Buying via a notaire

[hastobe]

We are looking to buy a property in SW France and are thinking of

buying via a notaire.  Has anyone here done this and what advice

would you give?  Also re the fees we noticed a number of notaires

quote prices as 'honoraires de negociation inclus' - what does this

mean?  Is this includive of an 'agents fee' for the notaire - does

it include notaires fees as well?

Any info would be appreciated.

Hastobe

[Will]

When buying through a notaire you pay a commission of 2.5% to 5%, exclusive of TVA at 19.6% - this is a standard scale of charges set by the government so no reduction is possible. By comparison an agent will charge around 7%, including TVA, though some charge more, particularly for low-priced houses. Agents should display their standard scale of fees, which is not fixed by law (so a reduced amount can sometimes be negotiated - though agents are all private businesses whereas notaires are, in part at least, paid by the government, so agents' own costs are greater). Traditionally, agents will offer more in the way of advice and services to buyers in return for their higher fees, while notaires expect you to fully understand house buying in France and to speak the language. As some notaires have geared up to dealing with foreign clients, while some agents are pretty lazy, that rule does not always apply..

Advertised prices will usually include these selling fees, though not always. Legal fees and taxes are not usually included by French agents or notaires, though some British agencies offer 'all inclusive' prices.

So 'honoraires de negociation inclus', 'frais agence inclus', 'frais agence compris' etc mean that the price includes the negotiation fee but not legal fees. 

[hastobe]

Thanks for that information Will - very helpful!

Hastobe

[Jonzjob]

Hi Hastobe, we bought through a notaire, but were lucky enough to do so in Carcassonne, Aude. The notaires here have got together and formed the 'Groupment Notarial du Carcassonnais'. It's their own immobilier setup. The advantage is that you pay the notaire level of fees, but get the services of the immo too and the cream on the cake for us was that our immo was an English lass! It was made a lot easier as she is totally bi-lingual. From what she said there are only about 4 or 5 of these setups in France so it may be worth checking if there is one where you are looking.

When I asked why there are so few I was told that notaires are very reluctant to work together, even for their own good by the sound of it?

When we moved over we rented a place for up to 2 years and were lucky enough to fine our home and move in in 8 months. If you can do the same it is much safer than rushing back and forth. Although some people find exactly what they want that way.

Good luck,

John.