Real Estate in France

Generally not as well dressed, but...

If you ever went house-hunting in Canada you’ll know that everyone is part of the Multiple Listing System (MLS). Every listing goes into one big database that any agent can access. So shopping for a house is basically a one-stop affair.

In France on the other hand every agent or agency has their own listings, on their own web site, and it’s up to you to track them all down. Except that sometimes people list their houses with lots of different agencies at the same time.

Added to that is the divide between agents (like Green Acres)(a below) that serve mostly the english speaking market, and all of the agencies that only speak French. The secret that some people figure out is that the french agents have lots of less expensive listings, and charge less fees, and offer much, much better service.

Plus, eight times out of ten, they speak English well enough to get by.

In Canada the one absolute iron-clad rule is that the owners are never, ever home when you go to see the house. It’s unheard of to ever meet the people selling or buying a house at any time.

In France there’s no such rule. Owners are home. Dogs are home. You get offered cups of tea, and you get followed through the house. I mean, everyone is nice, but it feels strange to us. Sometimes you just want stop, lean over, and say “Where on earth did they get those shiny white floor tiles?”

The other really noteworthy thing about real estate in France is that the government goes to great lengths to protect buyers. In Canada you sign the purchase agreement, add a couple of conditions like financing or a property inspection, and the deal is done. Once the conditions are met you are buying that house, no matter what.

In France you make an offer to the owner. If its accepted you then have ten days to change your mind and walk away. Then when you both sign the final sale you get another ten days to back out! And, if after all of that you change your mind, you’re still only on the hook for 10% of the price. (b below)

The weight that this lifts off of your shoulders is immense.

The other really interesting thing is if you’re buying rural property like a farm. The sale will be delayed for several weeks to allow legitimate agricultural buyers to step in and take the property before you can buy it.

Yes, instead of turning farmland into golf courses, the french government tries to ensure that farmland remains in use as farmland.

Plus, the entire septic system has to meet very current standards, and any major work done in the last ten years has to be warranted by the seller. The consumer protections are real, and valued if you’re comparing them to the practices in Canada.

All in all we’re told that after having our offer accepted by the seller we should expect it to take four to five months before we can move in to our new home. Much of that is consumed by multiple levels and layers of french bureaucracy. This, apparently, can be kept a little bit shorter if both sides use the same notary to handle the legal paperwork.

So now we sit, and wait, and try to anticipate the surprises that await us.

(a) OK, Green Acres is more of an aggregator than an actual agent. I was thinking more of Leggatt, who are hard-core expat English.

(b) It’s been pointed out that this characterisation is not entirely accurate or complete, but the overall point is that you have lots of chances to get out of a house-buying deal. Don’t get your real estate legal advice from me!