further

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.

Frequently asked questions

Can I use a hunter and still search through agencies?

Yes, absolutely. You can instruct a property hunter while continuing to monitor listings and visit properties through agencies on your own. Your hunter will bring an expert, objective eye to any property you find by yourself, and can also negotiate for you on those properties, even when they are in an agency's window. The two approaches are perfectly complementary and increase your chances of finding the right property faster.

Can the hunter negotiate on agency-listed properties?

Absolutely. Property hunters work hand in hand with estate agents. They know the customs of the profession and how to structure an offer so that it is taken seriously. They represent your interests in the negotiation, whether the property is sold through an agency, a notary or a private seller. Home Select, a property hunter in Paris, secures an average 6% reduction, including on properties marketed by agencies.

Do I pay both the hunter and the estate agent?

No, you do not pay twice. The estate agent's fee is paid by the seller and is built into the asking price. The hunter's fee is paid by you, the buyer, but only if the search succeeds. Home Select, a property hunter in Paris, bills its Exclusive offer, an exclusive search mandate, at 2.5% incl. VAT of the net purchase price (minimum €10,000 incl. VAT); the Confidential offer, a simple mandate at 1.5%, is reserved for projects of €2M and above. In the vast majority of cases, the saving secured in negotiation largely offsets the cost of the hunter.

Property hunter, flat hunter, buying agent: is there a difference?

No, there is no difference: these terms all describe the same profession. "Property hunter" and "flat hunter" are the everyday expressions, "buying agent" or "buyer's agent" is the closest English equivalent, and "chasseur immobilier" is the official French term used by the profession and the FCI. Home Select puts its 16 hunters to work on apartments as well as houses, lofts and atypical properties across Paris and its region.

Property hunter vs realtor: who represents the buyer in Paris?

In the United States, a realtor, or real estate agent, is most often a listing agent working for the seller, unless you sign separately with a buyer's agent. In France, the estate agent (agent immobilier) is always instructed by the seller. The Paris equivalent of a US buyer's agent is the property hunter, the chasseur immobilier: a search mandate signed with you, a fee paid by you at the final deed, and a negotiation led against the seller's asking price. On a search mandate, Home Select sits on your side of the table only, with 50% of its clients living abroad.

How much does a property hunter cost in Paris in 2026?

Fees in Paris generally range from 2% to 3% of the purchase price. Home Select bills its Exclusive offer, an exclusive search mandate, at 2.5% of the net purchase price with a €10,000 incl. VAT minimum; the Confidential offer, a simple mandate at 1.5%, is reserved for projects of €2M and above. Payment is success-only: nothing is due until the final deed. Full details on the Home Select fees page.

Do I need to sign a mandate to work with a hunter?

Yes: French law (loi Hoguet) requires a written search mandate setting out the scope, duration and fees before any commitment. The Home Select search mandate runs for one renewable month, can be terminated at any time, and involves no payment before success: fees are due only at the final deed.

Can I buy in Paris without visiting in person?

Yes. Pre-visits are filmed and commented, viewings can be done live by video call, and the final deed can be signed by power of attorney at the notaire. Home Select has 50% of its clients living abroad: the full remote process is described on the buying from abroad page.

Is a property hunter compulsory to buy in Paris?

No. You can buy on your own or through agencies. On a market as competitive as Paris in 2026, though, a property hunter brings decisive advantages: off-market access, pre-visits, expert negotiation and considerable time saved. Home Select has assisted 1,200+ buyers since 2011 and is rated 4.8/5 on Google, a measure of the value of the service.

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