Paris seller trying to separate asking prices from real market evidence

[green_glass]

Hello from Paris. I’m selling a property and spending most of my research time on condos, transaction costs, and the gap between advertised prices and completed sales. I’d like to compare notes across markets without assuming that practices elsewhere apply directly to France. For someone new to the forum, would you start with the local board, a particular type of market dataset, or one of the legal and transaction-cost discussions?

 

[hugo.linden]

Welcome. I’d begin on the local board and prioritise completed-sale information over listing prices. Asking prices are still useful, but mainly for seeing your current competition. Keep the comparison narrow by area, property type, size and condition; a broad Paris average can hide more than it reveals.

 

[SmallGlass]

What stage are you at: setting the initial price, already listed, or considering whether to renovate first? Also, are you comparing properties in one arrondissement or across Paris? Those details would change which discussions are most useful.

 

[grain.brisk]

Cross-market comparisons are interesting, but I’d be careful with transaction costs. A headline sale price does not tell you which costs fell to the buyer or seller, or how local procedures shaped negotiations. Compare the structure of a transaction rather than assuming the apparent price gap means the same thing in Madrid, Paris or elsewhere.

 

[plantsAndLoft]

A simple spreadsheet may be more useful than hunting for one perfect dataset. Give advertised and completed prices separate columns, then record location, floor area, condition, floor, outdoor space and the relevant date where those details are available. Leave unknowns blank rather than estimating them. That makes it easier to see whether two supposed comparables are actually comparable.

 

[ari_sky]

I’d add mortgage comparisons, even though you’re the seller. Financing conditions can affect what buyers are able or willing to offer, so an old completed sale and a current listing may reflect different buyer constraints. I wouldn’t use that to predict a precise discount, but it is useful context.

 

[dev_keys]

One missing fact is whether the property is vacant, owner-occupied or rented. That can affect which comparisons and legal-checklist threads matter. If it is rented, generic vacant-apartment listings may not be the most informative competition. Keep any legal conclusions specific to France and confirm them for the actual property rather than relying on an international discussion.

 

[ari_sky]

I agree with Jin’s split between asking and completed prices, but not every feature deserves a numerical adjustment. Renovation quality is especially hard to reduce to a fixed amount from photos. Use the spreadsheet to identify a sensible range, then compare that with several local opinions and the response to similar live listings.

 

[creek.fair]

For practical next steps, I’d read in this order: local market-data discussions, transaction costs, renovation, then the France-specific legal checklist. Build your comparable set alongside that reading. Record why you excluded a listing or sale; otherwise weak comparisons tend to creep back into the calculation later.

 

[saveThePage]

And when you post in the local board, anonymise the address but include enough detail to get useful replies: arrondissement, approximate size, condition, occupancy, and whether you are pricing now or only researching. Members can then challenge the comparison set rather than debating a citywide figure that may not fit your property.