Buying a house in France

Many Dutch people have traditionally gone on holiday to France. This is why many people fall in love with French life, French houses and the French themselves. That is why people often decide to buy a French home there. This can be an apartment when choosing to emigrate, but it also often happens that people prefer to buy a holiday home first. Do you want emigrate to France? But how can you buy a house in France? How does it all work?

House hunting

In France you can search for a home online or through real estate agents. There is a large supply of homes and a new home is often found quickly.

Found a home?

In France you can buy a house through a private individual, real estate agent or notary. After you have found a house you can make an appointment with one of these parties to view the house.

Private

There are many houses for sale in France that are offered by private owners themselves. This has an advantage and that is that you can buy the house a lot cheaper, because you do not have to pay a third party for the mediation. Do you find this a bit scary and would you rather have more guidance during your search and purchase? Then it might be wise to hire an estate agent.

NB!

In France you will find many houses for sale, but you should not forget that the houses are often in a worse condition than houses in the Netherlands.

Brokers

Many people find it scary to buy a house themselves and prefer to do this through an estate agent. In France, the seller must sign a contract with the estate agent. One option is binding and the other is non-binding. When a seller signs a binding contract, it means that the house can only be sold through the estate agent. A non-binding contract means that the house can also be put up for sale through other estate agents or that the owner can also sell the house himself. You can always ask the estate agent what kind of contract has been signed with the seller.

A little tip!

If it is a non-binding contract, you can of course always contact the seller yourself. Then you can negotiate the price yourself and you do not have to pay any brokerage fees.

Notary

In France you can also find a house through a notary. For this you cannot submit a search request like with the real estate agent. With a notary it is often houses or apartments that are put up for sale after a divorce or death.

Energy label of the owner-occupied home

In France, as a seller, you are required to have a diagnostic carried out on the property. This involves looking at the insulation of the property, gas, electricity and heating of the property. The presence of hazardous substances such as asbestos is also examined. After this, you will receive an energy label for the property.

It is also good to know that you will also receive additional information about flood or earthquake risks in the department concerned.

Bidding on the property

Have you found your dream home or perhaps a castle in Provence or Dordogne? Perhaps it is a villa in Burgundy. Whatever you have found: you will eventually have to make an offer. In France, you must do this in writing, just like in the Netherlands. Always try to negotiate the price in advance, because in France you can on average drop between 5 and 10% in the price if you negotiate well.

To the notary

Did you find the house through a notary? Then you can keep the same person to handle the purchase. Did you not buy the house through a notary? Then of course you have to look for a notary. After the acceptance of your offer you have to go to the notary within 14 days. Here you sign the 'compromis de vente' which is a preliminary purchase contract. After this you have another 10 days to cancel everything without this incurring extra costs for you. Please note that you have a 'conditions suspensives' included in this contract. This means that you can always cancel in certain circumstances. Think for example of a situation such as not being able to get a mortgage.

The owners pay

In France, a portion of the house price is always paid to the sellers immediately. This is done after signing the 'compromis de vente'. It will be a maximum of 5% of the selling price. You can always negotiate about this.

Notary fees

Please note that signing this contract will also cost you approximately €400 at the notary.

Penalty for cancellation.

Do you change your mind within 10 days? Then of course you will lose your €400,-. You will also have to pay a fine to the seller of the house. The amount of this amount is also stated in the previously signed contract. Does it all fall through because of one of the 'conditions suspensives'? Then of course you will not lose this amount.

Taking out a mortgage in France

When everything is accepted, you will of course have to look for a mortgage. In France, it is arranged that you can negotiate the interest rate and the term life insurance. How do you arrange this?

Courtier

A broker is an intermediary. Approximately 30% of mortgages are paid off via a broker. Many Dutch people do this because they do not speak French or do not speak it well enough. Others do it this way because they do not have time, for example. If you arrange everything via a broker, you will spend approximately between €1000 and €2000.

To the bank

Of course, you can always go to the bank yourself to negotiate the interest rates. For example, do you have a permanent contract, savings and no other debts? Then you can easily demonstrate this.

Offer of fun

Do you and the bank reach an agreement? Then you need to sign the 'offre de prêt', i.e. the offer. It can then take a few weeks before the loan is properly approved. This can take between 2 and a maximum of 6 weeks. After this, you have another 10 days to consider it and then you can sign it.

deed of sale

Have you got everything behind you and is everything arranged properly at the bank? Then of course you still have to sign the deed of sale. Just like in the Netherlands, this is also the moment that you get the keys in your hands. It might be wise to view the house again before you actually sign. This way you can check the condition of the house one more time to be sure.

Finally..

So the bottom line is that you need to be well informed about the rules in France. If you are a little bit aware of their way of working, everything will be fine!