Buying
Buying in France from abroad, city by city: market, neighbourhoods, what to check and remote purchasing. Each guide links to its city page and to an introduction to a partner buying agent (carte T).
32 articles
At a French judicial auction you do not bid yourself: a lawyer bids for you
In a forced sale, only a lawyer admitted to the court's bar may place a bid. How to choose one, what the retainer must say, and why the ceiling is set before the room.
Knocked down but occupied: what you really buy when someone still lives there
A forced sale does not hand over the keys. Depending on whether the occupant is the debtor, a tenant or a third party, getting possession takes two months or two years. How to find out before you bid.
The deposit to lodge before the hearing: the real bottleneck for a foreign bidder
No deposit in the lawyer's hands, no bid. It is calculated on the reserve price, not the final price, and it takes weeks to assemble from another country.
Where off-market properties come from, and what each origin implies
Estate, separation, pre-marketing, chosen discretion: four origins, four timetables and four very different negotiating margins for the buyer.
Having your own notaire costs nothing extra: the rule foreign buyers never hear
When buyer and seller each have a notaire, the scale fee is split between the two offices. The total you pay does not move. What a notaire working for you actually changes.
The file that gets you shown an off-market property
Off-market, the filter is not money alone: it is the ability to decide quickly on a written project. The four documents a discreet seller expects, and what none of them should cost.
Married abroad, buying in France: the question that holds up the most deeds
The notaire must establish the matrimonial regime you are buying under, and for a couple married outside France the answer depends on the date of the marriage. What to prepare, and when you may choose.
Failing to pay after winning the auction: what a re-auction on default really costs
A buyer who does not lodge the price sees the property resold at their expense, loses the deposit and remains liable for the shortfall. Why a foreign buyer is more exposed to it.
Notary costs: what you actually pay, and to whom
Notary costs are mostly taxes, not fees. How the three masses split, the degressive scale, and the one saving that holds up legally.
Notarial transfer fraud: the one irreversible risk of a purchase
The scenario targets buyers who have never met their notary. How it works, the six signals that give it away, and the single reflex that stops it.
The search mandate: what it commits you to, what it forbids, and what to read in it
Entrusting a search to a professional is formalised in a written, regulated mandate. Term, exclusivity, when the fee falls due: the clauses that matter, and the ones that protect the buyer.
Source of funds: what the notary asks for, and why
The notary must know where your money comes from. The evidence expected by source, and the rule that blocks most signatures: funds leave an account in your name.
The notaire's escrow: where your money sits between contract and deed
The funds you pay never sit in the firm's own assets: they are deposited with the Caisse des dépôts. What the mechanism protects, and why the seller is not paid on the day of signing.
Signing before a French notary without travelling: the two routes
Notarised power of attorney or remote appearance: what each involves, what it costs in lead time, and why the practice's language decides more than distance.
The ten-day over-bid: why the property is not yet yours when the hammer falls
Knocked down is not the same as owned. For ten days, anyone may take the bidding back by raising it a tenth. What that window changes in your timetable, and why it is not a threat.
You have signed, and you have no title deed: that is normal
On the day of the deed you leave with the keys and an attestation, not with the title. The certified copy arrives months later, after registration. What the wait means, and what it does not.
Viewing a confidential property without being there: what to have filmed, and in what order
On a property that is not advertised there are no polished photographs and no easy second viewing. A delegated viewing is prepared like a survey, with a list of required shots and a technical follow-up.
Signing your purchase without coming to France: power of attorney or remote appearance
Notarised power of attorney, Hague apostille, remote appearance by electronic notarised deed and interpreter: the three ways of signing without travelling, and their timescales.
Buying agent or estate agent: two mandates, two sides
The buying agent holds their mandate from the purchaser, the estate agent from the seller. Who pays whom, how to avoid paying two sets of fees, and what distance changes.
The confidentiality clause in a property purchase: what it really commits you to
Scope, duration, authorised persons and limits: what an undertaking of discretion forbids you, and what no clause can set aside among the seller's obligations.
Pre-emption rights: the deadline that can take away the property you signed for
Declaration of intent to sell, two months for the municipality to reply, three with a visit, SAFER pre-emption and the tenant's priority: what a buyer needs to know.
Valuing a property with no public comparable: the method when there is no listing
The property value database, notarial indexes, the lender's valuation and documented discounts: how to cost a confidential property with no listing history or reference photo.
The search mandate: what it contains and what it commits you to pay
Search mandate: compulsory particulars, term, scope, the fourteen-day withdrawal right when signed remotely, and the exact moment the fee becomes payable.
Negotiating the price of a French property: the arguments that land
The DVF database of prices actually paid, time on market, F and G energy ratings, works voted at general meetings and Carrez area shortfalls: the levers of a documented negotiation.
From offer to deed: the real timetable and the deadlines that apply
Purchase offer, preliminary contract, escrow, ten days of withdrawal, a one-month mortgage condition and clearing of pre-emption rights: the timetable stage by stage.
Spotting a fake off-market: the six checks that take ten minutes
A property presented as confidential may have been online for six months. Searching for prior listings, the professional licence, sums demanded in advance: the checklist.
Checking the co-ownership before buying: the documents that move the price
General meeting minutes, works fund, multi-year plan, association arrears: the documents the seller must hand over, and which decide the real cost of a lot.
Buying at auction in France from abroad: the full path
Nothing stops a non-resident buying at auction in France. The obstacles are banking and calendar ones: here is how to clear them before the hearing.
Conditions of sale: how to read them before a French auction
The conditions of sale decide whether an adjudication pays. Occupancy, charges, easements: the eight lines to read first, and what each one costs.
Online notarial auctions in France: buying without travelling
Online notarial sales run over 24 to 36 hours, keep the ten-day cooling-off period and accept a mortgage condition. How they work, step by step.
Buying in La Ciotat remotely, with complete confidence
Buying in La Ciotat remotely is possible: video viewings, power of attorney, remote signing and a partner buying agent representing you on site. The French Realty 2026 guide.
Buying in La Ciotat as a non-resident
Buying La Ciotat as a non-resident: yes, a foreigner can buy. Steps from abroad, financing, notaire and support. The French Realty 2026 guide.