Mrs Trellis Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 We are need to sell our old house - then we can improve the new one. When selling the UK house in 2007, I got valuations from 3 agents and sold in 3 weeks at 1% commission. Those were the days! Here there is a lot of property for sale, some for years, and the village agent closed. She used ask what price people wanted rather than giving a valuation and was the opposite of dynamic. When next door sold it was with the village agent but sold via an ad on the door. OH wants to try that as the house is right on the (traffic free) street and tourists go by. Also we'd try Leboncoin. I noticed a local notaire was advertising properties there. Is there any advantage in using a notaire as agent? I assume they get the legal business but don't know what extra they'd charge or if they do more than advertise in Leboncoin..A friend recently had a very demanding prospective buyer who did not come via an agent. It was so stressful the friend said she'd always deal via an agent. I don't want stress and I guess an agent would deal with all the reports that are now required. Any helpful advice would be gratefully received.Apologies if this has been dealt with before - I searched but couldn't find anything. And how do you put paragraphs in these posts? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulT Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Quote 'A friend recently had a very demanding prospective buyer who did not come via an agent. It was so stressful the friend said she'd always deal via an agent'Surely, the friend should have told the prospective buyer to clear off if they were causing stress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
tinabee Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 If you advertise on Leboncoin you need to expect quite a lot of phone calls from other websites and agencies offering to sell your house for you. Also, if you sell privately be prepared to have potential buyers ringing you frequently with lots of questions. If you find this type of thing stressful, use an agent. Typically a Notaire's agency fees will be around the 4% range, whereas a commercial estate agency may charge 8% - 10%.Many French buyers prefer to buy privately through websites, or through a Notaire, as it can save them thousands in agency fees. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mrs Trellis Posted March 15, 2014 Author Share Posted March 15, 2014 She did in the end, but of course lost the sale. This person required various repairs, which were done, wanted an English speaking notaire, and a hefty price reduction, (having saved the agent's fee and the price had already come down 25%) all before making formal offer. She looked at our house but I'm rather glad she didn't choose it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
idun Posted March 15, 2014 Share Posted March 15, 2014 Well between them, our estate agent and notaire royally screwed us, well that is how it still feels. M. Idun was back in France and went to see them and is hard of hearing, so I got information from him that seemed absolutely fine, until we were there for the actual move and realised exactly what was happening, when it was far too late.I don't trust any of them now. We were also done when we bought, but we had little french then, I had not expected it when we were leaving.It isn't as if such things don't happen to french people too, they certainly do, so speaking french is not necessarily a key factor, having to look out for what I call deception and cunning on the part of these professionals is essential. Try and sell it yourself and watch out for every word that is said to you. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Pommier Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 [quote user="Mrs Trellis"]Is there any advantage in using a notaire as agent?I guess an agent would deal with all the reports that are now required. Any helpful advice would be gratefully received.[/quote]Notaires charge commission, but it's generally less than agents.It may be easier to let an agent arrange the diagnostics, but it's cheaper to phone round for quotes yourself as there's a HUGE difference in prices.Why don't you advertise with a couple of agents and also with Leboncoin/poster in the window? If you plan on advertising privately, make out a list of information for viewers (TdH and TF, dates any work was done with receipts, anything useful) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Judith Posted March 17, 2014 Share Posted March 17, 2014 remember to ask for a non-exclusive mandate with any agent, so you can sell it in different places ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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