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You are here: Home Housing Buying How to find a good property agent in France

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23/02/2010How to find a good property agent in France

How to find a good property agent in France Agencies immobiliers are plentiful in every French town, but the good ones will go the extra mile to make moving easy. Read on to find out how to spot a reliable property agent.

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You will find that every town in France has many agents immobiliers (estate agents) who can provide invaluable help to you. While fees are paid by the buyer and are considerably higher than in the UK, the upside is that generally, you will receive more help than you would at home.

All registered French agencies must have at least one person with a carte professionelle and you should make sure in addition to this that they are a member of a registered body such as FNAIM, SNPI or UNPI.  Look out for this information when you are in the agency office.

If you don’t speak French, it’s best to go to agencies who advertise in the UK as many of these have bilingual staff who are accustomed to dealing with foreign buyers. They should offer decent local knowledge and extend their services to helping with finding builders, doctors, opening bank accounts etc. They should also be able to liaise with local notaires and help you with setting up utilities and phone.

Personal recommendation is always one of the best ways to find a good agent. Failing that, simply talking to the staff and getting a feel for any individual set up will also give you an idea of how efficient and helpful an agency is. Prepare a list of questions for each one, after all this is a competitive market and each agent will know you could easily go elsewhere.

Points to enquire about:

• Are they properly registered as above?
• Will they help with after sales service such as helping with bank accounts, builders, doctors?
• Are they prepared to sit down with you for an hour or so to make a proper plan of what you require?
• Will they set a day aside to drive you, or have you to follow them to suitable appointments?
• Will they liaise with the notaire and help prepare the Compromis de Vente (exchange of contracts)?
• What is their knowledge of the local area, how long have they been in business?

Remember that you are paying the fees and are therefore “in the driving seat”. Do not be afraid to ask questions to check that the agent you have chosen is reputable and efficient.

The article has been published with the permission of The Overseas Guides Company on February 2010. To read more about Buying in France, click here.

 

 



1 reaction to this article

Maisie Storm posted: 2010-02-24 09:59:29

We used a buying agent at AspectIntl.com when we bought our chalet in the French Alps as our French wasn't (still isn't!) very good. We found this made whole process a lot easier and we didn't have to worry about whether we were buying a good property. Their fee was worth it not to have any hassle!

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1 reaction to this article

Maisie Storm posted: 2010-02-24 09:59:29

We used a buying agent at AspectIntl.com when we bought our chalet in the French Alps as our French wasn't (still isn't!) very good. We found this made whole process a lot easier and we didn't have to worry about whether we were buying a good property. Their fee was worth it not to have any hassle!

Add a comment
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