Immobilier's fee

[Bob]

I have read a number of contradicting articles on who pays the immobilier's fee. The May issue of Living France states that the fee is paid by the buyer, suggesting that the vendor agrees a selling price and the immobilier's fee is then added on before going on the market. However a number of messages posted on the Forum would seem to contradict this.  

[Sunday Driver]

It's usually the buyer who pays the agents fee.  Most houses are sold FAI - frais agence inclus. In other words, the advertised price is the cost of the house plus the immo's fee.

 

[Kitty]

When we bought our house, it was priced as being 108,000 euros.  We were sitting in the notaire's office and the notaire went through page by page the details of our house.  She said that our house was 100,000 euros and we nodded, thinking 'Cool, we have got it for less!'.  Sadly, 5 minutes and a few pages of contract later, she said that the immo's fees were 8,000 euros.  The penny then dropped that we were in fact paying the fees inclusive in the price.

[Lou]

Hi

The buyer usually pays, partly because it's a way of reducing the

amount of taxes you have to pay on the house price.  For example,

if your house price is 100,000 to the buyer plus 8,000 for agents fees

- if the seller pays the fees to the agent after the sale is done, you

would purchase the house at 108,000 and pay taxes on 108,000, if the

buyer pays the fees then you pay the 8,000 "direct" to the agent and

the taxes are calculated on 100,000 only - thus saving you money!!

As far as I can tell this is an "accepted" way of doing the French govt out of some money........

Lou