Buying in France
The French process is protective and well organised — once you know how it runs. Here is the journey, explained for international buyers.
France protects property buyers more than most countries: a public officer secures every sale, a cooling-off period is written into law, and your deposit is safeguarded until completion. The counterpart is a process with its own rhythm and vocabulary — compromis, notaire, diagnostics. This page gives you the map.
Written, dated, time-limited, backed by your financing. Once accepted, it commits both parties towards the compromis.
The detailed sale agreement, prepared with the notaire: price, conditions, diagnostic reports, deadline for completion.
As a private buyer you have a ten-calendar-day withdrawal period after notification — no justification, no penalty. The seller is bound.
Time for the mortgage offer and the notaire's searches. A final walk-through just before signing, then the keys are yours.
Every figure above is an order of magnitude, valid for most cases — your notaire confirms the exact numbers for a given property. For the full detail, step by step, download our buyer's guide (PDF, in English) →
Why here
On the Atlantic coast, three hours from Paris by direct train, La Rochelle combines a working historic port, a lively year-round town and one of France's sunniest climates. Across the bridge, the Île de Ré offers whitewashed villages, cycle paths through the vines and a strictly protected coastline — scarcity by law, which is precisely what sustains its value.
It is a market of neighbourhoods and micro-markets rather than one price per town — and on the island, planning rules decide what a property can ever become. This is where local, technical advice earns its keep: it is our home ground, and we work it in English.
Questions we hear every week
Yes. France places no restriction on foreign buyers — EU or not. The process, taxes and protections are the same as for French buyers. What differs is the paperwork around financing and identity, which your notaire and adviser will frame from the start.
For an existing property, allow around 8% of the price on top, sometimes a little more — the so-called "notaire's fees", most of which are in fact State and local duties. New-builds carry markedly lower costs. Your notaire produces the exact figure for a given property before you sign anything.
Often, yes. Several French banks and specialist brokers lend to non-residents, typically with a larger deposit. Before viewing, obtain a written agreement in principle: on sought-after properties it is what makes your offer credible.
The notaire is a public officer who secures the transaction, checks titles and planning, collects the duties and registers the deed. You may appoint your own — at no extra cost, the fee is shared — and for international buyers we recommend it.
Mainly the taxe foncière (owner's property tax) and, for second homes, the taxe d'habitation. If you later resell, capital gains rules depend on your residency and how long you have owned — a point to review with the notaire or a tax adviser, not with an estate agent.
It helps, but it is not required. Our team assists you in English at every step, and key legal documents can be explained — or translated by a sworn translator — before you sign. You should never sign a document you have not understood.
General guidance only — legal and tax points always deserve your notaire's confirmation on your specific case.
Entrust us with your search — criteria, budget, timeline — and be called first when the right property comes in, including off-market.
Prefer to start with a conversation? Contact us — we reply in English →