Found the area of your choice? Now it’s time to find your dream rural property in France and here are five ways to help you! Good luck or as they say in France bonne chance!
1. Estate agents
An estate agent, or un agent immobilier, can be particularly useful if you want to simplify the process. They’ll have an in-depth knowledge of the area and market and may be able to present you with properties you wouldn’t otherwise see. They can also potentially get you a fairer deal, as some sellers might inflate their prices for foreign buyers. A good estate agent is worth their weight in gold and we make it our mission to work with the best!
They can explain the process from start to finish, handhold throughout, and arrange additional viewings with architects and other artisans.
Agents help you explain the process from start to finish, handhold throughout, and arrange additional viewings with architects and other artisans.
2. Private sellers
This can be an emotional time for the vendor and for most of us, our home is our castle. Some private vendors may overvalue their property due to emotional attachments, however if you’re happy to put in a little extra work to cut down on the costs, going private may be the answer. The easiest way to connect with private sellers is to go online. There are lots of property sites or you can use a search engine. List some here that are for private only including ours.
3. Notaires
Notaires are lawyers and public officials who oversee the purchases of properties in France. A notaire will be involved in your purchase whatever path you choose, but they can also help you in your search.
Many English speaking notaires can be found, but your contract will be in French. Their first task is to carry out a detailed and in-depth discussion to establish exact requirements, budget, constraints etc.. Following this they use all means available (i.e. estate agents, private sales, Notaire sales..) to compile a list of potentially suitable As they are involved in all property sales, notaires have an excellent knowledge of the market and can offer valuable and impartial advice.
Additionally, many private sellers advertise their properties with notaires, so contacting a notaire is a great way to find suitable properties in your chosen area (A Notaire will also charge a negotiation fee of approx. 6% if they list properties for sale).
4. Property Matchmaking Service
A fairly new concept from us (Rural Property Matchmakers) which helps you save time (and money) searching for your dream rural property in France. Being specialists in buying rural properties, especially farms, smallholdings, equestrian and rural properties with land enables us to help you understand the process and find a property that meets your specific requirements. We also access ‘off-market’ properties from sellers wishing to sell discretely.
Our process starts with a consultation to understand your needs and form a property brief for us to discreetly source and present a viewing shortlist to you. We then connect you with the agent or private seller for you to arrange your viewings at your convenience. We can then help you evaluate each viewing before you make your formal offer.
As we partner with trusted and reliable admin, legal and visa currency transfer associates we can help guide you to the right people to continue your buying journey.
We charge a simple ½% of the agreed property purchase price for our matchmaking service and you can find out more here: https://ruralpropertymatchmakers.com/
5. Using a Property Finder/Buyer Agent
Using the services of a Property Finder/Buyer Agent has, understandably, become more popular over the last couple of years when travel has been so difficult for international buyers. They work exclusively for the buyer and their objective is to present their client with a narrowed-down choice of properties to view when they visit. properties.
They may visit dozens of properties, many of which are discounted, in order to find those that fit the client’s brief most accurately. Property Finders charge, on average, a fee of between 2-3% of the property purchase price (with a minimum charge applying). While this may seem like an expensive service it can actually prove to be a more cost-effective way of buying as it means the client doesn’t have to make numerous costly house hunting visits. Their Property Finder does all the research and legwork instead of the buyer.
Article adapted from the ‘Buyers Guide to French Property‘ by Currencies Direct our trusted currency transfer partner.
