Normi / English Guide
Research French Property Prices
in English, with AI
Normi gives you direct access to the official French property transaction database (DVF) — 17 million+ sales since 2014 — through a conversational AI interface. No French required.
What property data exists in France?
France has one of the most transparent property markets in Europe when it comes to transaction data. Every sale is recorded by the tax authority and made publicly available. Here's how it compares to what you might know:
| Country | Equivalent | Notes |
|---|---|---|
| France | DVF (Demandes de Valeurs Foncières) | Full coverage since 2014, open licence, 17M+ transactions |
| UK | Land Registry Price Paid Data | Similar scope, since 1995, also public |
| US | County deed records | Fragmented by county, varying access and quality |
| Germany | Kaufpreissammlungen | Held by state Gutachterausschüsse, limited public access |
| Belgium | SPF Finances real estate data | Available but less granular than DVF |
What DVF can — and cannot — tell you
What you CAN find out
- ✓What any given property sold for (year, price, surface area)
- ✓Median and average price per m² by commune, postcode, or arrondissement
- ✓Price trends over the last 10 years for any area
- ✓Transaction volume (how many sales happened, by type and area)
- ✓Whether a specific address has sold before and at what price
- ✓Comparable recent sales near a target property
What you CANNOT find out
- ✗Current asking prices (DVF is historical sales only)
- ✗Rental prices or yields
- ✗Who currently owns a property
- ✗Energy performance rating (DPE) — separate dataset
- ✗Mortgage details or financing terms
- ✗Condition, renovation history, or photos
French administrative geography — quick reference
France's geography is hierarchical. Understanding it helps you search correctly.
Régions
13 (metro)
e.g. Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes, Île-de-France
Largest administrative unit. Less useful for property search.
Départements
96 (metro) + 5 overseas
e.g. 75 Paris, 69 Rhône, 13 Bouches-du-Rhône
Numbered 01-95 + 2A/2B. The key filter for heatmaps.
Communes
~35,000
e.g. Lyon, Chamonix-Mont-Blanc, Saint-Tropez
Most precise filter. Paris/Lyon/Marseille divided into arrondissements.
Paris specifics: Paris is divided into 20 arrondissements. In Normi's database, they are stored as "PARIS 01", "PARIS 02", etc. Lyon has 9 arrondissements (LYON 01–09), Marseille has 16 (MARSEILLE 01–16).
How to use Normi as a foreign buyer
1
Create an account and get a token
Sign up at normi.fr, go to Dashboard → Tokens, and create your first API token. You get free credits to start.
2
Connect to Claude Desktop or VS Code
Add the Normi MCP server to your Claude Desktop config or use the VS Code extension. Full instructions on the tokens page.
3
Ask questions in plain English
Open Claude and ask: "What is the median price per m² for 2-bedroom apartments in Nice?" or "Show me price trends in Biarritz over the last 5 years." Normi answers with real data.
Example questions you can ask
“What's the average price per m² for apartments in Paris 11th arrondissement?”
“How have property prices in Lyon changed over the last 5 years?”
“Find comparable sales to a 3-bed house of 120m² in Bordeaux”
“What is the most affordable département for houses under €300,000?”
“Show me all apartment sales in Annecy last year under €500,000”
“Is the Côte d'Azur property market hot or slow right now?”
“What did properties sell for near the Eiffel Tower in 2023?”
“Compare property prices in Toulouse, Montpellier and Nantes”
Frequently asked questions
What is DVF and why does it matter?↓
DVF (Demandes de Valeurs Foncières) is the French government's official record of every property sale since 2014. Published by the DGFiP (French Tax Authority) under an open licence, it covers 17M+ transactions. Unlike many countries, France makes this fully public — you can look up what any property sold for, when, and at what price per m².
How does DVF compare to UK Land Registry or US property records?↓
It's very similar to the UK Land Registry Price Paid Data in scope: both record sale prices for all residential and commercial transactions. It's more comprehensive than most US county records in terms of national coverage and data consistency. Key difference: DVF records are public immediately after publication (no FOIA required), but buyer/seller names are anonymised.
Can I look up prices by neighbourhood or street?↓
Yes. You can search by commune (village/city), postcode, arrondissement (for Paris/Lyon/Marseille), or even by specific address to see what a property sold for in the past. Normi returns results with median and average price per m², transaction count, and date range.
Does DVF cover all of France?↓
Almost all. It covers metropolitan France (96 departments) plus overseas territories (Guadeloupe, Martinique, French Guiana, La Réunion, Mayotte). One exception: the Alsace-Moselle region (departments 67, 68, 57) uses a different land registration system inherited from German law, so coverage there is partial.
Is rental price data available?↓
No. DVF records only property sales (mutations), not rentals. Rental data in France is fragmented and not publicly available at the same granularity. For rental estimates, you would need to use private sources (SeLoger, PAP, etc.).
What is a 'notaire' and why do all French sales go through one?↓
A notaire (notary) is a public officer required by French law for all property transactions. Unlike in the UK or US where lawyers are optional, French law mandates notarial involvement. The notaire handles due diligence, drafts the contract (compromis de vente, then acte de vente), and registers the transaction with the tax authority — which is how it ends up in DVF.
What are French administrative divisions I need to know?↓
France has 3 key levels: Régions (13 metro), Départements (96 metro, coded 01-95), and Communes (~35,000). The département code is a 2-character prefix — 75 for Paris, 69 for Lyon, 13 for Marseille. Paris, Lyon, and Marseille are split into arrondissements. Normi handles all of these as search filters.
How do I use Normi as a foreign buyer?↓
Once you have a Normi token, you can query it directly from Claude Desktop or any MCP-compatible AI. Just ask in English: 'What is the median price per m² for apartments in Lyon 6th arrondissement?' or 'Show me property sales in Bordeaux under €400,000 in the last 2 years.' Normi handles the translation to French data structures.
What is MCP and why does it matter for property research?↓
MCP (Model Context Protocol) is a standard that lets AI assistants like Claude call external data tools directly during a conversation. Instead of you manually searching property databases and copy-pasting numbers, the AI calls Normi automatically when you ask a property question. The result is a seamless research experience entirely in English.
Is Normi free?↓
Normi uses a credit-based system. You get free credits when you create an account. Additional credits are available starting at €1 for 1,000 credits. Each query costs 5-20 credits depending on complexity.
What about DPE energy ratings?↓
DPE (Diagnostic de Performance Energétique) — the French equivalent of an EPC — is a separate dataset managed by the ADEME and is not currently included in DVF or Normi. If you need DPE data, it must be requested from the seller/agent directly or via the ADEME public database.
Can I find out who owns a property?↓
DVF anonymises buyer and seller identities. You cannot find out who owns a property from DVF data. For ownership information, you would need to consult the cadastre (land registry) directly or ask a notaire to run a search.
Start researching French property prices
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