Buying Property and House Hunting in France – An Essential Guide

Buying Property and House Hunting In France – An Essential Guide

Thinking of buying property in France?  Then you’ll need to go house hunting to find your perfect dream property.  Whether that’s a petite maison, manoir, château or possible commercial property, such as a gîte or chambre d’hôte, you’ll most likely need to work with local real estate agents.

Buying a property at any time takes time, research, property inspections and of course the usual load of paperwork.  Undertaking an international purchase, whether to live full-time or part-time involves all this plus a hefty dose of courage and persistence.

Searching can be fun, although time consuming, especially if you live overseas.  We know, because we purchased a second home in France in 2009 and now live between our homes in Australia and France.

Related Article – A Dream Come True – Australian Family Buys Home In France

Over the last month, we’ve been looking for another larger family home in France, so together with inspecting numerous properties again, we have investigated the process of putting our current French home on the market.

Tips on Buying Property and House Hunting in France

From our experiences we have compiled this guide to buying property and house hunting in France that will be helpful in making the process easier and hopefully more enjoyable.

Use The Internet

If you don’t already have a list of properties you’re interested in, we find the internet has the largest pool of properties on offer.  So search the internet narrowing your search to regions or departments that interest you and prepare a shortlist.

We’ve found that only minimal details are given on the internet so you will need to email the estate agency to get further details, more photos and the name of the agent handling the listing.

Explain Your Situation

In your initial emails state briefly your situation, property requirements and proposed timeline of purchase. Even if you don’t intend to purchase immediately, if you are upfront about this an agent may still be happy to meet you and show you properties on their books with a view to working with you in the future.

Do You Speak French?

If you do not speak French then mention this early on in your communications because a colleague who speaks English will likely be asked to help out and translate on your behalf.

Early on in the process Google can be useful in basic email translations but for all legal and financial documents an independent translator is a good idea.

Liaise With The Listing Agent

If you wish to proceed with inspecting a property you will need to liaise directly with the listing agent. Giving available viewing dates well ahead of your proposed visit to France allows your agent to organise appointments suitable to both you (purchasers) and the sellers (vendors).

This is particularly important if you are looking at properties that include a commercial component, such as gîtes or chambre d’hôtel as viewings may need to be arranged around paying guests.

Inspecting A Property

All personal viewings and further contact should be with that agent. Inspections are highly recommended as we found photos sometimes didn’t capture the full beauty of the property or alternatively were a bit creative and the property looked different in real life.

Be Prepared

When you have viewings organised make sure you check maps and your GPS to allow ample time to get to your agreed meeting place, fill up with fuel, get lost (unfortunately this has happened a couple of times), and buy food or drinks if driving for long distances.

Taking a large paper map along with you will put the property you are looking at in context with the larger regions and you’ll see the proximity of railway lines, motorways and other details not as easily seen on a GPS.

As some properties can be difficult to find, we have found it helpful to meet the agent at the town square or village church closest to the property and then follow them for the last part of the journey.

Allow Enough Time

Allow enough time to thoroughly inspect larger properties. Owners will have spent time preparing their property to look its best and if there are outbuildings, woods or fields your inspection will take time. Taking the full tour of the property shows your serious intentions.

If inspecting chambre d’hôtes or châteaux then allow one and a half hours to two hours for each property to be inspected.  Don’t forget that if you intend to inspect a couple of properties on the same day that plenty of time to drive between them needs to be factored into your agenda too.

Dress For The Occasion

Dressing for the occasion sounds a bit over the top but if you are tidily and respectfully dressed this courtesy will go a long way. Introducing yourself to the owners and thanking them on departure displays good manners.

On one occasion after taking a lengthy tour of a property, we were invited to afternoon tea with the owner. After accepting this gratuitous offer we enjoyed cake and cider and chatted through our agent who acted as interpreter.

Exploring The Property

With larger properties that include gardens, orchards or outbuildings it is an excellent idea to tour the inside of the property while your shoes are clean and then tour the outside.

If you are inspecting such a property in wet or damp weather, then gum boots or outdoor shoes should be taken and worn as needed.

Further Enquiries

If after your initial viewing the property takes your interest then we suggest making further and extensive enquiries with your agent.

Get To Know Your Surrounds

On a more practical basis, spending time wandering around the closest village or town checking out boulangeries, supermarkets, train stations, council chambers, entertainment venues and any natural attractions is essential.  This gives you a feel for your environment and if you are still undecided, then book a couple of nights accommodation in the area and eat at the local restaurants, go shopping and take a train trip to the next town.

Before purchasing any property, chatting to the neighbours often reveals the history of the owners and their property and gives you a feel for who you’ll be living next to.

Armed with these tips on buying property and house hunting in France we suggest above all, to enjoy the process and be prepared to be patient and flexible until you find your perfect dream property.