A property listing contains exactly one number: the one the seller hopes to get. Nobody has validated it. The only solid reference is what was actually signed at the notary around the same address — and in France that data is public.
1. Start from real sales, not other listings
The most common mistake is comparing a listing with other listings. If a whole neighbourhood is advertised 10% too high, the comparison merely confirms the excess. Notarised sales tell you what buyers actually paid.
These are published by the French tax authority as DVF (“Demandes de valeurs foncières”). They cover almost the whole country, except Alsace-Moselle and Mayotte, which use a different land registry.
2. Think in €/m², then correct
Divide price by surface, then compare with the median of comparable local sales. A few percent means nothing. A 15–20% gap needs an explanation — and that explanation must come from the property itself:
- high floor with a lift, versus ground floor on the street;
- actual condition: recently renovated, or works needed;
- outdoor space, parking, cellar;
- aspect, facing buildings, noise;
- service charges and works already voted by the co-ownership.
If none of these justifies the gap, you have your negotiating argument — and it has a number attached.
3. Do not trust the median alone
A median hides the spread. In an area where sales run from €4,000 to €12,000/m², the median is close to fiction: it blends properties that have nothing in common. Always look at how sales are distributed before trusting a single figure.
4. Look for the address's own history
Past sales in the same building are the hardest argument to dismiss: same building, same charges, same co-ownership. If a comparable flat sold 15% lower eighteen months ago, the discussion stops being theoretical.
5. Expensive is not the same as overpriced
A property can be expensive and correctly valued: sought-after street, top floor, recent renovation. Conversely a low price may hide a poor energy rating or voted co-ownership works. Overpriced only means more expensive than what buyers paid for an equivalent property.
Run it on a specific address
OffreJuste applies exactly this method: real sales around the address, how they are spread, the building's own history, then a verdict and a defensible offer range. Analyse an address for free.