Help! Which websites/magazines should I look for house in France?

Captain_Mainwaring_2

Speak french do you?
'Cos if you don't, you might find that it won't suit you.

Kevin_Harrigan

Well, I live in France and I would say this is a great time to buy (Oct 08). The market has ground to a halt in many areas so it is a buyers' market and there are bargains to be had :D.
May ex-pat Brits with income in sterling are selling up because of the exchange rate (a euro used to cost 69p, now it's more like 81p:eek:); so currency movements are something to consider before buying. And the increase in the price of oil and food has been a double or triple whammy to many:eek:. If these are not a problem for you then you are in a good position to buy.
Unlike the UK where nearly all property sales are done via estate agents, in France, about half of property transactions are private sales (particulier à particulier). French estate agents charge much more than their UK counterparts, rarely less than 4% and often more:eek:. So unless you don't mind paying whopping commissions, check out www.pap.fr which is the biggest in private sales. They started as a weekly newspaper which is still published every Thursday.

Also sales via notaires are big too. Notaires are similar to sollicitors but also sell property. They don't have the right to advertise so you have to approach them. Once you have decided what area you want to buy in, contact the local notaires and ask them if they have the kind of property you're looking for.

If you do decide to buy via an estate agent, bear this in mind: many estate agents are also desperate to make a sale because it's been such a meagre time for them so I would ask them how much their commission is outright. Ask to see their mandat - the document signed by the vendor giving them the authority to sell their house. It will show their commission; They probably will say it's private or some such flannel but brazen it out and say you are not going to pay 6% or 10% or whatever it is. If they tell you it's the vendor who pays, they probably told them it's the buyer who pays. But the money comes from your pocket, not theirs, and if they were unable to negotiate a good deal with their agents, why should you pay for their incompetence?
So keep a cool head and you should get a really good deal.:D
If you speak French, here is a highly rated forum on French property prices. Scroll down a bit and it has lots of top quality links: http://forum.hardware.fr/hfr/Discussions/Societe/topic-immobilier-krach-sujet_35843_1.htm

hethmar

We bought our house in Brittany through a notaire. Notaires tend to have some faded photos of local properties for sale in their window. Remember though, that the French inheritance laws are different to ours and that you may lose a property where the owner is deceased when one of the siblings decide they want to keep it and pay off the others. Bit choking when you have been back and forwards for months

Kevin_Harrigan

Oh and read this too
http://www.telegraph.co.uk/global/main.jhtml?xml=/global/2007/10/31/expats-returning-home.xml

frogman_2

Thanks, Kevin! It's always good to speak to people who have direct experience. I do speak some French but am looking forward to learning...