Online Valuation or On-Site Market Appraisal: How to Choose?

Property Valuation: What Data Can (and Cannot) Do

Today, any property owner can obtain an automatic online valuation in seconds. These tools promise an “instant price” based on recorded sales. Convenient and fast… but often misleading.

An online valuation is not a market appraisal. It does not consider the essential elements that, in Paris, can shift the price by more than 25%: natural light, layout, building quality, or even buyers’ perceptions.

At Fairway Luxury Real Estate, data is a starting point—not the truth. Numbers provide numbers. Only real estate agents provide real human feedback: budgets, reactions, preferences, trends.

It is the combination of data and field insight that leads to the right price.

Online Valuation: Statistical Tool, Not Expertise

Online platforms cross-reference public data and calculate averages.

But an algorithm does not know that:

1. the living room is bright in the afternoon,
2. the view is open,
3. the building façade was recently renovated,
4. the layout is exceptional (or problematic).

It also ignores what buyers really think: their priorities, objections, deal-breakers, and emotional triggers.

An automatic valuation gives a generic price, but a property sells based on its unique features.

On-Site Market Appraisal: Where Data Meets Human Perception

A market appraisal is based on direct observation, comparable sales and—above all—real buyer reactions.

At Fairway, we listen to what buyers actually say:

1. their true budgets (often different from what they declare online),
2. their reactions during viewings,
3. current trends in Paris (light, floor plan, balcony, energy rating…).

None of this appears in any database. It reflects the psychology of the Paris property market, which evolves every season.

This constant interaction between data and human insight is what makes a Fairway appraisal uniquely accurate.

The Limits of a Digital-Only Approach

Relying exclusively on online tools leads to three major risks:

1. A false sense of accuracy
A price displayed to the exact euro looks precise, but rarely matches reality.

2. Lack of context
A machine cannot understand why two identical apartments “on paper” may differ by 15%.

3. Lost financial opportunity
Pricing too high eliminates qualified buyers.
Pricing too low means losing money.

The Paris market is driven by human behaviour, not equations.

The Fairway Method: Combining Data With Field Expertise

Our valuation method is built on three pillars:

● Scientific data analysis
Notary databases, DVF, Bercail, MeilleursAgents Pro.

● Human observation
Light, floor plan, building quality, buyer perceptions, direct comparables.

● Strategic coherence
Positioning the property according to its segment, location and real demand.

Data provides the foundation.
Field knowledge provides the nuance.
Together, they ensure a fair, strategic and defendable price.

Key Takeaways Before Choosing Your Valuation Method

Online tools offer an indication.
An on-site appraisal offers direction.

At Fairway Luxury Real Estate, we confront data with what buyers truly see, say and pay.

An algorithm calculates.
An agent listens, interprets and adjusts.

This is exactly what makes a Fairway appraisal so valuable.

Hugues de Poulpiquet
Director – Fairway Luxury Real Estate
Specialist in family apartments & luxury properties in Paris
Expertise – Methodology – Market Insight