“HOW TO BUY PROPERTY IN FRANCE FROM ABROAD”
 
 
1 - Defining your real estate projectBefore you start looking for the ideal property, evaluate your borrowing capacity. It's a good idea to ask a bank or broker to simulate your financing plan (professional situation, income, savings, etc.) to determine the length of the loan and the interest rates you'll need to make your monthly payments. Calculate agency and notary fees.
 
 
2 - Find a propertyDraw up a list of your search criteria (environment, surface area, number of rooms, etc…).
Once you've established your budget and criteria, consult the online advertisements on the various websites, or consult a real estate agency for assistance in your search.
If you're looking at properties, before committing yourself, it's important to find out about the following points :
- Property surface area
- Housing and property taxes
- Diagnostics
- Co-ownership charges
- The PLU
 
 
3 - Drawing up a purchase offerA property has caught your eye and you'd like to make an offer to buy.
You will be accompanied by your real estate agent to draw it up in writing, stipulating : The purchase price, including any loan conditions, and the duration of the offer (on average 10 days). The seller has this period in which to accept or make a counter-offer, which you may or may not accept.
 
 
4- Sign a promise to sellThis stage establishes a preliminary contract setting out the terms and conditions of the purchase. The parties meet at a sworn notary's office.
This preliminary contract enables us to gather as much information as possible about the property :
- Address
- Origin of the property
- Property description (lot number and cadastral section)
- Servitudes (if any)
- Co-ownership regulations and syndic
- Credit amount (if any)
- Property availability
- Fees
- Conditions precedent
- Withdrawal period etc....
Once you have signed the promise to sell, you have a 10-day cooling-off period, which allows you to withdraw from the sale of the property unconditionally.
If you have requested a loan as a condition precedent, and the loan is refused, the sale is cancelled without penalty.
On the other hand, renouncing a sale after the legal deadlines can cost you dearly: this is known as the "sequestration fee", i.e. you are charged 10% of the sale price of the property for its immobilization, as a sort of compensation to the seller.

5 - Signing the final deed of saleAt this final stage, the transaction is formalized and you become the new owner of the property. The deed of sale is signed at the notary's office in person, by video or by proxy (if you are unable to attend).
Please note: You can use one or two notaries, each representing the seller or the buyer.
Once the deed of sale has been signed, you'll be given the keys and a certificate of sale issued by the Notary, which you can use to take care of all the administrative formalities (electricity, gas, telephone, insurance, etc.).
On the other hand, it will take at least a year before you receive your Title of the property, while the Notary completes a number of administrative formalities.
 
6 - OwnerYou are now the owner of a property in France, and we hope you enjoy it to the full !!