Best real estate hunters to buy in France: comparison

Buying real estate, whether it's your main residence or an investment, can quickly become an obstacle course. Between the apartments that leave in a few hours, the disappointing visits, the unresponsive sellers, or even the bank files to anticipate, it is easy to waste time, energy... and sometimes money.

That's where the real estate hunter comes in. This professional does not just look for a property for you: he secures the purchase, saves you time and optimizes each step of the process. But you still have to choose the right one.

In this article, I compare for you the best real estate hunters to buy in France : MeCaza, My Real Estate Hunter, Homelike Home, but also specialists like Tell me about Paris, Rare Pearl or Cosim. I review their rates, areas of intervention, types of customers, advantages and limitations, to help you make the right choice according to your project and your budget. It's gone.

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#1 MeCaza

Mecaza is distinguished by its comprehensive offer, adapted to all buyer profiles, from first-time buyers to investors.

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Rates:

• Exclusive mandate: 2.5% of the purchase price, starting at €7,900.
• Simple mandate: 3.5%, starting from 9,900€, a mandate for people who are not in a hurry and want to bring the competition into play.
• Purchase in new condition: service offered, because Mecaza is paid by the promoter you have chosen.
• Fixed package at 4990€ for investors. For rental purchase projects with a budget of €100K to €200k.
• The payment is due to the success, to the signing of the authentic act at the notary.

Location:
Mecaza is everywhere in France as well as in the big cities of Spain. Mecaza operates in large cities such as Paris, Lyon, Marseille, Marseille, Bordeaux, Nantes but also in small cities such as Le Havre, Le Mans, Dijon, etc...

Target & types of assets:
Varied customers: expatriates, serious investors, buyers of high-end properties between 2 and 10 million euros in Paris, but also buyers with smaller budgets: for example €500,000 to buy a house in the suburbs of Paris. Mecaza works on both the old and the new thanks to its partner Pierre Invest (specialist in the new).

Services included:

• Taking the brief + coaching on the market.
• Off-market offers + exclusive partnership.
• Complete verification of the property (documents, diagnoses, condominium).
• Planning and support of visits, real valuation of the property, estimation of the work, negotiation of the purchase price.
• Administrative assistance and support until the authentic act at the notary.
• Connection with trusted brokers, notaries, movers and architects.

Advantages:

• Speed: Mecaza announces a “crush” found in less than 6 weeks and less than 3 visits.
• Even customers who are not on site can buy remotely because Mecaza takes care of the visits. Ideal for expats or people who don't have time to do the research.
• Transparent pricing with an opportunity to buy new because the fees are offered for the client.
• Attractive package for investors who want to build up real estate assets. MeCaza is on average twice as expensive as competitors like Beanstock.

Negative points:

• The cost of a real estate hunter can be high for small budgets. But also for people who live in rural areas where housing costs less than 100,000 euros, in this situation calling on a hunter is not interesting in view of the price of the service.

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#2 My Real Estate Hunter

Mon Chasseur Immo is one of the most mentioned names in the field. Established, renowned, with a large network of hunters.

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Rates:

• Fees between 2.5% to 3.15% of the purchase price according to the amount of the property.
• The minimum amount is €7,900 up to €250,000.
• A 10% fee must be added to this price on the total negotiated purchase price.

Location:
Very strong national presence, with hunters in all regions, especially in cities.

Target & types of assets:
Classic buyers and investors. They hunt for all types of goods, especially in the old ones.

Services:

• Research and visits.
• Price negotiation, document checks.
• Support in administrative procedures up to signature at the notary.

Advantages:

• Price transparency, payment only upon success.
• National presence.
• Excellent reputation because it has been present on the market for more than 10 years.

Negative points:

• For small properties or a moderate budget, the fees are quite high.
• The fees are calculated on the FAI price, i.e. with agency fees included. So Mon Chasseur Immo is more expensive than Mecaza because Mecaza calculates its fees on the purchase price excluding agency fees.

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#3 Homelike Home

Homelike Home has been present for 20 years in France on the rental and transaction market. They recently opened a coliving/roommate and rental investment service.

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Rates:

HomelikeHome accepts purchase projects from €350,000 in Paris and €200,000 in the provinces.
Their fee is a% of the amount of the purchase price + agency fees and varies from 2.90% (up to €600,000) to 1% (for properties over €2,500,000).

The prices for rental investment are the same as for the purchase of a primary or secondary residence.

Location:
Presence in several French cities: Paris, Bordeaux, Marseille, Dijon, etc.

Target & types of assets:
Classic buyers and investors. They hunt for all types of goods, especially in the old ones.

Advantages:

• Presence in the big cities of France.
• Expertise for over 20 years.

Negative points:

• High price, especially on rental investments.

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#4 Rare Pearl

Rare Pearl specializes in high-end real estate hunting in Paris. The company targets wealthy customers looking for exceptional properties that are often furnished, well located and carefully decorated.

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Rates:

• The fees are a percentage of the purchase price, from 4.5% (up to €300,000) of the price of the property to 2% (for properties over 2 million euros).
• Payment to success, to the Signature of the lease.

Location:
Perle Rare focuses all its activity on Intra-muros Paris. The agency does not operate in the suburbs or in the provinces.

Target & types of assets:
Perle Rare aims at expatriates, managers, foreign investors, or wealthy Parisians. The type of property you are looking for is still upstanding with very beautiful finishes.

Services included:

• Research and visits.
• Price negotiation, document checks.
• Support in administrative procedures up to signature at the notary.

Advantages:

• Ideal for those looking for an upscale Parisian home.

Negative points:

• Very high fees compared to the market average.
• Service strictly limited to Paris intramural.

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#5 Tell me about Paris

Tell me about Paris is a real estate hunting firm specialized in the acquisition of property in Paris since 2009.

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Rates:

• The fees are a percentage calculated on the purchase price of the property + agency fees with a minimum of 12,000€.
• The price list starts at 2.8% of fees up to €1,000,000, then the price is decreasing to 1.5% for a property worth more than €3,000,000.

Location:
The service is exclusively available on Paris, first and second crowns.

Target & types of assets:
The firm assists French and international clients in the search for a main residence, a second home or to invest.

Services included:

• Strategic advice on Parisian neighborhoods.
• Visit, legal verification, banking support.
• Support until the final signature.
• Connection with partners: notary, broker, architect.

Advantages:

• Expertise in the local Parisian market since 2009 at the time of acquisition.

Negative points:

• Service limited to paris And suburbs 2nd crown.
• ‍Very high fees compared to the market average, especially for investors.
• Less “rental investment” oriented.

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#6 I dream of a house

I dream of a house has specialized in real estate hunting for acquisition in Ile de France since 2014.

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Rates:

• The fees are a percentage calculated on the purchase price of the property with a minimum of €12,000 up to €500,000, then 2.5% from 500,000 to €2,000,000 then decreases to 2% beyond that.

Location:
I dream of a house is focused on Paris and the Ile de France in general.

Target & types of assets:

I dream of a house is aimed at buyers who want to acquire a primary or secondary residence.

Services included:

• Select properties, advice, carry out visits.
• Administrative and legal assistance.
• Negotiation of the price and support until the final signature.

Advantages:

• Established since 2014, good local knowledge of Paris and its suburbs.

Negative points:

• Service limited to paris and the Île de France.
• ‍Very high fees compared to the market average, especially for investors.
• Less “rental investment” oriented.

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Conclusion

Following this comparison of 6 real estate hunting companies to the transaction in Paris and France. Depending on your budget, your acquisition strategy and the desired location of the property, all you have to do is make your choice for your next real estate project!