FAQ : Financial

For most buyers there are two kinds of expense involved in buying a property in France:

1) The commission paid to the agency
2) The fees paid to the notaire

The agency commission is paid to the agency for successfully marketing the house. The notarial fees are paid to the notaire and can be considered as a transaction cost for becoming the owner of the property.

The usual practice is to include the commission in the shop window price. On this site, for example, each price includes the commission.

Three important points for your peace of mind:

1)The amount of the commission should be declared to you before you commit to any purchase and will also be stated in the preliminary contract which you sign with the buyer.
2)Normally the agency is not entitled to any payment apart from the specified commission.
3)Payment of the commission is made under the supervision of the notaire at the time when you become the new owner of the property.

It follows from the above that the buyer has nothing to pay an agency until he or she becomes the owner of the property.

Please note that the above advice is based on buying a property in France under French regulations. Some agencies operating out of the UK ask for additional fees. We do not.

When the property is transferred to you by the notaire you, as the buyer, will be asked to pay the notarial fees. These fees are calculated on a sliding scale according to the price of the house. In most cases they will be between six and seven per cent of the purchase price. It is part of the notaire's job to make the exact calculation. These notarial fees include a substantial element of tax, which goes to the government. New houses benefit from a reduction of notarial fees.

Yes,subject of course to meeting any stipulated conditions. We can help you with bank introductions.