With you every step of the way

If you are worried about any of the steps involved in purchasing a property in France, worry no more, we will be with you every step of the way:

Home visits/consultations

Although you can get information from our site or contact us through our chat room, by e-mail or by phone, there is nothing like a face to face consultation for advice tailored to your particular circumstances, If you are not able to meet us at our offices, we will be happy to arrange for one of our property consultants to visit you at home or somewhere that’s convenient for you. This will enable us to go through all aspects of purchasing a property in France with you, from the budget to the location, talking you througth cost and process of purchase, tax implications etc., and we will be more than happy to answer any questions you may have.

This is a free service with no obligation on your part.

To arrange a consultation please contact us.

Deciding on your budget

The first questions which arise when purchasing a property are usually “How much can I afford to repay?” and “How much will I be able to borrow?” There is little point in looking at a property if you’re going to be disappointed to learn that you can’t afford it.

Equally, customers often omit possible rental revenue from a property and VAT refunds in the case of a leaseback from their calculations, and may be pleasantly surprised to find that they are in fact able to afford a bigger property than they expected for the monthly repayments they were planning.

It may seem easy to determine a budget but in reality there are several criteria which have to be considered, such as legal costs, the amount of rent you will receive (in the case of a leaseback or a buy to let), annual running costs etc.

We can help you to determine your budget by making sure that all the relevant details are taken into consideration. Then you can select the right property for you.

Our affordability calculator can give you an idea of your budget and borrowing limit (from a French bank). However, for a more detailed budget, we strongly recommend that you contact us.

Selecting your property

Once your budget is decided, we will assist you in selecting the property that best suits your needs, based on your criteria (location, short and long term goals, whether the property is to be occupied or is for pure investment etc).

We will review with you the possible locations/regions which may suit you, the type of purchase which best fits your needs (holiday home, leaseback, buy to let) and the type of property (studio, apartment, villa etc).

We will then be able either to present potential properties of interest or to search for suitable properties for you.

Once you have selected a property, we will be able to reserve it on your behalf and assist you with paperwork, appointing a notaire (solicitor) and, if you require it, arranging finance for the purchase.

Viewing trip(s)

Although we will be able to provide you with details about where you are purchasing including pictures and/or artist’s impressions, information on the area, local amenities and so on, if you are purchasing a property which you intend to use yourself we strongly recommend that you take the time to visit the area.

When purchasing a new property off the plans, in 99% of cases all you will be able to view is the land on which the property will be developed. However, this will give you an idea of the area, the region etc.

There are direct flights from Ireland or the UK to numerous airports throughout France, and in many cases you may even be able to come back on the same day.

The French Property Experts Ltd will be happy to arrange such a trip for you. We will even make a contribution to your travel expenses if you decide to purchase the property you are viewing.

For further information on viewing trips and upcoming organised trips please click here.

Legal requirements

In order to help our customers with the legal requirements involved in purchasing a property in France, we have put in place several options:

• English speaking notaires
  To purchase a property and sign the deed in your name(s), you will have to use the services of a notaire. A notaire essentially does what your solicitor would do at home, and will purchase the property on your behalf and register the deed of the property in your name.
  When a property is sold it is the vendor who appoints the notaire. The buyer can go directly to the notaire to proceed with the purchase without the need to appoint their own notaire.
  
  However, the law also states than in the event that the buyer wishes to use his/her own notaire, they can simply request it on the contract and appoint a notaire of their choice. The fees payable for the legal costs of purchasing a property are known as “frais de notaire” and they will be shared between the two notaires. Therefore, using your own notaire will NOT cost you any thing extra.
  
  Obviously, we strongly recommend appointing your own notaire and we have a list of English speaking notaires to choose from. It is your notaire’s duty to explain the contract and lease (in the case of a leaseback) to you. Appointing an English speaking notaire will not cost you any extra.
  
  The “frais de notaires”, which are payable to the vendor’s notaire (even if you use your own notaire), are fixed in advance and include various fees and levies which will then be repaid to the government along with the actual notaire(s)’ fees.
  The “frais de notaires” for a new property are between 3% and 3.5% of the property price including VAT. They are higher for second-hand properties.
  Depending on the property being purchased, an English translation of the contract may also be provided, but it is the French version which you will be signing.
  
  
• Dublin based solicitors with knowledge of French property laws
  If you think using an English speaking notaire in France is not sufficient, we can refer you to a firm of solicitors in Dublin which has knowledge of French property laws and bilingual staff at hand.
  
  You will be asked to provide them with the contract which will then be explained to you during a meeting at their office. There is a cost for this service and The French Property Experts Ltd can cover part of this cost. Please contact us for more information.
  
  Note: this solicitor will not actually purchase the property on your behalf; this can only be done by a French notaire.
  
  
• Certified translations
  If you wish to retain a certified translation of the contract and/or lease we can recommend a Dublin firm which will be able to translate any document from French to English and have this translation certified. There is a cost for this service and The French Property Experts Ltd can cover part of this cost. Please contact us for more information.

Note: Having bilingual personnel ourselves, we will be more than happy to assist you with verbal translations of any non-technical/non-legal documents, such as letters from the builders keeping you up-to-date with progress on the development etc., throughout the purchasing process.

Financing your purchase

There are several ways for you to finance the purchase of a property abroad either with your own bank (equity release mortgage or re-mortgage in general) or by using a French bank.

One of the main advantages to using a bank in France is that you can borrow funds against the value of the property you purchase and therefore use it as collateral without having to involve your own property at home.

Another big advantage of French mortgages is that French banks will often offer fixed interest rates for the full period of the mortgage, often up to 25 years, and that even a fixed rate will often be very competitive.

Also on offer is a capped mortgage, in other words, a mortgage with a variable interest rate but limited in advance to a maximum rate.

When buying off the plans you will be asked to pay in stages, for instance, 5% at reservation, 35% when signing the contract with the notaires, 15% when the foundations are completed etc…Another advantage of French banks is that they will make those payments for you (the first payment will include your personal funds), and you will only start repaying once the property is complete. Interest will be charged on the money advanced.

We can help you to find the mortgage that suits your needs with a reputable French financial institution. Not only we will help you to find a French mortgage, but we will also assist you in filling out the forms and putting together the necessary paper work.

Forms to be returned to the banks are generally provided in English

And for investors, interest only mortgages for a period of up to 15 years are also available.

As a general guideline, French banks will lend up to 80% of the value of the property. Please click here to access our affordability calculator, click here to access our mortgage calculator.

For further information on our services please contact us