If you want to buy the perfect house in France, you have to be patient. Buying real estate In Provence, Cote d’Azur or Paris is a process of searching, looking, searching, assessing and finally striking at the ‘moment suprème’. Sometimes months pass; the process from looking to buying takes much longer than expected. Much to the disappointment and frustration of the buyer.
One of the reasons lies in the fact that the supply of houses is opaque. This makes it difficult to remotely assess a property in the south of France. Photography is getting better and better, but it doesn’t tell you whether the house is next to a graveyard. Or close to the autoroute. In addition, unlike in other countries, many houses are offered by several brokers. It is an extremely competitive battle where registration of the customer’s name is the first battle to be won. Every real estate agent tries to sell a house in his/her own way to get in contact with you.
The buying process: searching for the perfect house in the South of France
Hunting the buyer is done with exciting drone photos and videos on Youtube and TikTok, a beautifully set dining table in a sun-drenched garden and of course a lot of local promotion in the window shop and in free glossy magazines that you can find on the street. On top of that, French real estate agents advertise on French real estates portal websites such as Green Acres, Le Figaro, Les Belles Demeures and many others. If you search a house on these real estate portals specifically for a price and city, it may happen that you come across the same house several times, but with different photos. Tip if you’re not sure: Look at the kitchen! If you are seduced and you ask for more information via such a portal, you will roll into a database without your knowledge and you will suddenly be ‘owned’ by the selling real estate agent.
This does not mean that the red carpet is now going out and people will contact you ‘a la minute’. Due to the playful ease of requesting information on the Internet without human contact, thousands of forms are sent to hundreds of brokers every day. This increases the chance that you will be registered, but you will not be asked what exactly you are looking for. Just because it’s too busy. Or the house is already under offer, in that case, it makes no sense to inform you further. Selling real estate is often a pragmatic act for a real estate agent under pressure.
The ideal purchase process for a house in the South of France
Of course, you don’t have the time (or motivation) to be in daily contact with dozens of brokers. And once you’re in contact with 2, or 3 real estate agents, you don’t like to be stalked with houses that are not in your taste, style or budget. You simply want a selection that is close to your wish list and preferably from as many parties as possible.
This is where the Dutch portal Living on the Côte d’Azur excels. We are connected with practically all real estate agents in the South of France and offer our customers a personal service. On the portal, you will find the best offer from the best brokers, combined with sober Dutch advice. Because anyone can find a house, the buying process of a house in France through the French notary scares many people. Even though the buyer is fully protected in France with cooling-off periods, it seems complicated. Why do you have to wait an extra month for permission from the municipality, don’t notaries become extremely wealthy from the transfer tax, why do you have to hire a translator for the final deed of sale, what is IFI wealth tax and why does it take so long? All questions that we are happy to answer and help you understand.
The service in the South of France continues even after the sale
The Dutch portal Living on the Côte d’Azur operates as a one-stop-shop with a deep and wide range of apartments and villas at a high-quality level. Our service also helps you find a mortgage in France on favourable terms. Or home insurance. And if you want to make a change in your home, we have local teams for paintwork or heavier construction and renovation works in the South of France. From new bathrooms, windows and floors to complete swimming pools with summer kitchens.
Are you interested in purchasing a house in the South of France? Please contact us using the form below. We look forward to serving you!
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