Tales from the hunt #2

Julien, Paris 2026

A Very Dark Parisian Visit

There are days when real estate doesn’t just demand excellence.

It decides to test you. Your nerves, your ability to improvise, and occasionally, your night vision.

Our client that day is Julien. He is the CEO of a major French company, used to lightning-fast trips to Paris, endless board meetings, and a solid collection of Parisian apartments already ticked off the Monopoly board.

This time, the brief is clear : 

• A large, prestigious pied-à-terre, 

• comfortable for business travel, elegant enough for high-end rentals, very high-end, 

• and above all, a way to stop regularly sleeping at his student son’s place.

The expectations are high. The kind of property where even the door handles seem to have artistic intent.

After an intense hunt, including the legal gymnastics required to allow short-term rentals year-round in Paris, we shortlist three properties. One of them will leave a lasting impression.

The Pitch-Black Showroom

Meeting point, Avenue Montaigne. We start straight at boss-level difficulty.

First property, former showrooms of a major Italian haute couture house. Rare, spectacular, completely unconventional. A jewel, waiting to be reinvented.

Julien arrives straight from a trip, cabin suitcase in hand. A suitcase whose wheels have clearly decided to retire early. A brief hesitation, a quick solution, suitcase secured.

The visit can begin. Almost.

On site, we discover that the previous tenant, likely still under the influence of Fashion Week, has cut the electricity. Without warning, no lights.

We go up anyway.

A majestic marble staircase, walked on just two weeks earlier by Emily in Paris, season six, briefly inspires us to consider adding a British accent to the conversation.

At the door, a moment of hope. The switch. Click. Nothing.

We are now standing in a showroom worth over ten million euros, vast, full of potential, and entirely pitch black.

Important detail, a showroom is essentially made of mirrors. Everywhere.

Walls reflect.

Floors reflect.

Ceilings send the light straight back into your eyes.

The result is a real-estate version of laser tag, with the added challenge of imagining a layout no one can actually see.

We try one last move, opening the windows. Immediate response from the universe, façade renovation. All windows are sealed. No natural light. No balcony. No view over Avenue Montaigne. No Eiffel Tower. Just darkness.

Final attempt, a hidden switch, a forgotten socket, a rogue generator.

After opening forty-two cupboards, we surrender. The visit continues by flashlight, carefully avoiding blinding Julien every few seconds.

Miraculously, Julien remains cheerful. He knows this is unusual, and two more visits await.

The Short-Term Rental Apartments

Ten minutes later, still motivated and still accompanied by the suitcase with rebellious wheels, we arrive at the second building. Two apartments operated as short-term rentals.

The owner is present. Good news.

Then, very calmly, he says he does not have the access codes and will call the concierge.

The concierge, unsurprisingly, had no idea visits were planned. To make matters better, one of the apartments is occupied by tourists.

After several calls, some diplomacy, and marathon-level persistence, we finally obtain the codes. Top floor.

Apartment one

Clean. Tidy. Pleasant. Julien exhales.

Until he notices that one of the lights does not work. Again.

Still, the essentials are there. The potential too.

Julien starts projecting himself. We discuss improvements with the owner, ways to elevate the experience to true high-end standards. Julien is convinced. A glance is enough. We agree. One apartment remains, just across the hall.

Apartment two

The tourists agree to the visit. They left five minutes ago.

The scene is raw and unfiltered.

Clothes on the floor.

An exploded vanity case with open Chanel products.

Cigarette cartons on the table.

Shoes abandoned as if after a rushed escape.

And the unmistakable smell of real life. Very real.

A full immersion into the private lives of complete strangers.

After ten minutes, Julien decides. The first apartment wins.

Hunting Day Debrief

Three visits. Three atmospheres.

A client balancing surprise, amusement, and clarity.

Julien wants to move forward with his favourite apartment, but the legal framework is not strong enough. We advise him not to rush. Next stop already planned, Boulevard Saint-Germain.

The perfect property does not exist. Perfect conditions do.

For Julien, it is about vision, usage, projection, and rental strategy. We take our time.

As for the first property, the showroom in total darkness, it was eventually sold to someone else. Proof that even in pitch black, some people still recognise potential.

What did we learn that day?

A visit can go badly.

A hunt never does.

And in the end, true luxury is simply when the light switch works.

_________

Our client hunts deserve to be told. Like Julien’s — or Jules & Nathalie’s in Corsica.

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