At My French Maison, because you will be purchasing through an agency you will be protected by the French law of January 1970 which regulates real-estate agents.
The agency will take a commission of between 4% to 10% depending. Prices presented on My French Maison always include that fee. The price is said to be: "Frais d?Agence Inclus" or "FAI" which means that the agency fee is included in the price.
When you visit a property with our agency, you will be requested to sign a "Bon de visite".
This is standard procedure: By signing this document you are not committing to buy the house, but if you do buy, the "Bon de visite" legally binds you to buy it through our agent who showed it to you.
Notaire Fees:
In France the buyer has to pay the notaires fees (up to 7.25%) which are not included in the price shown. Those fees are due whether one buys directly from the owner or through an agent.
They cover in fact mainly taxes:
10% are for the notaire's own expenses. These are called the notaires emoluments.
20% cover third parties expenses (cadastre office, hypotheques, surveyors cost, duty stamp, etc.). These are called the débours.
70% are for taxes (VAT, legal publication, etc?) these are called droits payés au Trésor.
Here are a few guidelines for a good initial contact:
Verify that the answer to any question that you may have is not already in the text description of the property listed.
You cab be assured that you won't waste time by checking if the property is still for sale as our web site uses the latest web technology and are able to provide you with instant information.
Don't be afraid of asking an pertinent question as this will help you and the seller to be more efficient.
When the seller answers your questions keep him informed on your intentions or just thank him. Even if you are not interested by this property, you might have to exchange with that seller later for another property!
Do not make an initial offer that is way below the listed price. It is common in the UK to start negotiating with a very low price, in France it can be interpreted as a lack of serious intent.
You have found the house of your dreams and are ready to go and visit it ? A few words of advice before taking off to France:
Plan on visiting more than one house. You might be disappointed by your first choice and charmed by another one.
Take at least a complete day dedicated to visiting only.
It is better not to travel and visit the same day. (What if your plane is running late? What if the very last one property seems to be the best but is a bit far?)
Wear comfortable clothes and shoes.
Be on time and if running late give our office a call.
You have seen the house, you like it and you have decided to buy: you now need to sign a "Compromis de vente". In France you are legally bound by that step so the compromis de vente should not be taken lightly: You pay a deposit of 10% of the purchase price at that moment and the property is then taken off the market.
When the compromis is signed:
It sets out the detail of the property you are buying and the price, including fees
The buyer pays a deposit of 10% of the purchase price
The property is taken off the market
Conditions that will allow you to withdraw from the sale are specified (example: failure to obtain mortgage, termite test failure, etc?)
Once the compromis is signed, a period of 6-8 weeks follows where all necessary research is carried out by the notaire. Building surveys are not common in France, but you can discuss with your agent to request to have a registered builders opinion on the property.
This time is usually also used by the buyer to finalize any loans that may be needed to purchase the property.
You might also need advice on your inheritance provisions.
Once everything has been validated and the buyer's payment has been send to the notaires office, the final contract, called the "acte de vente" is signed at the notaire's office. The buyer pays the balance of the purchase price to the Notaire who in return pays the vender.
You will need to provide at that step a copy of your birth certificate and a copy of a marriage certificate (if applicable), both translated into French.
You will then go to the property on the signing day, as the final contract has a clause saying 'sold as seen on signing date'.
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