In France’s DVF property database, a “mutation” is a recorded real-estate transaction or transfer—not a renovation or other physical change. Its recorded price can help you compare properties, but calculating a price per square metre requires a suitable price and a matching area measure. That result is an analysis, not an official DVF valuation.
What “mutation” means in DVF
DVF (Demandes de valeurs foncières) is a French property-transaction database produced by the tax administration, DGFiP, from notarial and cadastral information. A mutation is a transfer recorded in those data. It can represent an ordinary sale, but also an adjudication, expropriation or exchange; the word does not describe work carried out on a property. The Ministry of Economy’s DVF explainer describes the information displayed, including transaction date, property type, rooms, surface and prices.
What price does DVF show?
The price shown is a net-seller transaction price, not the buyer’s total outlay. According to the official DVF explorer FAQ, it excludes agency fees and notary fees, excludes furniture sold with the property, and includes VAT. Do not treat it as an all-in purchase cost or add those excluded charges unless you are deliberately estimating a different figure.
How to calculate a price per square metre
The basic calculation is:
Price per square metre = relevant transaction price ÷ relevant surface area
Free tools Windows power users keep installed
One-click scans. No signup required.
#1 Best Overall
- PROTECTIVE HINGED COVER: Features a hinged, hard cover that protects the keys and display when stored, making this handheld calculator durable and easy to carry safely.
- DUAL-POWER SOURCE: Runs on solar energy with a battery backup, ensuring consistent and reliable use in any lighting condition or environment.
- LCD SCREEN SIZE: The 2-inch screen size, 8-digit LCD screen clearly shows each digit, helping to prevent reading errors and making numbers easy to read at a glance.
- CONVENIENT FUNCTION KEYS: Includes a 3-key independent memory, square root key, change sign key, automatic power down, and more to provide efficient, reliable everyday math.
- TRUSTED BY WORKPLACES FOR DECADES: Sharp has been a dependable name in office calculation for generations — practical tools built around the way people actually work.
This is an analyst’s calculation, not necessarily a dedicated official DVF field. The numerator and denominator must describe the same property or a carefully selected comparable set. For instance, dividing the price of a transfer covering several properties by the area of just one unit would not produce a meaningful unit price unless the total price is defensibly allocated.
Use the right area definition
DVF’s displayed area is real built area, not necessarily an apartment’s Carrez area. The explorer FAQ says Carrez data are sporadic and have no legal value in the application. Because changing the denominator changes the result, state which surface measure you used and avoid comparing figures calculated from unlike area definitions.
Rank #2
- HIGH PRECISION ACCURACY: The Handheld GPS Survey Location Tool adopts for U‑BLOX chip, equipped with GPS positioning system, with precise measurement, small error and high precision+ GLONASS coverage for reliable surveying around the world, support for fast positioning and a reliable signal,area measurement error in 0.003 acres,it cannot be used for saving waypoints and navigation
- PORTABLE DESIGN: This handheld gps has a weight of approximately 180g/6.3oz and is compact, equipped with a lanyard,making it easy to carry. Adopts humanized groove design, easy to hold and not easy to fall off when using
- LED BACKLIGHT DISPLAY: Our property surveying tool uses LED backlight display, and the measurement results can be directly displayed on the screen for easy observation. The full screen displays real-time track, real-time accuracy, latitude, altitude and other navigation positioning information, and combines GPS positioning data to restore the walking track path in real time
- MULTIPLE MEASUREMENT METHODS: Our handheld gps land meter supports manual fixed-point measurement, length and width measurement, airborne measurement, distance measurement and other methods, and stores up to 50 records; built-in 3.7V 3500mAh lithium battery (not a button cell battery) for long-term use without frequent charging, and equipped with a USB charging cable, which can be charged at any time
- !!! PLEASE NOTE: Please search satellite signals in an open outdoor area before using this device and there is no signal can be found indoors.When the signal value in the upper left corner of the device screen is below 1 m, start measuring to ensure the accuracy of this device
Check that the transaction is suitable
For an individual property estimate, compare nearby transactions that resemble the property in type, location, construction period, surface basis and ownership rights. Also check whether a record concerns one property or several. Land, apartments and complex transfers may not have directly comparable price and area fields.
The DGFiP’s Patrim comparison guide explains that its service returns simple transactions with sufficiently homogeneous characteristics. It excludes complex transfers, gratuitous transfers and transfers involving rights other than full ownership. These filters help avoid treating unlike transactions as direct comparables.
How to interpret a DVF comparison
A transaction is evidence of a past transfer, not proof of a property’s exact current value. A single price-per-square-metre calculation may be useful as a reference, but it does not account for every difference between properties or establish a definitive appraisal. The government recommends using similar properties when estimating market value; DVF also displays median prices by geography, which are broader context rather than a precise estimate for an individual home.
- Prefer several similar nearby transactions over one convenient but dissimilar record.
- Keep property type and surface definition consistent.
- Check whether the record reflects full ownership and a single property.
- Distinguish a transaction’s net-seller price from the buyer’s total cost.
Coverage, update timing and records that seem missing
The Ministry’s service page says DVF covers transactions from the previous five years and is updated twice a year, in April and October. It currently lists Bas-Rhin, Haut-Rhin, Moselle and Mayotte as not covered. Check the service’s stated coverage before drawing conclusions about a location.
Rank #4
The DVF FAQ says the April delivery includes transactions through the preceding December, while the October delivery includes transactions through the end of June in that year. Later deliveries may add records for earlier periods. A transaction can also be delayed or fail to appear on the map if its parcel identifier cannot be matched to the cadastral map; municipality mergers can create apparent gaps. An absent map marker therefore does not, by itself, prove that no transaction was recorded. If the map looks incomplete, consult the raw data as well.
Use the data responsibly
DVF helps readers examine recorded transactions, but its records may not provide a like-for-like comparison or the current value of a specific property. Public DVF usage rules also prohibit reuse whose purpose or effect would enable identification of the people concerned. Use the information for property analysis without trying to identify parties to a transaction.
The Tool Desk
Outbyte PC Repair FREERepair Windows errors before they cause bigger problemsFix Now →Outbyte Driver Updater FREEScan for outdated or missing drivers - takes under a minuteDriver Scan →Quick Recap
Product prices and availability are accurate as of the date/time indicated and are subject to change. Any price and availability information displayed on Amazon at the time of purchase will apply.
