Exceptional residences in Paris and its surrounding area
A niche market encompassing the finest homes in the capital and its surrounding area, the “exceptional” is still the stuff that dreams are made of, though only accessible for the lucky few. From private mansions to remarkable residences, this insiders’ market with its own protocols is comprised of properties with highly desirable attributes guaranteeing an art of living both luxurious and refined.
In addition to their elegance, exceptional residences, as beautiful to look at as to live in, offer advantages beyond the value of their stone : they represent a privileged art of living, as explained by Alexandre Moisset, CEO of the Mobilis group : “On this specific market, you are not merely selling a property, but presenting a way of life. The acquisition of an outstanding home is always the end-result of in-depth reflection, even for a clientele with substantial means. This reflection naturally takes the property into account, but also its environment. To present this category of properties in the clearest and most comprehensive way, we use HD photos taken by a professional photographer, videos, screenings of the plans in 3D, and even drones, allowing us to propose virtual tours of the residence and its surroundings. For each property, our marketing team also indicates the property’s closeness to the best schools, star-rated restaurants, renowned food and grocery stores etc., to give the best possible idea of the buyer’s future life-style. Today, clients who can afford to acquire this type of property worth several million euros are highly appreciative of these services. All these proceedings take time, which is another characteristic of exceptional properties, whose sales take from 6 months to 1 year on average to complete. Another factor is of a seasonal nature, especially for residences and mansions benefiting from gardens : in fine weather, buyers can imagine themselves more easily in a sunny, flower-filled outdoor setting”.
These exceptional properties offering self-evident beauty, the comfort and spaciousness of rooms several dozen square metres each, are also coveted for their outdoor areas, as pointed out by Laurent Visciglio, director of the Daniel Féau Paris Ouest agency : “For this market, we target a vast area encompassing Saint-Cloud, Garches, Vaucresson, Rueil Malmaison, and as far as Versailles and Saint-Germain-en-Laye. If these communes are in high demand, it is because they offer sublime houses in private parks with wardens, such as the Parc de Montretout in Saint-Cloud, that of Marne-la-Coquette (the wealthiest commune in France), and the Parc de Malmaison in Rueil. Their grounds ranging from 2,000 to 4,000 m2 or more ensure an exceptionally pleasant life-style at the entrance to Paris, highly prized by celebrities in search of peacefulness and privacy (Alain Prost, Johnny Halliday and Hugues Aufray, to mention just a few, have, or have had, residences here). The presence of reputable international schools such as the American School and Deutsche Schule Paris is an additional asset for foreign clients. Then one can add the proximity of La Défense and immediate access to motorways taking them to the airports. Finally, on these communes, you can find as many historic residences as superb houses designed by architects, making it possible to meet the tastes of a wide variety of buyers”.
The “exceptional” can in fact derive from a property’s past, its style, ambiance, view, personality or prestige, all factors that are inevitably found in the promotion of these noble homes. According to Numa Privat, negotiator with Sotheby’s Propriétés Parisiennes : “These insider properties benefit in advance from special handling and exclusive dissemination among a number of pre-defined clients. In our agencies, exceptional properties are not presented like the others to the general public, and are not posted on our website. Once they are sold, we are also required to maintain the greatest discretion : we never give the address, nor the exact price. Exceptional properties are, however, not always characterized by their size : a top-floor apartment of 80 m2 in Saint-Germain-des-Prés, offering a stunning view of Paris, will fall into the category of exceptional properties, along with a private mansion of 400 m2 surrounded by a garden. On the other hand, the constant factor is a high price per sq. metre, which can attain 30,000 € for the rarest properties. On this market, French buyers are again much in evidence, together with clients from the Middle East (Qatar, United Arab Emirates…), who are still underpinning the market, whereas the Russians have virtually disappeared”.
