Bonjour à tous,

So you should now be armed with your trusty list or spreadsheet that will allow you to compare all the properties you have shortlisted.

Investing some time to capture the key elements of your search will become your best friend. Make the spreadsheet and have an invaluable tool that allows you to keep your search more manageable.

As we all know, the real estate listing only tells part of the story. The property images can be limited and often not taken very well. Pay specific attention to the descriptions, remember they are written to sell a property and not to highlight issues.

It can be a long and expensive journey to discover that a property is not suitable for you before you have even taken a look inside. So what can you do? The key here is to gather as much information as possible before committing yourself to a viewing. There are many tools at your disposal, use them wisely!

The Estate Agent

Most properties listed with the bigger online platforms will be via an agent (Immobilier). Their contact details are usually on the listing. This is your first point of contact and an invaluable resource. Email the agent and introduce yourself. Explain that you have seen the property online and would like more information. It can be helpful at this stage to preempt the questions that the agent will ask you and just provide this information up front.

• What is your maximum budget?
• What is your timescale for purchasing a property?
• How will you be financing the purchase?

NOTE: If you are paying in cash, you are good to go. If you are looking to part finance via a mortgage, it’s worth taking some preliminary steps to validate your anticipated budget. There will be a separate guide to affordability coming up soon.

Your Requirements

The first step is to let the agent know your requirements. You already completed your requirements in your trusty list or spreadsheet? Communicate this information to the agent and ask if they think the house they are selling fits your brief. Take this communication step seriously, if you have specific requirements, please pass this on to the agent. French agents are keen to sell, and as part of this they want to spend their time efficiently. Even if the house you have highlighted does not meet your needs for some reason they may have others on their books that do. Taking this proactive approach will save both you and the agent time and effort.

Pictures

Most online listings have limited space for pictures. The agent may have access to lots more, just ask! They are usually happy so send you everything they have.

It’s super useful to see the roof, the outside of the building, the garden etc. When making a shortlist based on pictures, get friends and family to look at the pictures with you. The more eyes the better, to get a sensible and practical review of a potential property. Note any questions people have and discuss with the estate agent, to narrow down that list.

The Cadastral Plan

The Cadastral Plan (Le Plan cadastral) is a detailed map or survey that delineates the boundaries of land parcels, providing information about the size, shape, and location of individual properties/buildings within a specific area. The term “cadastral” relates to the comprehensive recording of land ownership and its characteristics for taxation or other purposes.

This plan is a great tool for the following:

• You can see what land is attached to or comes with the property. The plots of land are numbered and the agent should know which numbered plots are included in the sale of the house.
• You can see where the actual house is in relation to the road and where in the plot it sits.
• You can identify if there are other buildings on the property so you can ask about their usage and state of repair.
• You can see if the house is attached to other houses/buildings etc. This is great if you are looking for a detached property as is not often clear on the listing if you are attached to someone else’s property.
• You can get a good idea of what surrounds the property and ask questions about it.

If your agent doesn’t have access to this document they may have an aerial shot of the house which will help in much the same way. If they provide the address (not usually given without an actual physical visit), use Google Maps satellite to view the surrounding area.

Floor Plans

Ask the agent if they have access to floor plans for the property. These plans can help you get a feel for the flow of a house as well as give you dimensions of the rooms.

Again, you need to be clear on what you are looking for in terms of layout. At this point a lot of imagination is required. Get the measurements to understand the size of rooms and space available.

Ask Questions

Your agent should know the salient points about a house they are selling but they are also working for the seller. If they do not know the answer to your questions they have direct access to someone who does so ask whatever you want to know.

Firstly go back to your trusty list or spreadsheet and see if any of the information is missing or was not included in the property description. You have identified and searched on these criteria so they are clearly very important to you. Ask these questions first and update your list to reflect the responses. Doing this will give you an easy way to compare apples with apples, should you be in the fortunate position of having multiple properties match your criteria.

Look through the images and see if they throw up any other questions for the agent. The questions about the property will be personal to you. However, there are certain questions you should always ask about every potential property.

• Why is the current owner selling?
• How long has the property been on the market for?
• Have there been any reductions in the price since you have had this property on your books?
• Are there any offers currently on the table?
• Have there been any previous offers that have fallen through?
• Are the sellers open to negotiation?
• Are there any known issues or repairs needed?
• Have there been any significant works done on the property in the last ten years (This is important as French Trades offer a ten year guarantee on works).
• How much are the local taxes?
• What utilities are connected (Gas, Electricity, water, internet)
• Is the house connected to mains drainage (If the house has a Fosse Septique, does it conform?)

The list can be endless but it is imperative that you have all the information you need before arranging to view a house.

Alternative Listings

It is not uncommon in France for a property to be listed with multiple agents. This is great news for a buyer! A quick internet image search or a search of the house description will usually show you if the house is listed with other agencies. Why is this important? Well, firstly, sometimes there are more/different images of the property on differing sites and the descriptions may also differ allowing you to find out more about the house. Secondly, not all agencies are as prompt with their responses, so this gives you options for contact and lastly but probably most importantly, agents often set their own fees. These fees are usually a percentage of the agreed sale price. Check each listing to see who is responsible for the fees. Even if the seller is responsible this will still affect you if you are buying the property with a mortgage (More detail on this in a later post). So do your research here.

Exploring The Area

Easier said than done when you are in another country however there are things you can do from your armchair.

The area the property is in is usually detailed in the online listing however beware, this is often listed as the closest town and not the actual location. Ask the agent for the exact location. Some agents will provide you with actual addresses and coordinates but the majority will not release this information for security reasons, which is understandable. You can usually manage to get the name of the village or town and that is most definitely a start. Of course nothing beats visiting the area for yourself, but when you are looking at property thousands of miles away you cannot just jump in the car and do a quick reccy so use the tools you have on hand to help you along the way.

Google Maps

If you have an exact location, then great. Use Google maps and find the property. You can then use satellite and street views to look at the property and the surrounding area. If you have an approximate location you can do the same, sometimes it is even possible to spot the actual property, especially if the village is small and the house has some distinguishing features. Be mindful of the date of the images you are looking at but this is a great tool for seeing what the surrounding area is like, what joins onto the property or land and what local amenities are available. You can also use this tool to find out how far away you are from public transport links, supermarkets and schools. You can also look at travelling times, nearby restaurants, tourist attractions and even read their reviews.

Social media and the Internet

Quite a few areas in France have social media pages. These can be town or village information pages, local English speaking groups, property sale pages and so on. If you have your heart set on a specific area, join these groups. They are fantastic for asking questions but also for getting the feel of an area.

If the area you are looking at has a tourist industry, it may well have a website. A quick internet search of the town or village name will throw up any relevant sites.

Previous Sales Information

It may be possible to find out how much the property was last sold for. French land registry records were made available to the public in 2019 with the introduction of the Demande de Valeur Foncière.

You can search by department and commune. This site will provide you with an interactive map to find your specific property. It’s a super clunky site, but bear with it, as it includes some good information to guide you. If there has been a recent sale (within the last 5 years) the plots will be coloured blue. Clicking on the plot will show you when the property or land parcel was sold and for how much. The site is updated every six months.

You should now have most of your questions answered and your spreadsheet should be bursting with information. Now for the next stage. Do you want to see any of the properties in the flesh?

Our next guide will look at arranging a pain free viewing trip to France.