Have you gone back to the Notaire and queried this situation??
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I think you have the nugget of an excellent and useful idea here, Chris !
As I always do, I have not jumped straight in with my comments - always informative to read what other people say (which is exactly why you have posted your question ).
Your credentials and experience are excellent. Most importantly - youâve been there; and done it. More times than most of us ! Most importantly, you know the UK market, and understand the British buyer. You are well aware of the ignorance of the majority of these people - and have therefore identified an opportunity.
But I would question your sprawling, wide-ranging, ill-defined objectives. As a business opportunity, I would doubt that you are clearly going to offer a service that Joe Brit is even going to understand, or realise that he needs. So why would he pay for it ?
Secondly - you have not even mentioned how you would sell your service; how would you make contact with would-be buyers ? . . . . and Thirdly; at what kind of cost to make it worth while to both you and the buyers ?
There are quite a number of âFrench bureaucracy hand-holdersâ running successful businesses now. I think that you should look at these to establish your business model.
Quite honestly, I donât think the average buyer wants to delve into the vast range of potential problems that you have set out. Their needs are, at this stage, much more basic. Things like whatâs a notaire? why is there only one? how do I get one? Is the house OK - or is there something that needs to be inspected more closely? Are these funny electric sockets OK? Whatâs a âfosse septiqueâ? Does this one work OK? Is it a fair price for the house? What should I offer? Can I see the Deeds? Itâs an Inheritance sale, who am I buying from? How do I get electricity/gas/internet/phone/water connected? Whatâs the buying procedure here? Why is the immobilier pushing me to sign something? etc etc etc etc.
If you donât want âreferral arrangements of any kindâ, how will anyone know you exist? Why do you think that a referral from an agent or a notaire diminishes your status?
Enough, already. Letâs discuss.
Best wishes, Michael
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The non functioning oil burner was was paid for by the seller at least. Upon getting quotes for AC in the house, I was told the entire electrical panel was over wired and dramatically unbalanced, needed replacement. I uncovered the pool and tried to start it, and found the pool equipment not working. The water filter system needed a 200E part. The septic tank is too small by half according to current standards, which I discovered the day of closing. I knew it was non conforming but was told it was just a top off valve. The seller at closing said that there were boundary markers for the property lines but there are not. On and on.
The notaire asked me at closing if I accepted the house as is and I said yes, stupidly. So I have no recourse. Lessons learned.
Youâre getting lots of opinions, @Chrisgrim !
Given what you do, Iâm sure youâre aware of the alternatives in terms of services offered: youâll need to distinguish what you propose from the others, of course, by stressing whatever USPs you think you have. And also identify your target clientele, which is not people like me ! I spent a great deal of time learning about the process and the town we bought in.
I have the feeling that some of what drove peopleâs dissatisfaction in the 2022 survey was the restrictions which arose from Covid and the desire to buy quickly. I might be wrong, and I suppose youâll have considered that possibility and what effect it might have had.
I think youâll need to do a good number of freebies. I see why you donât want to work with immos - theyâll probably look on you as a complication ! - but youâre going to need some referral method, I think.
If the target is first time foreign buyers then there are a couple of well trodded routes, such as certain publications (which take adverts) and UK based events.
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Thank you @DeeEmGee for sharing you rexperience. I agree, the diagnostics are clearly insufficient - and this is assuming they are done properly. On the last house I bought in June 2025, the diagnostics were so wrong that I asked the man to come back and reevaluate the insulation, which went from F to D. Most of the observations were either wrong or incomplete. He simply hadnât been in the attic, or looked behind the sockets.
I get the need to hire a group of specialists, but this doesnât exist as such, unless you manage to convince an âentreprise tous corps dâĂ©tatâ to send you someone, but they will ignore you most of the time as you donât actually own the house when you need them most, and the estimation is that between 5 and 10% of buyers pull out in the cooling off period. Then the mortgage challenge starts, and up to 20% of sales fail to complete. Contractors hate wasting time, understandably, so they tend to avoid visiting properties even if you pay them.
Someone needs to be the missing link between the buyer and all those people and help filter out who needs to be consulted and who doesnât. Someone who really knows who does what in France.
Thank you @Bosendorfer for your message. As I already have a job I like, I am probably being naive enough to think I could start working with people who actually feel they need help. The rest will manage perfectly well on their own or have to face reality the hard way. Expats have bought properties over here for years and years, so the service is a plus, not a must. My first idea was in fact to work for miltary personnel , as I work everyday with people who sell, rent or buy houses every five or six years and never have time to properly investigate the surroundings or anything beyond the compulsory diagnostics. I keep hearing stories about funny neighbours, bits of houses falling down, leaky pipes and lack of public transport for children. And these are all French people!
Thank you for your insights into the business model. It needs working on, clearly, and I am seeing a property lawyer in the next few days to make sur I stay on the right side of Loi Hoguet for a start.
No referrals is a guarantee for my clients that I would only work for them, for a fixed rate, and that I provide 100% objective information.
Yes, promoting the service would be the easy part I think.
Thank you everyone for your kind help and constructive criticism, it is really appreciated and I hope I can be of assistance to other people in these pages for other matters.
Christophe
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We have some Irish friends who could probably do with someone like that, but theyâre looking in the Auvergne.
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Youâve identified your own problem, Chris - âso the service is a plus, not a mustâ. ~
Iâve set up and developed 3 businesses over my life. Then sold them. They paid my bills. They were successful because they provided what people wanted - not âplusesâ, whatever that might mean.
You have post purchase syndrome, a common ailment that many house buyers everywhere and everywhere are affected by.
We have just bought a brand new house so avoided many issues that come with an older house purchase however we have encountered a different problem.
Furniture is usually bought to fit the house you live in and its almost impossible to make it fit into your next house.
Anyone want to buy a 3 piece suite?
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I beg to differ there. My family are on their third bought house in the US and each one has come with problems they found out much later that was never disclosed by the realtor and they paid top notch each time for reports and insurance cover for anything during the first year. Best one was the Texas house whereby they discovered by accident after receiving a strange deposit in their bank account, that they had a. natural gas run off pipe and was in effect a rental on their land, nothing of which was disclosed anywhere from the start off. Times have changed, people are not so forthcoming any more where property is concerned and there have been some real horror stories here in France too.
Well I do expect things to work when the seller says they work. Tant pis, itâs only money right? Re furniture so true. I brought my king size bed thinking I would definitely find a French home big enough to accommodate it. I did but just barely.
Everyoneâs experience is going to be a little different and of course no inspector is going to find every little thing. All I know is when I sold my house in Florida near Tampa the inspector was there for an entire day. Seven hours! He found things I didnât even know were an issue. So as usual⊠YMMV.
Hope it was built properly, seen so many awful botch ups in new builds (via NHBC).
By coincidence Chris, we had a knock on the door from a delightfully named Mme Petitpain, It sounded like she is trying to set up the same type of thing as you. Perhaps you should swop ideas? Here is some text from the flyer that she left with us.
QUI SUIS-JE ?
Originaire du Sud-Ouest, jâai commencĂ© ma carriĂšre dans les mĂ©tiers du commerce et de la vente. AttirĂ©e par la relation humaine, toujours soucieuse dâapporter une vĂ©ritable aide organisĂ©e, jâai choisi naturellement de mâorienter vers le mĂ©tier de conseiller immobilier.
Devenir mandataire en immobilier, câest avant tout un mĂ©tier dâĂ©coute, dâanalyse, dâaccompagnement et de rĂ©flexion afin dâaboutir Ă un projet concret et personnalisĂ©.
Lâhumain, la proximitĂ© et lâautonomie sont pour moi des valeurs essentielles qui conjuguent naturellement un secteur exigeant et concret.
Aujourdâhui, je mets Ă votre disposition toutes mes compĂ©tences pour vous accompagner dans toutes les Ă©tapes juridiques et pratiques du mĂ©tier. Je vous propose un accompagnement sĂ©rieux et dĂ©terminĂ© pour que chaque projet se dĂ©roule en toute confiance.Ma Mission
Le mĂ©tier de conseiller immobilier est souvent entourĂ© de prĂ©jugĂ©s et mal perçu. Il est nĂ©cessaire de redorer lâimage du conseiller immobilier, en vous apportant confiance et transparence.
Mon objectif est de redorer lâimage du conseiller immobilier, en vous apportant confiance et transparence.
Je mâengage Ă rester fidĂšle Ă mes valeurs. Je travaille en tant quâindĂ©pendante avec un rĂ©seau de partenaires professionnels soigneusement sĂ©lectionnĂ©s (notaires, diagnostiqueurs, courtiers, artisansâŠ).
Mon rĂŽle est de vous accompagner avec vos attentes et vos besoins.Ma Vision
Pour moi, câest avant tout un mĂ©tier humain. Vous ne mâentendrez jamais dire quelque chose sans avoir dâabord bien rĂ©flĂ©chi. Mon rĂŽle nâest pas de vous vendre un bien, mais de vous accompagner dans un projet de vie.
Mon objectif est de vous offrir un accompagnement personnalisé, en restant fidÚle à mes valeurs.
Je travaille en toute indĂ©pendance avec un rĂ©seau de partenaires professionnels soigneusement sĂ©lectionnĂ©s (notaires, diagnostiqueurs, courtiers, artisansâŠ).
Mon rĂŽle est de vous accompagner avec vos attentes et vos besoins.Quelques valeurs que jâaurais plaisir Ă partager avec vous :Ăcoute et Ă©change : Je privilĂ©gie les discussions autour de vos projets plutĂŽt que les monologues.Votre satisfaction avant tout : Je collabore avec dâautres professionnels si cela permet de finaliser votre projet dans les meilleures conditions et dĂ©lais.Toujours dans votre intĂ©rĂȘt : Je refuse de perdre du temps Ă travailler contre vos intĂ©rĂȘts, et pour cela il est indispensable de former une vraie collaboration.
Edit - she is in the far SW so no competition to you.
Great questions, all of them, and they get right to the heart of why buying in France can feel like navigating a maze blindfolded!
I want to be clear about one boundary, because itâs actually where the legal line sits. France has the Loi Hoguet (1970), which strictly regulates real estate activity. Anyone who gets involved in a transaction â taking a commission, advising on price, helping negotiate â for a fee, needs a âcarte Tâ (Transaction licence). No carte T, no go, full stop.
Hereâs the thing though: the person showing you around a house very often doesnât hold one personally. Agents working for a traditional agency operate under their employerâs licence. Independent agents â the mandataires youâll find in networks like IAD or Leggetts â work under the networkâs licence, and under French law (the ALUR act), theyâre not actually required to hold any qualification before they start. They do 14 hours of continuing training per year once theyâre up and running. Thatâs it. So yes, the person handing you the keys may well never have changed a lightbulb, let alone spotted a dodgy fosse septique.
And since they only get paid on completion, thereâs a well-known tendency to create a little urgency â âthereâs another viewing this afternoonâ, âwe already have an offerâ⊠Standard stuff, unfortunately.
This is precisely why my reports stay strictly observational. I flag things that deserve a closer look â I donât value the property, I donât advise on your offer, and I donât negotiate anything. Thatâs the carte T territory and I stay well clear of it.
What I can do is make sure youâre not flying blind on everything else.
Hi @Mik_Bennett , well this is just another mandataire immobilier, so someone who acts as an agent without a carte T (see previous message). So someone who gets a commission when he sale goes through and who works, as she says, within a network of other estate agents, sharing customers, listings and commissions. This is exactly why first-time buyers need someone who works 100% for them. A mandataire usually gets paid
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when they get the mandat de vente from the seller
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if they share that mandat with another agent and the sale goes through, they also share the commission. Depending on who they work for, there are also sometimes fees that apply if they are from the same network but get a mandat de vente on somebody elseâs territory.
In this system, the buyer is a prey. Agents will always say they offer accompaniment, and they do, most of them really honestly and to the best of their abilities, but still, the only way they get paid is when buyers buy!
Actually the fact the she mentions the need to âredorer lâimage des conseillers immobiliersâ proves that there is definitely a lack of trust.
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