Advice for Property Buyers - Revisiting our Top Tips

House hunting in France should be an exciting and efficient experience, not a costly and frustrating one. However, many buyers find that the French estate agency system is ‘tres’ different to the UK or realtors in the USA. With summer upon us, now is a great time to revisit our top tips for buying a property in wonderful France.

Finding the Perfect Location

Location is the most important factor for anyone to consider when buying a property; it always is. Your perfect location in France will depend on your reasons for buying and your priorities, ease of access for some, a tourist region for those looking to run gites/B&B’s, or cooler areas for others.

One of our top tips is to invest in an old-fashioned paper map of France (or region), some pins and a marker pen (wine is optional). In other words, get away from your tablet (especially mobile) to get a better overview of distances between places, altitude, rivers, coast, etc … think strategically, look out for airports, golf courses, schools, hospitals, etc … as well as power lines, fast train lines and power stations. Now more than ever, research is key …

Think of a French person coming to your country and not knowing where to start! It can be daunting, especially in a relatively large country (France is twice the size of the UK). A good starting point to learn about the regions of France.

How Much Can You Afford

It’s also important to be clear about your budget and how you’ll finance your purchase. Do you need to sell a property? If a ‘cash’ purchase, is your property on the market? Will you require finance or a mortgage? Prepare a plan, even if it’s a simple one; it’s essential. If buying cash, don’t play the markets or the banks; talk to FX experts and find out how much you can save, and your options.

As new legislation against money laundering has been put in place in France, it’s more important than ever that we have a clear understanding, not just about your criteria, but also about the timescale of your project, exactly the same way as you’d do back home.

French Real Estate Agents

By the nature of what they do, estate agents are constantly out and about; on long visits with international clients, taking on properties and are a notaires’ office overseeing the successful completion of a sale. They are always busy and have little time to answer phone calls or emails. 

Guidance for non-EU Residents

We’ve written short guides for Brits post-Brexit, American and Australian buyers looking to purchase or invest in real estate in France. The most frequent questions we receive are about the EU’s new EES system, visas, healthcare insurance, income and wealth taxes, and legal information.

Advice for Property Buyers

Preparing to view properties in France should be well planned to make the most of everyone’s valuable time. The ideal viewing trip would be between 5 to 10 days. This should also give you the opportunity for a second viewing if you’re thinking of making an offer on a property.

Try to avoid weekend visits and long French bank holidays; there are usually plenty in April and May, every year. The two main ones are Bastille Day (14th July) and 15th August, so expect many people away, hotels fully booked and very busy roads around these periods. In the summer months, we will require at least two weeks’ notice.

Revisiting our Top Tips

    • Work out your preferred area and budget
    • Do your house hunting homework, it’s important
    • Be realistic about your requirements and expectations
    • French properties do sell, secure yours by making an offer
    • Visit our many guides and tips on buying French property

Many clients tell us they’re frustrated by having to look at multiple listings on the same portals at various prices, listed with many agents, many of whom don’t answer emails. This is where we come in .... we’ve been doing this for 20 years.

Want to live “la belle vie” in France? Are you ready to take the plunge?