Selling without a real estate agent is possible—and increasingly common. Around 30% of sales in France are completed directly between individuals. Here are the essential points to know before you get started.

Why sell without a real estate agency?

The main reason is financial. Real estate agency fees generally represent between 4% and 8% of the sale price—paid by the seller or the buyer, depending on the circumstances. On a property sold for €300,000, this amounts to between €12,000 and €24,000 lost. On a property priced at €800,000, the sum can exceed €50,000.

Selling without an agency means displaying a net selling price without additional fees — which makes your ad more attractive to the buyer, or allows you to maintain a more comfortable margin for negotiation.

Other common reasons include: maintaining total control of the process, managing contacts and visits yourself, or simply not wanting to delegate such an important decision to an intermediary.

What you need to manage yourself

Selling without an agent doesn't mean selling without doing anything. All the tasks usually delegated to a professional remain your responsibility:

• Have the mandatory diagnostics carried out (energy performance certificate, asbestos, electricity, termites as applicable...)
• Setting your selling price — the most delicate and decisive step
• Write and publish your ad with quality photos
• Respond to inquiries, qualify buyers, and organize viewings
• Conduct the negotiation and secure the agreement with a preliminary sales agreement at the notary's office

It's an investment of time and effort. For an organized homeowner, this process is perfectly achievable. The key is to be well-prepared—and to post your ad in the right place.

Where to publish your ad

The question of the distribution channel is central. The major generalist platforms—PAP.fr, LeBonCoin, ParuVendu—remain the benchmarks for the peer-to-peer market for everyday goods. They offer broad visibility and free or low-cost access.

For this type of property, there are specialized portals that target a qualified audience. Propriétés De Charme welcomes private owners who wish to sell without an agency, starting at €600,000. The listing is written and optimized by the portal's team — indexed on Google, and distributed to an audience in France and internationally. No commission is charged on the sale.

The price: the factor that determines everything

A failed sale without an agent is almost always a pricing issue. If it's too high, your property will remain without a buyer for months. If it's undervalued, you'll lose part of your investment. Therefore, before listing anything, you need a reliable appraisal.

For standard properties, online tools provide a general idea of ​​the market value. However, for unique or valuable properties, these tools quickly show their limitations—each property is unique, and comparable properties are rare. Propriétés De Charme offers an valuation service —a well-reasoned report, produced without any conflict of interest, to help you approach your sale with a solid price range.

Selling without an agency and selling with an agency: the two are not mutually exclusive

It is perfectly possible to entrust your property to one or more agencies on a non-exclusive basis while simultaneously publishing your own private listing. The two channels complement each other — and multiplying points of contact increases your chances of finding the right buyer as quickly as possible.

If you sell alongside an agency, your page on Propriétés De Charme will rank on Google independently of traditional portals—for search queries that agency portals don't reach. The two approaches don't interfere with each other.

To go further: tips for a successful sale between individuals — the key steps, mistakes to avoid and essential reflexes before publishing your ad.