€1,190 net
Open-market value
What the property is worth at a given date. Site visit, analysis of comparable evidence, written and reasoned report.
Valuation or estimate : what is the difference ?
An estimate and a formal valuation serve neither the same purpose nor carry the same weight.
The estimate
An estimate is an opinion of value: a professional gives an indicative price range, free of charge, to help you set an asking price. It is a commercial tool, useful for selling, but without legal weight.
The open-market valuation
An open-market valuation is a technical and written act, carried out by a qualified valuer according to a recognised methodology. It determines the true value of a property at a given date, in a reasoned and fully explained form. Where an estimate prepares a sale, a valuation produces a document to be laid before a notaire, a lawyer or the tax authorities, and placed on the file — the valuer's independence and the reasoning of the report are what give it weight.
When is it called for ?
- Inheritance Fair division between heirs, tax return.
- Divorce / separation Winding up the marital regime, value of jointly held property.
- Gift / division Anticipating a transfer with precision.
- Wealth tax & taxation A figure defensible before the authorities.
- Dispute / agreed valuation A neutral basis for settling a disagreement.
- Bank guarantee A reference value for a loan or a security.
How does a valuation proceed ?
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Defining the engagement
Together we settle the purpose of the valuation (inheritance, divorce, gift, dispute…), the property concerned and the valuation date adopted.
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Summoning the parties
Where several parties are involved, I summon them by recorded delivery, so that the valuation is adversarial and each may attend the proceedings.
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Inspection and survey
A detailed inspection on site: measurements, condition, fittings, surroundings and any constraints (easements, planning, co-ownership), in the presence of the summoned parties.
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Analysis and valuation
A study of the local market and comparable sales, then the application of several recognised valuation methods to arrive at a reasoned figure.
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Delivery of the report
A written, dated and reasoned report concluding on the open-market value of the property, delivered to each of the parties concerned.
Fees
€790 net
Market rental value
The rent the property can reasonably command. Same method, same written and reasoned report.
Both, same property
€1,790 net
Open-market and rental value
Both conclusions in a single instruction : one visit, one set of comparables, two reports.
Each fee covers the site visit, the analysis and the written, reasoned report. I work across the whole of Île-de-France. Fees payable by bank transfer or in crypto-assets.
VAT not applicable, article 293 B of the French Tax Code. Any recorded-delivery costs are included. A quotation is issued before any engagement. Payment in crypto-assets, including Bitcoin, is accepted : the euro equivalent is agreed on the day of payment and appears on both quotation and invoice. This applies to valuation fees only, and is not to be confused with the price of a property in a sale : that must reach the notaire in euros, so a prior conversion remains necessary.
Are you a notaire or a solicitor ?
I work alongside notaires and family lawyers across the whole of Île-de-France, on the files where a value must be written down, reasoned and defensible — and where the timescale matters as much as the figure itself.
Notaires
Inheritance and division of assets
A reasoned open-market value as at the date of death for the inheritance declaration, or as at the date of division where property is held jointly. An adversarial report where the heirs disagree, enforceable against the tax authorities as against the parties. Where the estate sits above the wealth-tax threshold, the value adopted commits the file for years.
Solicitors
Divorce and liquidation
Valuation of jointly owned property for the liquidation of the matrimonial regime, preferential allocation or the calculation of a balancing payment. An adversarial valuation, with the parties summoned by recorded delivery, producing a reasoned value that holds up if challenged.
My undertakings
- Timescale : report delivered within 10 working days of the visit, at any time of year.
- Adversarial : parties summoned by recorded delivery, at my expense.
- Method : comparative valuation based on actual recorded sales in the area, cross-checked against a second recognised method, with the comparables set out in full in the report.
- Independence : I accept no sale instruction on a property I have valued. A signed declaration is appended to the report.
- Fees : a fixed fee known in advance, unrelated to the value of the property, with a quotation every time.
- Area : the whole of Île-de-France — Paris, Hauts-de-Seine, Essonne, Val-de-Marne and beyond. I travel to the property.
An anonymised specimen report is available on request — the quickest way to judge the quality of the work before entrusting a first file. Request the specimen report →
Request a valuation
Set out your situation in a few words, or call me on 07. 656. 75007: I will come back to you to arrange a meeting and send you a quotation.
Marie-Céline Etave Qualified property valuer I visit the property, write the report and sign it myself. You deal with one person, from the first call to the delivery of the document.