Expert Advice - Selling Paris Property

Who pays for the notaire? Not the seller…

Who pays for the notaire? Not the seller…

As many of you will be aware, the process for buying and selling property in France is quite different from countries such as the UK or USA. Perhaps the biggest difference of all is the importance of the notaire – the public official who is responsible for overseeing the entire process – which you can read…

Preparing your property for sale

Preparing your property for sale

As anyone who has watched any of the TV property programmes will know, presenting a house or apartment in the right way can be the key to a successful sale. So, once you take the decision to put your place on the market, there are few things to bear to in mind, in order to…

A handy checklist for sellers of French property

A handy checklist for sellers of French property

If you are planning on selling your Paris property, there are certain documents that we will need to get the process under way. As a starting point, we have compiled a handy checklist for you here – but, as always, feel free to ask any questions, and remember that we are available to help at…

Evaluating Paris property

Evaluating Paris property

When purchasing Parisian property, buyers are frequently misled by the average price per m2, which only gives a general idea and does not necessarily reflect the true value of a property. This can depend on several factors: address, level in the building, quality of common areas, services etc. The table below gives an indication of…

What Is The Promesse de Vente?

What Is The Promesse de Vente?

The Promesse de Vente is the first formal and legally binding stage in the property purchase process in France. It is a written contract of sale agreement that legally binds together the seller and purchaser. The agreement can be drafted by the Estate Agency handling the sale (but this is not at all to be recommended) or more safely…

What Does The Notaire Check?

What Does The Notaire Check?

Part of the Notaire’s job is to verify that the seller is really the owner of the property in question and any government mandates to take this building over by government control (only in rare cases when the building is considered to block some important government project see Droit de préemption). Special laws require that the…

Measuring The Size Of Your Apartment (Legally) – The Loi Carrez

Measuring The Size Of Your Apartment (Legally) – The Loi Carrez

The Loi Carrez (named, not for the unit of measurement, but for the minister of housing who introduced the law) is a protective measure for the buyer in France. The sale agreement relating to the purchase of a property must state the surface area of the property, in square meters. In 1996, a law was…

What Is The Real Estate Agency Fee And Who Pays It?

What Is The Real Estate Agency Fee And Who Pays It?

Estate Agency fees if required are normally included in the purchase price of the property. In effect, both the buyer and the seller pay the agency commission because it is part of the sales price. Commission comprise (written as C/C) indicates that the price includes the agent’s commission. Beware. A price quoted as net vendeur…