Buyers Guide

Advice on buying France / French Property
France Real Estate Buyer's Guides, Legal Fees, taxes and mortgages explained

You have found a property you wish to purchase in France what next?
France Property Buyer's Guide explains the legal fees, legal procedures, French property purchase taxes and mortgage procedure.

Depending on the French property and even the area of France, the laws on buying and selling French Property in France, a member of the European Union, can vary somewhat.

France has no restrictions on foreign French property ownership.

French Property in France Prices Guide
French Properties Range Varies, for example:
From £10,000 for rural France properties in need of renovation
From £30,000 for France apartments and France studios
From £50,000 for suburban France properties
From £60,000 for Ski apartments and chalets over £100,000
From £150,000 for South of France properties

Locations in France
France is divided into many regions and has a variable lifestyle.

Cost of Living in France
Although the general standards of living are quite high in France in areas heavily populated like Paris, Cote d'Azur, Riviera etc.
Areas within rural communities tend to be a little cheaper to live in and as such are becoming quite popular with overseas French property buyers.

Buying property in France
Freehold residential property in France.
Once an agreement on price is reached by both French property buyer and French property seller, a French solicitor or notary will draw up a legally binding contract which both parties would sign.
Normally a 10% deposit would be paid at this point (which would be held in a secure account until the completion).
The France property would be withdrawn from the French property market and the legal system would commence its checks etc.
At this stage if the purchaser were to back out of the contract you would lose your deposit.
Normally the final contract would be signed by both parties at the French Notary's office and at this stage the title deeds would pass to the French property buyer and the French land registry updated.
The balance of the property purchase price would be paid to the Notary who will then pay the vendor.
You will need to provide the Notary with a copy of your birth certificate translated into French and, if applicable, a copy of a Marriage Certificate, also translated into French.

Lawyer
We recommend that you enlist the services of a French Lawyer or Solicitor in the purchase of your French Property, preferably one who speaks English.
This will help to protect your interests in the French property purchasing procedure.
This will be in addition to needing a Notary who is mandatory for France property purchases.

French Property Fees
Expect to pay around 10-15% over the France property selling price;
The Notary fee is around 3%
Transfer tax is 7.5% (less than 1% for new French properties)
Registration fees around another 6%.
The real estate vendor should pay the Real Estate Agents fees.

Property Tax in France
France Properties taxes are levied on property plus residential tax for living as an owner - occupier or as a tenant (renting or not).
Both are calculated on the average property rental values.

Mortgages
Normal lending criteria will allow you to borrow up to 80% from French banks or international mortgage brokers and should be declared at the time of the preliminary agreement. The normal mortgage repayment term can vary between 15 - 25 years depending on the lender.

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These guidelines are meant for guidance only and describe a straightforward purchase scenarios. However this information is not meant to replace proper legal advice, which we always insist you take.

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