What begins as a deep and searching sociological investigation that takes pains to contextualize the practices of its subjects blossoms into a new and original contribution to the sociology of housing markets.

At a time when more than half of all French households own their own housing, and issues of real estate take up ever more space in the conversation, little is yet known about the way actors in real estate markets make their choices. Real estate agents, among the main actors in housing markets, remain little understood and infrequently studied.
This work demonstrates how real estate agents develop the framework of a real estate transaction, both through sales techniques that tend to promote a certain social proximity to their clientele, and through aspects of service and advice that inform property decisions and buyers' residential choices.