Student housing: a stressful search and a saturated market

You are well aware of this if one of your loved ones is affected. It's the peak apartment search period for students. Since the beginning of July and the results of the baccalaureate in particular, young people and their families have spent time, often a lot of time, examining real estate sites to find an acceptable studio. And it's even more difficult when you're not there.

There is only one Crous subsidized accommodation for 17 students on average, many of them therefore resort to private rental housing. And these searches are often long and tedious, as in Paris, Bordeaux, Lyon, Marseille, Montpellier, Toulouse, Strasbourg, Lille, or even Grenoble, a historically very student city. “This one is the only studio in which there is a sofa bed, this one is the most modern in terms of decoration,” says the real estate agent. The visits follow one another in these studios, built in the same residence. “If you tell me you are potentially interested, I can send you the link,” she adds.

“This is the first complete file to arrive at the agency that has the apartment.”

A real estate agent to people who are visiting a home

Peggy and Vincent have been looking for an apartment for several weeks now for their daughter Emy, who is going to start a psychology degree. They come from Chambéry, an hour from Grenoble. "We did a lot of research because we had cancellations, the accommodations had been filled in the meantime," says Peggy. "There are a lot of files to do before the visits.

Real estate agencies are recruiting for the summer

A stressful time for families, especially when you don't know the city well. In addition, you have to decide very quickly. When you enter a real estate agency, you realize that the activity is dense. “It’s a bit complicated for us to offer you an appointment the same day or the day before for the next day,” explains a real estate agent over the phone.

The calls are continuous, testifies Rachel Braymand, one of the managers of the Delphine Teillaud agency. “We no longer count them,” she admits. The advisors provide around thirty visits per day, a studio can find a buyer in 24 to 48 hours. “It’s very fast, you have to be reactive.” This is why the agency is hiring additional staff: specifically for this summer period, the team is almost doubled. “Over the summer, we recruit three to four additional people to be responsive to visit requests,” explains Rachel Braymand.

“It’s one of the busiest periods of the year. Over four months, we will make 50% of the year’s figure: June, July, August and September.”

Rachel Braymand, real estate agent at franceinfo