Essentially, you have two choices when your goal is to purchase a flat in Paris: do it yourself, or pay an expert to search for you.

Doing it yourself

Do you have a lot of spare time, and a high frustration level? If so, doing it yourself may be the way to find your Paris dream apartment. This is the age of the Internet, and there are literally hundreds of websites that offer Paris apartments for sale. On these sites you can find facts and photos of apartments for sale. There are sites like www.bellesdemeures.com where agencies list their best properties. To find apartments being sold direct by owners, visit www.pap.fr.

Review the listings of Paris apartments offered for sale – you will find hundreds of them. Choose which properties interest you, and use the contact form to get more information or ask for an appointment to visit.

The good news. You may pay a commission if you purchase through an agency, but you will not need to pay an extra fee for an expert to do the property search for you.

The bad news. First, be prepared to spend a lot of time and to encounter a lot of frustration. Paris agencies are notorious for being slow to respond to requests, not understanding your search needs, being skimpy on factual details and not being interested in low-budget acquisitions.

Second, France has no multi-list system. An agency will show you only its own listings. To be exposed to every apartment available for sale you will literally have to contact every agency in Paris – and there are several hundred of them.

Finally, while agents at the higher-end Paris real estate companies speak English, many agents have limited English and communication can be difficult. B. Using an expert

If you wish to avoid the time, frustration and other problems associated with the do-it- yourself method of finding an apartment to buy in Paris, you may engage a professional search agent to conduct the search for you.

A professional apartment hunter offers targeted searches of all apartments available for sale in Paris . A good professional has a vast array of agency contacts and is aware of the best private offerings.

The job of the professional apartment hunter is to conduct a search that is specifically tailored to identifying apartments for sale that conform to your budget, requirements and aesthetic preferences. Included in the search are all apartments available for sale, not just those of a few agencies.

The professional search agent selects properties based on your needs, and sends a preliminary selection of properties to the buyer for review. If the buyer needs additional facts before deciding whether an apartment is worth a visit, the search agent obtains the information. Working together, the buyer and search agent develop a list of apartments that look like good candidates for acquisition. The agent organizes appointments, and when the buyer arrives in Paris, the visits begin.

The professional remains with the buyer through the entire acquisition process, offering expertise in price negotiations, helping with a mortgage application if needed, and overseeing the entire legal process until the sale is complete.

If you wish to maximize your chances of finding the ideal Paris apartment of your dreams, far and away the best way to accomplish this mission is to engage a professional search agent to conduct a targeted search for your Paris apartment purchase.

The good news. The likelihood that your search to buy a Paris apartment will turn out well is maximized to the fullest when you hire a professional search agent. Unless you speak very good French and are willing to commit inordinate amounts of personal time, it is impossible for a regular buyer to duplicate the services a professional agent.

The bad news. The professional search agent will charge a fee, usually 3% of the negotiated sales price of the property. The fee may be higher for lower-priced properties.

Take a look here for other questions that may arise. If you have a unique situation or need to speak with an expert, contact us [link to our contact form] to discuss our consultation services.

In sum. With the right help, acquiring a property in France is neither complicated nor difficult. Once you own the property, property taxes and maintenance costs are substantially lower than in many Western countries.

Based on conversations we have had with hundreds of owners who have bought a Paris apartment or other secondary home or investment property in France, we can tell you with total assurance that it is one decision you will never regret.