Self-employed Estate Agents?

[froggiemel]

Hi all

does anyone know about becoming a self-employed Estate Agent in Normandy? I have excellent local knowledge and fluent French, and my fiance has a very good business head.

I have seen adverts from agencies wanting to take people on. Can it work???

 

[Jane M]

I don't know about Normandy, or exactly what you have in mind, but the (Dutch) agent who sold us our house recently (in Aveyron, Dept 12) works on a self-employed commission-only basis with a local estate agency called Selection Habitat.   She reckons she is making a living (despite having to fund all costs herself), plus that the job has helped improve both her French and her knowledge of the local area.  Good luck!    

[groslard]

I thought you had to have certain qualifications to do this in France, including some legal training?

Perhaps Will will know....

[Cat]

Just asked Mr Cat...

It depends whether the OP wants to become an agent immobilier or an agent commercial, as the requirements are rather different.  To become an agent immobilier, and operate legally, it is necessary to obtain the carte professionelle.  A carte professionelle holder may them employ salaried workers who do not hold a carte professionelle in their own right. 

If an agent immobilier takes on a self-employed sales agent (agent commercial) then the agent commercial must also hold a carte professionelle if he or she is not to be paid a salary (thus operating on a commission only basis).

[Mishtoon]

Hi there,

I didn't quite understand your last comment when you said that the agent commercial also needs a carte professionnelle.  Could you clarify that?  Do you mean that if they are working as a self-employed person, ie: not paid a salary directly by the agent immobilier, that they need to go through the same process as the agent immobilier to obtain the carte professionnelle?

 

Is there a website anywhere that you know of, that goes into greater detail about setting up as an agent commercial?

Many thanks,

[Clair]

[quote user="Mishtoon"]Is there a website anywhere that you know of, that goes into greater detail about setting up as an agent commercial?[/quote]

http://www.inforeg.ccip.fr/L-agent-commercial-fiche-69-5995.html

[Will]

Clair just beat me with that link - you may also like to take a look at this one:
http://www.jurisprudentes.org/agent_immobilier.htm

The full carte professionelle - which I think is green in colour - requires certain qualifications and experience (as outlined in the site linked above). An agent commercial in estate agency has a different card, issued by the greffe du tribunal de commerce at the préfecture, which I think is coloured grey, and which indicates that the agent is registered for tax and social security purposes and is linked to a full card-carrying agent.

One can be an agent commercial selling anything. Where property sales are concerned, some extra, and different, conditions apply. There was a bit of a furore a couple of years ago when a court ruled that the status of agent commercial was not consistent with estate agency, but this seems to have settled down now, though the status has not been 100% defined and you may still find variations between prefectures.

 

[Mishtoon]

Thank you to you both for your rapid responses.  It is much appreciated.

Have a good day!

bye,

[Will]

Be aware that the market is very slow at the moment - you will obviously need to make a certain number of sales each month in order to survive, and your commision will have to cover your expenses as well as provide a living wage.