topics
tools
editor's choice

Lost in Cheeseland: How to become an expat in France

Top myths about Paris

Is an international MBA the right degree for you?

Childcare in France

Relocation programmes remain small, focused and consistent

Expatica countries
Index Last Var.(%)
BEL 20 2734.82 -0.21
DAX 8472.2 0.19
IBEX 30 8464.5 -0.60
CAC 40 4036.18 0.33
FTSE 100 6803.87 0.71
AEX 370.44 0.13
DJIA 15387.58 0.34
Nasdaq 3502.12 0.16
FTSE MIB 17427.47 -0.45
TSX Composite 12742.43 1.03
ASX 5133.9 -0.43
Hang seng 23366.37 -0.54
Straits Times 3460.39 0.48
ISEQ 20 658.75 0.02
You are here: Home Housing Buying Buying a house in France

Buying

archive
Enlarge font Decrease font Text size


02/02/2010Buying a house in France

Buying a house in France Buying a home in France is exciting but can be confusing. Here is our newly updated brief guide to the steps you will need to take.

France is a big country; the 95 departments all have different characteristics and the 20 regions have a range of climates, so first learn about France. Study books, make visits, relax and enjoy a coffee, beer or glass of wine in as many places as you can.

After you have picked a location on where you want to live in, take time to look at all towns and villages in the general area, each will have unique characteristics - this is called the "pays" which is an untranslatable word. Pays refers to an emotion you feel for the place. Once you have tuned into the place, only then can you start looking for a property.

Finding a home in France

Through estate agents

There are more estate agents in France than there are bakers’ shops (and the French love their bread). This is a very recent phenomenon and has been caused by the increasing popularity of overseas buyers who are used to dealing with estate agencies. Realtors usually charge a commission of usually 6 or 7 percent, although it can vary from 4 to 10 percent.

Estate agents in France have to be correctly insured and registered but the main problem using agencies is that there is no Multi Listing System (mls) in France. Some agencies have grouped together to "share" listing; ORPI and SCI are two banners you can look for on their advertisements, but this still only effectively syndicates about 3 percent of properties. It is therefore difficult to find what is for sale in any area as most properties are listed with multiple agencies. There are buyers who wasted their time as they were being shown the same property by several agents.


It is also possible to search for houses via the internet. There are hundreds (thousands) of internet sites with property listings. Most agencies will have up-to-date house listings in English on the internet but will fall short of telling you where the property is or even show you what it looks like. This is to stop you "finding" the location of the house and going direct to the owner. This also makes it very hard for you to make a selection from the information given.

Before an agent reveals the location or arranges a visit, they usually demand a "bon de visite" which guarantees their commission should you eventually buy. Although they often say this is mandatory, it is not.

Through owners

About half the properties sold in France are not sold through realtors or agents but directly from owners. Websites such as http://pap.fr (particulier a particulier) list properties sold only by owners. Other sites are opening to cater for this demand and new software is being developed to help buyers trace and identify owners of all properties for sale.

If you are looking for a rural property, then organisations such as SAFER can be useful. Safer is an official organisation offering property for sale and aims to preserve rural and agricultural "equilibrium". This often means bringing together scattered parcels of land and improving buildings and property. Farmhouses and cottages are often offered directly for sale here.

Through local papers

Otherwise, you can always consult the local papers which list property sales. This is a good source of people selling directly.

Through the notaire

Interestingly, the notaire, which handles property transactions, also acts in many ways as a realtor. They don’t charge commission and provide the best source of information. Lists of land and properties for sale are often pinned to their office walls. Until recently that was the only way people could list and transact property sales. They now work closely with estate agents.

Through public auctions

There are property public auctions, vente aux enchères, in France. The lucky and experienced can find deals this way although the final sales prices often end up matching the overall market. This is not something that overseas buyers usually get involved in.

Through viager

Another way that French buyers sometimes try to lower their investment is through a viager sale; that is, buying below the market price on the condition that the current owners, usually an elderly person or couple, can continue to occupy the house until their death(s). Viager sales are usually not interesting investments for overseas buyers as they are betting on the life expectancy of the current residents and there are many anecdotes about sellers outliving their buyers!


Checking up on the house

If you find the locality you like, sit in a cafe for a while and ask people about properties for sale. You will learn about more properties on offer than from all the local agents and could have an extra seven percent bargaining power.

Also go by the mairie (usually located close to the best cafe). The mairie is the centre of all decision making, policy and "quality" of a French town. Local plans and maps are available for inspection, proposals for new roads and other public works can be made available and the mairies (especially the mayor’s secretary) can be a great source of information. If the mairie is not friendly, think seriously about finding a property in the next village.

You can also access the plan cadastre for any property online at http://www.cadastre.gouv.fr/scpc/accueil.do. There are a whole range of tools a buyer can use online to get information about the property they are keen on.
If you are buying an apartment, the law (loi Carrez) requires that the initial agreement must specify the exact living surface. The calculation excludes stairs, terraces, balconies, separating walls and floor space with a ceiling lower than 1.80 metres; this may not match the advertised square footage.

In every property transaction, the service of a notaire is required. The notaire is in part a solicitor and is part a government official. They charge a fixed percentage on the sale of any property, usually around 7 percent (lower in the case of newly built properties), most of which is a government tax. There is no negotiation on these charges.

When you are buying a property, the notaire will prepare the acte, which is read (a translator is obligatory if you are not French) line by line to you before you sign it.

The seller will have a notaire whereas you are free to choose your own. The cost of having two notaire will not cost you more money as the fees are shared by them both. The official site to find and get information on notaire is http://www.notaires.fr/static-content/site_gb/web/english-homepage.html.

When you have found a property to buy you will sign a compromis de vente. This is a legal document signed by both parties defining the terms of purchase and what you are buying. Make sure what you think you are buying is clearly stated, that the boundaries and access rights are carefully specified etc. The deposit of what you pay is usually 10 percent but it can be more or less.

You have a full seven-day "cooling-off" period where you can change your mind about buying the property and you will not be penalised and get a full return of your deposit. After the cooling period, you are committed to complete the purchase and there will be penalties if you withdraw.

Most importantly, if you need finance, you must insist on a clause suspensive in the compromis, stating that if your loan is not arranged by a certain level within a specified time then the sale is cancelled and you deposit returned. You can state other clauses if you wish, but sellers do not have to accept them and the sale may not be agreed.

The seller is obliged to supply, at their expense, reports and certification from approved inspectors for lead, asbestos, termites, electricity supplies and gas supplies. Not all these reports are required in all areas of France and it is better to check with the notaire.

Normally the notaire will hold the deposit, some larger agencies are insured to hold deposits. Once the compromis is signed and the cooling-off period has ended, the notaire will check on the legal and financial status of the property, this can take from six weeks or longer in some areas, even up to four months or more. In the case of rural homes, this search should also determine if there are any other claims to the property, such as the neighbouring farmer's right, droit de passage, to drive his tractor across your land to his fields.

French mortgage

If you require a loan in France, lenders will require proof of your income and rarely lend more than 70 percent of the property price. Surveys and valuations are not usually required; it is your disposable income and ability to repay which is important.  Read our Guide to French mortgage for more information.

Renovating or building a house

If you are planning to renovate an old property, get advice and, if possible, some quotes before you make an offer or sign a compromis. Bear in mind that renovations will usually cost much more than building new .

Also check with the mairie before you decide to build or renovate your future house as thousands of towns and villages in France have a "monument historique" - a church or historic building which is registered.  The mairie will supply a map showing the area in which special planning permission is needed for any building or alterations.

If you are considering a substantial amount of renovation or building work, then subscribing to Batitel http://www.batitel.com/ will give you the "official" prices for all aspects of construction work - a good quote will be about half the prices shown in these lists which seem to be for government contracts.

Always use good, registered local builders. Ask to see their Siret (or Siren) number and before you part with a cent, get a copy of their Kbis to see if they are of good standing (it costs 6 euro from http://www.infogreffe.fr/infogreffe/index.jsp. Do not use unregistered builders (of any nationality).

If you are buying land and building a new house, then you (or your builder) should have already visited the mairie and dealt with the Certificate d'Urbanisme and the Permis de Constuire (documents relating to the proposed building and planning permissions). If these are not in place then you must have a relevant "clause suspensive" in the compromis.

A list of key French property phrases

•    T1/T2/T3, etcetera: for apartments, refers to the total number of rooms excluding kitchens and water closets; a T2 is a one-bedroom. A T1 bis is a studio with a larger living space than a standard T1.
•    FAI (frais d'agence inclus): the estate agent's commission is included in the advertised price
•    SH (surface habitable): total living space
•    cuisine aménagée: a room needs only a sink to be called a kitchen. Aménagé indicates cupboards and counter space.
•    cuisine equipée: includes appliances. Cuisine équipée/aménagée means a fully outfitted kitchen.
•    cuisine américaine: indicates a usually small kitchen that opens directly onto the main living space
•    combles aménéageables: attic space that can be retrofitted for additional living space
•    décoration à revoir/rafraîchissement à prévoir:  red-flag phrases that can indicate ugly wallpaper or major, costly repairs.
•    dépendences: any additional structures, legally built or not, including everything from a garage to a barn
•    dressing: any built-in closet
•    jardin/terrain clos: a property enclosed by wall, fence or hedge
•    plain-pied: a one-story house
•    pierre de taille (PdT): means simply cut stones, but often used in Paris to indicate an apartment building of the Haussmann era
•    pierres apparentes: exposed stone walls
•    prestations: the overall appearance or esthetics. You want to see the phrase belles prestations or décoration soignée.
•    salle d'eau: a water closet, as opposed to a salle de bain or salle de douche

More key French property phrases can be found on http://languedoc.angloinfo.com/countries/france/propjargon.asp.

Tony Tidswell / Expatica

Buying a home in France has been updated by Tony Tidswell who moved to France with his wife and their young family 20 years ago. He has been blogging about his life, living and working in France since 1996 at http://Twiku.com and his vacation business at http://VillaRoquette.com.



0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment

General rating: Not rated yet

Rate article:    Add my rating



0 reactions to this article

Be the first person to add a comment
Housing essentials
Housing A-Z listings
find the business you need
Discussion Forums

Community Noticeboard France

La Fête de la Musique

Learning French

Franglish Language exchange French/English

Groups & Clubs in France

FRANGLISH - LEARN FRENCH AND MEET LOCALS !

Groups & Clubs in France

High-Quality Fake Passports, Ids,drivers licence Online For Sale

Learning French

App for express learning french language

participate in the forums

Inside Expatica
Management culture in France

Management culture in France

This handy guide from Expertise in Labour Mobility includes information on business hierarchy, negotiations, and etiquette.

American associations and clubs in Paris

American associations and clubs in Paris

A listing of organizations in the Paris area that cater primarily to Americans living in France. Updated April 2011.

British associations and clubs in Paris

British associations and clubs in Paris

Our handy guide to the British community in Paris, from cricket clubs to Scottish country dancing lessons to where to find a jar of Marmite.

Anglophone services in France

Anglophone services in France

Here's a short introduction to our Banking section for those living in France, from how to open a bank account to Islamic banking and investments.