The French real estate market is entering a phase of normalization after several years of turbulence regarding credit rates. Prices are stabilizing in most areas, and financing conditions, although more demanding than before 2022, are becoming clearer again. For those looking to buy or sell a home, this period offers a more predictable framework, but it also requires more careful preparation than when low rates almost compensated for everything.
EPC and property value: the criterion that weighs on both sale and purchase prices
The usual content on real estate projects addresses budget, credit, and negotiation. Few focus on a factor that has become crucial in price formation: the energy performance of the property.
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Properties rated A or B in the energy performance diagnosis can benefit from a premium upon resale. Conversely, a poorly rated property suffers a depreciation that is increasing, particularly because buyers anticipate the cost of renovation work and regulatory restrictions on renting.
For a seller, having an EPC done even before setting the price allows for strategy adjustment: undertaking targeted work to improve the rating by one class, or incorporating the depreciation into the displayed price to avoid endless negotiations.
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For a buyer, the EPC becomes a concrete negotiation lever, not just a simple administrative document. A property rated F provides a margin for discussion that a property rated A does not. Portals like https://www.immoplanet.fr/ facilitate the comparison between listings by displaying this data, making sorting quicker.
Strong financial dossier: an advantage in negotiation, not a formality
Most real estate guides advise calculating your budget and consulting a broker. This advice remains valid, but it masks a change in context. Financing remains more demanding despite the stabilization of rates, and banks scrutinize applications with increased attention to disposable income, personal contribution, and professional stability.
A loan application completed before viewings is not only useful to know how much to borrow. In front of a seller receiving multiple offers, a buyer whose financing is already validated by a bank has a concrete advantage. The seller perceives less risk of transaction failure, which can sway their choice even at the same price.
What banks prioritize
- The debt-to-income ratio after purchase, calculated on net income and including all ongoing credit charges, including any auto or consumer loans
- The personal contribution, which reassures about saving capacity and reduces risk for the lending institution
- The stability of income over recent years, with particular attention to independent or fixed-term contract profiles
Preparing these elements in advance, before triggering any viewings, transforms the buyer’s posture. Bank credibility has become a negotiation tool, not a passive prerequisite.
Simultaneous sale and purchase: timing as the main risk
When selling one’s primary residence to buy another, the synchronization of the two operations remains the most underestimated friction point. Selling first secures financing and gives a position as a buyer without a suspensive condition of sale. Buying first prevents being left without housing but exposes one to a bridging loan whose cost weighs heavily if the sale drags on.
Field feedback diverges on the best sequence, as it depends on the tension of the local market. In an area where properties sell quickly, selling first is less risky. In a sector where stock is abundant and selling times are long, buying first can be justified if the bridging loan remains manageable.
Substitution clause and suspensive condition of sale
Two legal mechanisms help reduce risk. The suspensive condition of sale, inserted into the purchase agreement, ties the acquisition to the effective sale of the previous property. The seller of the new property must accept this clause, which is not always guaranteed in a tight market.
The substitution clause, less known, allows an investor to sign a purchase agreement and then be replaced by a real estate company or a third party. It does not apply to all projects, but it offers useful flexibility in certain asset arrangements.
Setting the sale price of a property: what local comparison reveals
The price of a property is not determined solely from an online estimate. Automated tools provide a range, rarely a real market price. The DVF database (Demand for Land Values), accessible for free, allows consultation of actual sale prices recorded by notaries within a given perimeter.
A seller who cross-references DVF data with the actual state of their property (surface area, floor, exposure, EPC) and the observed selling times in their neighborhood positions themselves at a coherent price. Overestimating the price extends the selling time and often results in a larger drop than the initially targeted margin.
For a buyer, this same database serves to verify whether the displayed price corresponds to recent transactions in the area. The gap between the displayed price and the signed price varies by area, and knowing actual sales provides a factual argument in negotiation.
The selection of the property regains importance in a stabilized market. The expectation of a general price drop is no longer a strategy in itself: it is the intrinsic quality of the housing (location, energy performance, general condition) that determines its ability to retain value in the coming years. Whether the project concerns a primary residence or a first purchase, this framework remains the most reliable for arbitrating between two properties at a similar price.