Advertising with Agent..or not?

[stan]

I understand all the pros and cons with marketing a property with an estate agent, however I am just wondering what the French generally do...do they tend to buy via agents?..or save on fees by buying privately?

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

I'm using an agent who advertising online overseas. Having many more enquiries compared to a regular immobilier. In fact the regular immobilier has had none, they're pretty useless and seem incapable of knowing how to communicate.

So I guess, based only on my experience so far, the French don't use immobiliers.

[idun]

We tried advertising in our local free paper. We looked at the notaire de france web site, but at that time they had next to nothing for our bit of France, so we didn't bother. We were pretty sure that we would be selling french people and ended up with an agent immobilier and negociated their percentage. Sold it  after reducing the price. Houses used to go with in a month in our village, but with our own impeccable timing we put ours on the market to coincide with the 'crash'.

[stan]

[quote user="idun"]We were pretty sure that we would be selling french people [/quote]

 I thought slavery was abolished!!

Seriously though, thanks for that...it seems there are pros and cons for both ways of selling.

[audio]

I personally have found the French agents pretty poor in buying or selling a property.

The French tell me that they prefer not to deal with them because of the high commission charges.

P.S. Idun, I guess you managed to fix your PC

[idun]

No my pc has ended up in the repair shop today. In spite of PPP's advice I think I am rather better at making a good paella than going any where near the inner workings of a puter. I am on our other puter with it's awful qwerty keyboard, really do not like qwerty at all.

Re the estate agents, well our other methods of selling simply did not work, so I went to a few, negociated a lower percentage and the buyers still ended up 7000 euros which I assure you would have been better paid to us than the estate agent, but there you go c'est la vie!

People used to argue with me on here and say 'the buyer pays' as if it didn't affect the house price. Some people never seemed to understand that when people have a budget, then a huge sum like 7000euros reduces the amount they can pay to the vendor. Some people obviously have a lot more money than we do.[:)]

[audio]

‘People used to argue with me on here and say 'the buyer pays' as if it didn't affect the house price. Some people never seemed to understand that when people have a budget, then a huge sum like 7000euros reduces the amount they can pay to the vendor.’

I’ll second that Idun but give me a qwerty anytime.

[Rabbie]

[quote user="audio"] but give me a qwerty anytime.[/quote]I guess it's all about what we are used to[:)]

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

There's as much point in French immobiliers as there is in Belgium.

I really think there is too much a big deal made out of the immobiliers fees. This does not exist so much in other countries, it's already in the price of the property. I guess it's the greed of them and the notaires that makes French property seem so expensive (which it isn't really compared to other countries).

[idun]

Most of the money the notaires take is in taxes, so it is quite different to those exhorbitant fees that estate agents charge. And it isn't as if the people who work for the agent immobilier make much money, a poster on here didn't.

We are currently selling a house in the UK and the estate agent I have chosen is charging a fixed rate of £900 including VAT.

 

[audio]

[quote user="Rabbie"][quote user="audio"] but give me a qwerty anytime.[/quote]I guess it's all about what we are used to[:)][/quote]

 

Perhaps but I was used to driving on the left for many many years, now I prefer the right.

[Rabbie]

[quote user="Mr Coeur de Lion"]There's as much point in French immobiliers as there is in Belgium. I really think there is too much a big deal made out of the immobiliers fees. This does not exist so much in other countries, it's already in the price of the property. I guess it's the greed of them and the notaires that makes French property seem so expensive (which it isn't really compared to other countries).[/quote]If you think french property is expensive take a look at prices in England. Roughly twice as much as in France

[idun]

I'm not bothered which side of the road I drive on or where the wheel is, as long as I am driving in the same direction as everyone else. [:-))]

It is the position of my hands on the keyboard when I have a azerty key board which I find it much more relaxing than using a qwerty board.

[audio]

[quote user="Rabbie"][quote user="Mr Coeur de Lion"]There's as much point in French immobiliers as there is in Belgium. I really think there is too much a big deal made out of the immobiliers fees. This does not exist so much in other countries, it's already in the price of the property. I guess it's the greed of them and the notaires that makes French property seem so expensive (which it isn't really compared to other countries).[/quote]If you think french property is expensive take a look at prices in England. Roughly twice as much as in France[/quote]

 

Rabbie, it's the agents fees that are more expensive, not the actual price of the property.

[Rabbie]

[quote user="audio"]

[quote user="Rabbie"][quote user="Mr Coeur de Lion"]There's as much point in French immobiliers as there is in Belgium. I really think there is too much a big deal made out of the immobiliers fees. This does not exist so much in other countries, it's already in the price of the property. I guess it's the greed of them and the notaires that makes French property seem so expensive (which it isn't really compared to other countries).[/quote]If you think french property is expensive take a look at prices in England. Roughly twice as much as in France[/quote]

 

Rabbie, it's the agents fees that are more expensive, not the actual price of the property.

[/quote]I know that. I was replying to CdL comment "French property seem so expensive". Even with high French agent fees property is still much cheaper than in England.

[idun]

And that depends where you want to live in France. France has plenty of very expensive  properties.

[Mr Coeur de Lion]

Which is why I said "(which it isn't really compared to other countries).".

But to the French, it is expensive.

[Pommier]

We've found that the best approach is to hit all possible angles simultaneously. Make a website, put the house with about 4 agents, plus a notaire, plus Leboncoin, plus any free advertising sites.

After all, then those buyers who don't want to pay fees will be looking at private ads, so the agents commission won't affect them, wheras less careful buyers will visit agents and they may as well have the chance to view your house instead of someone elses!

[debbie]

Mr Couer de Lion: Would you perhaps be so kind as to pass on the name of your agent and for whom they work? We'd like very much to find an agent who would also advertise overseas. Since we are American and have a leaseback, I think more American's may be interested in it as well. I would greatly appreciate any information you may be willing to pass on.