Property in France

When 30 à Vendre provides construction assistance, it only acts on behalf of the buyer and for the client. That is why our portfolio does not include property for sale. This ensures clarity for all concerned and prevents any doubts about our position.

Of course we are frequently offered houses or plots of land for sale, but we refer the owner to the numerous websites devoted to this. Please refer to the “Links” for these website addresses.

Before you start searching, we recommend you read the advice provided below.

Who represents who?

A key focal point for a buyer is that the real estate agency offering the property has been hired and paid by the owner.

This implies, of course, that the real estate agent represents the interests of the owner in particular. As a buyer, you, on the other hand, are not represented by a real estate agency. Bear in mind that you are in a new environment and even a new country, and that all (legal) documents are written in French, all of which will not make the entire process of buying a property any easier for you.

How does the real estate system in France work?

Every French real estate agency works for itself and only sells its ‘own’ properties; properties entrusted to it by the respective sellers.

Consequently, if you wish to acquire an insight into the market and to be kept informed, you cannot register with a single real estate agency and receive the complete range of available properties (offered by real estate agencies). You will personally have to visit every agency to see whether you can find ‘your home’ amongst the other properties for sale.

This may mean that once you have visited the last real estate agency in the area, you will have to return to the first, as it were, to check whether it has added a new property for sale in the meantime.

Unfortunately, there is not much point in registering (asking the agency to notify you about an available property) because there is simply no time for that. In practice, many home hunters register with several real estate agencies. Instead of notifying everyone, the agency prefers to wait and see who walks into its office.

The owners of these properties are also aware of this and therefore place their homes with various real estate agencies. If this is not the case, the agency will indicate this by writing “exclusive” on the offer.

Since every real estate agency determines its own percentage and always adds this fee to the selling price, substantial differences in price can occur with the same property. All of this means that the housing market is not that structured and therefore not particularly transparent.

Looking for the right property

You want to buy a second home in your favourite region in France. Given that you are most probably free of any economic or social constraints, you have a wide choice, which is to your advantage. There is a lot for sale out there, which is why we recommend you search thoroughly and critically. Nowadays, searching via the Internet works well. We have selected number of very useful websites based on our experiences. Please refer to the “Links” section for a list of these addresses. These are websites upon which real estate agencies, private individuals or both offer properties for sale. You will save a great deal of money if you succeed in finding a property via a private individual. Agencies demand percentages ranging up to 7%, which you can avoid paying if you buy from a private seller. The prices you see on websites/in display windows include the estate agency’s fee.

Finding the right property usually requires a considerable amount of time, but it is best if you do this yourself. This will give you a better insight into prices, the area and French homes. To find out what you can do the moment you have found your new home, please refer to the section entitled "Buying Assistance".