Hi Karen, you are completely right. Like in every profession, you can always find a few bad apples, and I agree that the French legal system can be very opaque when you come from abroad and ‘don’t know what you don’t know’.
But this is exactly why I strongly advise foreign buyers to use their own Notaire!
If a British buyer take a Notaire who speak English and is used to expat clients, this Notaire will explain them all the traps and check everything on their behalf. He will double-check the work of my own local Notaire.
And the best part is that in France, the two Notaires have to share the standard state fee. So it cost absolutely nothing more for the buyer to have his own dedicated legal expert looking after his interests. It is the best way to be 100% safe, having someone answering all the ‘unknowns’, without paying a 6% agent commission on top of it.
But yes, I am glad we agree on the main point comparing to estate agents!
Thanks a lot Gareth, I really appreciate the honest feedback and the good wishes!
It is very true that once you have the experience and understand how the Notaire system actually works here, bypassing the agent make total sense for both sides.
Thanks again for your input, have a great evening.
I 100% agree with you. A Notaire is human and mistakes can happen. Buyers should always keep their guard up and check everything.
This is exactly why I strongly recommend foreign buyers to take their own Notaire, as I just replied to Karen above. Having two Notaires checking each other work for the exact same standard fee is the best way to avoid any human mistake or bias.
Thanks for pointing it out, it is a very good advice for any buyer!
Anyone, including the OP, who wants to access UK buyers for a property selling in France can use agencies that link with big UK ones such as Savills, Sotheby’s and Knight Frank etc. Which French agent is in partnership with UK agent sites depends on the location in France of the property in question. And sometimes the budget.
You are completely right, big networks like Savills or Sotheby’s are very effective to reach UK buyers.
However, using them would completely defeat the purpose of my approach here! These international prestige agencies often charge even higher commissions than local French ones.
My whole goal is to offer a strict ‘Net Vendeur’ price so the buyer can save this massive 6% to 8% markup. Adding an expensive international corporate fee on top of a family home in Corrèze just doesn’t make financial sense for a buyer, especially when the Notaire already provide 100% of the legal security in his standard fee.
If I was selling a 2 millions euros Château, I would definitely use them though! Thanks for the suggestion anyway.
You are completely right, a simple ‘A Vendre’ sign is the best old-school tool to bypass agencies for the local market! I actually have one ready for the gate.
The only problem is that because the house is so close to Brive airport (20 mins), I know it is a very good fit for UK buyers. But obviously, those buyers are not driving in my street right now to see the sign!
This is exactly why I am trying to reach out on the internet, so they can see the property and the ‘Net Vendeur’ price before they even book their flight. But you are 100% right, for local peoples passing by, the home-made sign is still the best way.
You are completely right! PAP.fr (and Leboncoin) are very big in France for private sales. I actually have my advert on Leboncoin for the French market right now.
But exactly as you said, most UK buyers don’t know these websites exist, or they struggle with the French descriptions. That is the main reason why I decided to come and explain my approach on this UK forum!
It is not always easy to connect a French seller with a British buyer without a very expensive agency in the middle, because we don’t look at the same websites. But communities like this one make it possible. Thanks for bringing it up!
Yes, Leboncoin is the number one website in France!
Actually, the local agency I have a simple mandate with has already published the advert for the house on Leboncoin.
But this is exactly the problem for the buyer: if someone find the house on Leboncoin right now, they will see the price with the agency commission included (what we call FAI). By talking to me directly here, they bypass the agency and get the strict ‘Net Vendeur’ price, saving thousands of euros.
Plus, as Jane mentioned just before, most UK buyers don’t really browse Leboncoin or struggle with the French descriptions. That is why I am trying to connect directly with them on this forum!
Ah ok I understand, I’ve only flicked through the thread. What’s the equivalent of LBC in England Ireland Belgium Germany Holland etc. Have you thought of using them.
Yeah you need a French number to even register for le bon coin. We had that issue back when we were in Blighty… I had to register via my mother-in-law’s mobile number initially
By the way, have you tried joining the various Facebook groups targeting those looking to relocate to France, e.g.
It sounds like you need to advertise on Purple Bricks or Rightmove for the UK market.
FWIW we bought through Legetts, but I spent time looking at a variety of immobiliers (and some were pretty shonky) and LBC. I wouldn’t have looked at your house here because I wasn’t interested in a site like this until the process was well underway.
We were down South near the Pyrenees and we called it Almost Nowhere because of it’s remote location. The sign was spotted by a couple from Alsace who were on holiday in the area.
Not a strategy to rely on but definitely worth a punt.
That is a great story Mik! It proves that you never know who is driving by during the holidays.
Since we are in August right now, there is actually quite a lot of tourists driving around Donzenac and the Corrèze area. So maybe the agency sign on my gate will catch the eye of a British family on holiday here, who knows!
But exactly as you said, it is not a strategy to rely on if you want to sell in a reasonable time. That is why I prefer to be proactive and try my luck here online with you guys as well. Thanks for sharing your experience, it gives some hope!
You are totally right about Rightmove, it is the absolute best place to reach the UK market!
But unfortunately, a private French seller cannot just put an advert on Rightmove Overseas directly. You have to go through a registered estate agency to list a property there. If I do that, I have to add their 6% or 8% commission on top of my strict ‘Net Vendeur’ price, which completely destroy my goal of saving money for the buyer! (Leggetts is a very famous agency for expats, but they are also known to have quite high fees).
I also 100% agree with you that most people don’t use a forum like SFN to search for a house at the beginning of their project. But since I have a fully renovated house ready to go, and it is free to talk about it here, I thought it was worth the try to see if someone wanted to bypass the agency fees.
Thanks a lot for the honest feedback anyway, it is very interesting for me to understand how UK buyers search before coming to France!
