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Le rez-de-chaussée est sombre. En revanche, il n'y a pas de vis-à-vis.

Le rez-de-chaussée est sombre. En revanche, il n'y a pas de vis-à-vis.
The ground floor is dark. On the other hand, there is no overlooking.
From Lesson 234:Contrast markers (par contre, en revanche)·French

Questions & Answers about Le rez-de-chaussée est sombre. En revanche, il n'y a pas de vis-à-vis.

Why use en revanche here instead of par contre?
Both mean 'on the other hand', but en revanche is considered slightly more formal and traditionally introduces a positive point that makes up for a negative one. Here, the privacy (a good thing) compensates for the dark ground floor (a bad thing). Par contre is more common in everyday speech and can be used for any contrast, positive or negative.
What exactly does vis-à-vis mean in this context?
In French real estate, un vis-à-vis means that neighbors or people outside can look directly into your windows (literally 'face to face'). Having pas de vis-à-vis is a major selling point in France because it means your home is completely private from outside eyes.
Where does the word rez-de-chaussée come from?
It translates to 'ground floor', but literally means 'level of the roadway'. Rez is an old word for 'level' or 'flush with', and chaussée means the paved road. Just remember that it is hyphenated and always masculine: le rez-de-chaussée.
Why is it pas de vis-à-vis instead of pas un vis-à-vis?
This is a quick refresher on negative sentences! When you use a basic negative expression like ne... pas, the indefinite articles (un, une, des) change to de. Since the sentence says there is zero overlooking, the article becomes de.

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