What factors influence the price of a property?

Location, the number-one factor

No criterion weighs as much as location. With identical characteristics, the same flat can be worth several times more or less depending on the city, the neighbourhood, even the street. Proximity to transport, shops and schools, the area's reputation, quiet or, conversely, nuisances (traffic, railway, noisy activity) all count.

Location is a factor the owner cannot change: it is taken as a given and serves as the basis for the area's price per square metre, which the other factors then adjust.

The property's physical characteristics

A series of criteria specific to the home make the price vary, both up and down.

• Floor level and lift: in a building, a high floor served by a lift is valued (view, light, quiet); a high floor without a lift may, on the contrary, incur a discount.
• Aspect and light: a south or west aspect, good light and the absence of facing views are sought-after assets.
• General condition: a renovated property with no work needed sells for more than one to be freshened up, the buyer factoring the cost and constraints of the work into their offer.
• Outdoor space and ancillary areas: a balcony, terrace, garden, cellar, parking space or garage add value, particularly in dense urban areas.
• The quality of the co-ownership: for a flat, the building's condition, the amount of the charges and the absence of heavy voted works influence the price.

The DPE, a factor that has become decisive

Since the reform that came into force in 2021, the energy performance certificate (DPE) classes homes from A to G and its result must appear in property listings. It has become a price criterion in its own right: for an equivalent property, a well-classed home (A to C) is valued more, whereas an energy-hungry home often incurs a discount, the buyer anticipating the cost of renovation work.

The stakes are heightened by the legal timetable for the progressive ban on renting out the most energy-hungry homes, provided for by the Climate and Resilience Law: homes classed G, then F, then E successively become non-compliant with the energy-decency criteria as the deadlines set by law arrive. This constraint weighs directly on the value of the most energy-hungry properties, notably for investors. It should be noted, however, that the timetable and thresholds may change depending on the legislation in force: always check the regulations applicable at the date of your project.