This thesis offers a comprehensive and detailed strategy aimed at enhancing the attractiveness of real estate life annuities (viager) in France – a little-known and stigmatized sales mechanism that can nevertheless offer a relevant response to current economic, demographic, and social issues. To achieve this, an empirical qualitative method was employed based on semi-structured interviews conducted with two distinct samples. 10 active professionals in the viager market – including specialized agents, lawyers, a notary, and a renowned viager expert researcher – provided their insights. Subsequently, a panel of 12 individuals – comprising potential and actual buyers as well as potential sellers and one actual seller – highlighted a diversity of testimonies and observations.

Our main findings underscore the urgent need for better information and communication to the public about viager. The glaring lack of awareness among the public and – to some extent – from certain professionals involved in the sales process creates significant hurdles to the development of this real estate product. Our findings converge towards the necessity to significantly improve the training of key market players. To enhance the transparency and security of this type of transaction, a comprehensive reform of the French legal and regulatory framework – especially with regard to the standardization of annuity evaluation methods and the establishment of tax incentives – is one of the widely discussed solutions by the respondents. Finally, it appears that for viager to establish itself in the French real estate economy, it must embrace both financial and marketing innovation to significantly advance its de-demonization, popularization, and modernization process.

Informing, training, reforming and innovating: albeit challenging, these four pillars are the necessary basis for reconciling the French public with a resolutely ethical product, beyond appearances. The challenge lies in a paradigm shift aimed at giving viager its rightful place as a tool set to become essential in addressing the pressing economic and social challenges of our time.