The six steps of your Paris search

From the first free conversation to the keys in your hand, see how a confidential search unfolds with a Home Select property hunter. Since 2011, Home Select has guided more than 1,200 clients through their purchase in Paris and the Ile-de-France region, with its 16 property hunters. Home Select secures an accepted offer in 45 days on average, with an average 6% reduction negotiated on the asking price. At every step, the firm's pricing guidance relies on actual recorded sales: the official DVF database (DGFiP) and the Greater Paris Notaries barometer. A property hunter is the French equivalent of a buyer's agent: mandated and paid by the buyer alone, on success (see the page English-speaking buyer's agent in Paris).

6 %

avg. negotiation

1 200+

clients assisted

4,8/5

Google

Describe your search

Interior courtyard of a Parisian building with cobblestones

avg. nego.

1 200+

clients

4,8/5

Google

Describe your search

How it works

How does a search with a property hunter work?

The Home Select method follows 6 steps: detailed brief, network activation (listings and off-market), pre-visits, accompanied visits (3 on average), negotiation, then contract and completion at the notary. Home Select sums up its method in three numbers: 45 days from mandate to accepted offer, 3 targeted visits, 6% negotiated off the asking price, versus around 6 months and 40+ visits searching alone. Fees are paid only on success.

45 days

average time

viewings on average

25+

properties pre-viewed

average reduction on the asking price

The journey of your search

A first conversation, free of charge

Day 1

Home Select takes the time to understand your plans, your lifestyle, your criteria and your budget during a 30 to 45-minute conversation, by video call or by telephone. This meeting lets the firm pin down your priorities: neighbourhood, floor area, natural light, floor level, outdoor space, and the overall budget including notaire fees. In 2026 the Paris market remains tight, with a median price of around €9,900/m2 (DVF notarial data, April 2026): the firm's role is to check that your project is feasible and to steer you towards the best search strategy.

In-depth analysis of your needs and constraints
A walk-through of Home Select's methodology and results
A feasibility assessment of your project on the current market
Answers to all your questions about the process

Signing the mandate

Days 2-3

If you decide to work with Home Select, the engagement is formalised with an exclusive search mandate. This legal document, compliant with the Hoguet law and the FCI code of ethics, precisely defines the brief, the duration of the assignment and the fees. Home Select charges 2.5% of the net purchase price (minimum €10,000 incl. VAT), payable only on success: you pay nothing until you have found your property.

A detailed written brief built around your criteria
Choice of mandate type (exclusive recommended for the best outcome)
Transparent presentation of the success-only terms
Secure electronic signature within 48 hours

The active search

Weeks 1-4

Your property hunter immediately activates their network and prospects the entire Paris market. They identify properties matching your criteria on the mainstream portals, but also off-market: building caretakers, managing agents, notaires, partner estate agents. Home Select finds around 15% of its clients' properties off-market: they are never published online. This daily prospecting, combined with automated real-time monitoring, means opportunities are spotted before the competition.

Intensive off-market sourcing (caretakers, notaires, partner agents)
Automated real-time monitoring of listings, seven days a week
Direct contact with selling owners and their agents
A detailed weekly report on your search

Targeted viewings

Weeks 2-5

Your property hunter personally pre-views every property likely to interest you. They weed out misleading listings, properties with deal-breaking defects (damp, noise, major co-ownership works) and those priced above the market. Of the 25 to 30 properties pre-viewed on average, only 5 to 8 are shown to you. You only travel for the gems, each with a complete file: photos, video, technical analysis and your hunter's reasoned opinion.

Systematic pre-viewings by your hunter (HD photos, videos, notes)
In-depth technical analysis: co-ownership, service charges, energy rating, works to plan for
Rigorous selection (one client viewing for every five to six pre-viewed)
Flexible scheduling around your availability, weekends included

Offer and negotiation

Weeks 4-6

When you find the property that matches your expectations, Home Select builds a tailored offer strategy and negotiates on your behalf with the seller or their agent. The firm's detailed knowledge of the Paris market, neighbourhood by neighbourhood, lets it argue every offer on solid ground. On average, Home Select secures a 6% reduction on the asking price, which often represents a saving greater than its fee.

Comparative price-per-m2 analysis and a review of recent transactions
A bespoke offer strategy shaped by the context
Expert negotiation with the seller or their appointed agent
Legal drafting and submission of the purchase offer

Support all the way to the keys

Months 2-4

From accepted offer to the keys in your hand, your property hunter stays at your side through every administrative and legal step. Preliminary contract, lifting of the conditions precedent, coordination with your bank on the financing, follow-up with the notaire, careful review of the documents: nothing is left to chance. This rigorous follow-through, which lasts around 3 months after the accepted offer, is included in the Home Select fee and guarantees a calm transaction through to the signing of the final deed.

Review and follow-up of the preliminary contract with your notaire
Full support in arranging your bank financing
Verification that every condition precedent is lifted
By your side on the day of the final deed at the notaire's office

Panoramic view of Paris rooftops and the Eiffel Tower

What is the average timeline with a property hunter in Paris?

Home Select completes a Paris search in 45 days on average, from signed mandate to an offer accepted by the seller. The table below compares that timeline, the number of viewings and the time you spend, with Home Select and searching on your own.

Average timeline of a Paris purchase: with Home Select or on your own
What you measure	With Home Select	On your own
Time to an accepted offer	45 days	6 months
Viewings you attend yourself	3 on average	more than 40
Time you spend on the search	15 hours	150 hours

Home Select secures an accepted offer in 45 days on average, where a search run alone takes around 6 months.

Home Select takes you to 3 viewings on average, against more than 40 for a buyer searching alone: your property hunter pre-views the others on your behalf.

Home Select brings your own search time down to about 15 hours, against 150 hours searching alone.

What sets Home Select apart

Pre-viewings

Your property hunter visits every property before you do. HD photos, commented videos, detailed technical analysis: you only travel for the properties that deserve your attention, 3 viewings on average instead of forty or so searching on your own.

Off-market access

Home Select finds 15% of its clients' properties off-market. Through a network of more than 15,000 partners (caretakers, notaires, managing agents, estate agents), Home Select reaches opportunities invisible on the mainstream portals.

Negotiation

Home Select negotiates, through its 16 property hunters, an average 6% reduction on the asking price. Home Select builds this expertise on the analysis of thousands of transactions since 2011, and it often generates a saving greater than the fee.

Full support

Home Select does not disappear once the offer is accepted. Preliminary contract, financing, conditions precedent, the notaire, the keys: your hunter stays with you to the very last signature, at no extra cost.

Go further : The search mandate ·Home Select fees ·How the search unfolds

Frequently asked questions

What is the average timeline of a search with a property hunter in Paris?

On average, Home Select, a property hunter in Paris, completes its searches in 45 days, from signed mandate to an offer accepted by the seller. The total time to the keys is 3 to 4 months, which corresponds to the legal interval between the signing of the preliminary contract and the final deed at the notaire's office. Home Select has held this average steady since 2011, thanks to its proven methodology and the responsiveness of its 16 hunters.

How many properties will I view in person?

Home Select finds the right property in Paris in 3 viewings on average. Your property hunter pre-views 25 to 30 beforehand to weed out misleading listings, overpriced properties and those with hidden defects. This rigorous filtering spares you dozens of pointless trips and saves you considerable time on a market where responsiveness makes all the difference.

Does the property hunter come with me to viewings?

Yes, always. Your hunter comes to every viewing and points out what you might otherwise miss: the state of the co-ownership, the real exposure, noise, works to plan for. They ask the right questions of the agent or the owner and help you assess each property objectively against the asking price and market trends.

How much does a Home Select property hunter cost?

Home Select, a property hunter in Paris, charges 2.5% incl. VAT of the net purchase price, with a minimum of €10,000 incl. VAT, under the Exclusive offer, and 1.5% under the Confidential offer, reserved for projects of €2 million and above. The fee is payable only on success: you pay nothing until the final deed is signed at the notaire's office. In practice, Home Select negotiates an average 6% reduction on the asking price, which more than covers its fee and leaves you with a net saving on your purchase.

Can I change my criteria during the search?

Of course, and it happens all the time. A property search is an iterative process: as viewings progress, you refine your priorities, discover new neighbourhoods and adjust your budget. Your property hunter adapts the brief accordingly and recalibrates the search without any added delay. This flexibility is one of the great advantages of the search mandate.

What is the difference between a property hunter and an estate agent?

An estate agent represents the seller and aims to sell the properties in their portfolio at the best price. A property hunter, by contrast, works exclusively for the buyer. They prospect the entire market, negotiate in your interest and support you through to signing. Home Select, a property hunter in Paris, is a member of the FCI (Fédération des Chasseurs Immobiliers) and holds no sales mandate: its 16 hunters are mandated by the buyer alone.

What does a property hunter check before making an offer?

Four areas, before any commitment. Planning: how the lot is designated, building permits under way nearby, easements. Co-ownership: minutes of recent general meetings, the real level of service charges, works voted but not yet called, proceedings under way against the building. Technical: diagnostics, the immediate surroundings, and renovation costs priced by professionals before the offer, not after. Legal: a detailed review of the preliminary contract and direct follow-up with the notaire until no question is left open. Nothing known should surface after signing.

Do I need financing in place before the search starts?

Yes. Home Select, a property hunter in Paris, starts a search only once the financing plan is settled. Many purchases fail because this was left until the property had already been found. The overall budget has to cover the purchase price, notaire fees, search fees, renovation and the move, not just the asking price. If you do not yet have an agreement in principle, Home Select's partner brokers step in first.

Find your apartment

Your project starts here

A 30-minute conversation about your search. First call free, no commitment. Home Select has 16 property hunters ready to find your home in Paris.

Home Select, property hunter in Paris since 2011.

Describe your search See the fees

Who writes this page

Home Select is a property hunting firm founded in 2011 by Jean Mascla. Home Select has 16 hunters covering Paris and the Paris region, working for buyers only. The figures quoted on this page come from the 1,200+ searches Home Select has completed 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

Content reviewed by Jean Mascla, Founder of Home Select, property hunter in Paris since 2011, and updated on August 15, 2026.