Country profile

Obtaining a French property is quite simple, especially for EU citizens.

• A notary is needed in order to draw up and witness the signing of the contract. The notary in France holds an independent highly qualified position in French law and will be able to give you full legal advice, although you may want to hire your own lawyer as well.
• On the day of the signing a deposit will be paid of about 10%, which can be subject to any additional clauses you may want to add in the contract concerning responsibilities of the vendor to make any repairs etc. The deposit may be less for properties under five years old.
• An alternative way to buy a property would be to form a Property Investment Partnership or SCI, which allows individuals or family members to own as shareholders. This will avoid any complications later on concerning the French succession law.

The transaction is subject to 19.6% VAT, so make sure you check whether the charge is already included in the purchase price.

The following fees will also apply:

• The notary fee will amount to around 8% of the purchase price for older properties and about 4% for newly built properties
• The Registry fee may total 4%
• The land registry will receive 0.10% of the sale price
• Mortgage registration fees are about 2%
• The estate agent will charge a commission of 3–10%

• Small rural properties cost from €75,000
• Large rural properties cost from €450,000
• In towns and smaller cities along the southern coast you can find apartments from €225,000 to villas costing over €1.5million
• Ski chalets in the mountains can be found for €500,000
• In larger cities such as Strasbourg or Lyon, one-bedroom apartments go from €100,000 and three-bedroom apartments are found from €300,000