Paris villa at €1,311,000: is 6% below asking too aggressive?

We have until tomorrow to choose an offer, so the trade-off is between making a credible opening bid and paying more than the evidence supports. The Paris villa is listed at €1,311,000, has apparently been on the market for 66 days and needs updating. Nearby evidence is mostly current listings rather than completed transactions.

I am leaning towards 6% below asking, backed by proof of financing and some flexibility over completion. Would you give the seller a brief explanation based on the limited sales evidence and required work, or say less and let the terms carry the offer?

I also need to decide on a response deadline, whether to seek repair credits and which inspection or financing protections are too important to trade away.

Six percent below is €1,232,340, which is a serious offer rather than a throwaway bid. Keep the explanation short: limited completed comparables, the updating required, and your strengths on financing and timing. Don’t present a long itemised deduction for every dated feature; that can feel more personal than a single evidence-based figure.

Is the one-night deadline coming from the seller, the agent, or just your own wish to stop overthinking? Also, has it genuinely been available continuously for 66 days? Those answers matter more than the raw day count. A seller expecting another offer may react differently from one whose preferred completion date has been the obstacle.

On comparables, I would ask for completed transactions matching the villa as closely as possible in location, condition and size. Nearby asking prices only show seller expectations. If completed evidence remains thin, that uncertainty supports a cautious opening, but it does not prove the property is overpriced by exactly 6%.

I’d avoid combining the discount with a demand for repair credits before you have an inspection. Otherwise the seller may hear “6% off, plus more later.” Make the initial price reflect visible updating, retain protection for significant unknown defects, and reserve any later request for findings that could not reasonably have been priced in now.

Your flexible completion date could be more valuable than moving a little on price, but only if you learn what the seller wants. Ask the agent whether speed, extra time, certainty or price is driving them. Then structure the offer around that motivation rather than advertising unlimited flexibility.

Be careful with the phrase “clean financing.” Proof that funds and lending are credible can strengthen the offer without necessarily waiving financing protection. If valuation comes in below the agreed price, decide now how much appraisal gap you could cover comfortably. Don’t make an open-ended promise simply to make the first offer look cleaner.

Agreed with Sven. I’d separate three things in writing: evidence that financing is organised, any condition relating to financing or valuation, and the maximum cash exposure you will accept. Sellers often care about certainty, but certainty does not require the buyer to absorb every possible shortfall.

Deposit exposure also needs attention before signing anything. The amount, timing, release conditions and consequences of a failed contingency depend on the actual contract and French process, so have the wording checked by the relevant local adviser or notaire. A headline discount is not worth taking an undefined deposit risk.

For tonight, I’d submit the €1,232,340 figure with financing evidence, a completion window that suits the seller, and a reasonable response deadline. Keep inspection and financing protections, subject to locally appropriate wording. If they counter, compare the extra price with your updating budget and appraisal-gap capacity—not with the emotional pressure of having only one night.