Archive · 9 Aug 2025
Parisian Apartments on Sale for Reduced Prices Explained
In Paris, you can buy an apartment for a lower price, but the elderly seller keeps living there.
You pay them monthly until they pass away.
There are two options: the owner can stay or move out.
It's a mix of real estate and chance, letting you buy property for less, with the wait time depending on the seller's age.
It's an old practice, dating back to Roman times.
Viager sales involve purchasing property in Paris for less than market value.
Buyers make monthly payments to sellers, who continue living in the home.
The price can be as low as half the property's market value.
Viager sales have two types: viager occupe, where the seller lives in the home, and viager libre, where the buyer can move in.
The practice of viager sales dates back to Roman times.
- Who
- Elderly homeowners selling their properties and buyers.
- What
- Viager sales, a real estate practice where buyers purchase properties in Paris for less than market value.
- When
- The practice dates back to Roman times.
- Where
- Paris, specifically areas like Saint-Germain-des-Prés and Le Marais.
- Why
- The scheme allows buyers to purchase property at a lower price in exchange for monthly payments and the right to the property after the seller's death.
- Sale Type
- Viager
- Location
- Paris
- Typical Seller Age
- 70s, 80s, or 90s
- Price Reduction
- Can be as low as half the market value
- Monthly Payments
- Paid by the buyer to the seller
- Viager Occupe
- Seller lives in the home
- Viager Libre
- Buyer can move in after seller moves out