Homes in France

You may well have realised that French Property descriptions are very brief, particularly if you are from the UK, where lengthy descriptions tend to be the norm. Americans and Australians, on the other hand are quite used to brief property descriptions. Also, unlike in England, French Estate Agents do not tend to offer the address of the property to prospective buyers.

In the UK most properties that agents list for sale are offered under an 'exclusive agency' type arrangement, where the agent has exclusive selling rights for the period of time stated in the agency agreement. What this means is that even if the owner of the property finds the eventual buyer, the agency is still entitled to claim their selling fee as the owner gave the agent an exclusive right to sell their property.

The system in France is different. Most properties for sale will be on the books of a number of agents, as well as local Notaires. The estate agent, therefore, is left in a precarious  position (from his point of view). If he were to reveal the property address technically there is little to stop the prospective buyer 'driving past' the property, and eventually inspecting the property with another agent or Notaire, thus bypassing that agent.

This is the reason why you are likely to be asked to sign a "bon de visite" when a French estate agent shows you a property. This is effectively his surety that in the event that you later decide to buy that property, either privately, or through another agent that has it listed for sale, he will be able to secure his commission as the introducing agent.

Typically, when you visit an agent in France, they will take a greater interest in you as a buyer (most agents, particularly in rural areas, will have more property available for sale than there are buyers to buy the properties they have listed). They will take time to discuss your requirements in detail and shortlist a selection of homes to show you, instead of handing you reams of paper and telling you to "drive past" the properties.

Unlike in England, where agents tend to allow vendors to show buyers through the home, French agents will normally accompany the buyer to each property. The vendor will not, in most instances, want to deal with the buyer and see that as the agents responsibility. Therefore, the typical French buyer will select his property based on a lengthy discussion with the agent, an agreed shortlist and a physical inspection, rather than on details and written descriptions.

The process may seem, and probably is, alien to the British buyer of a home in France, but it is important to remember that the average French family does not tend to move very often in their lifetime (perhaps only once or twice), whereas in the UK we have tended to move home every five to seven years on average. Even between moving home, we have a huge interest in the possibility of making a move, and follow the housing market (without actually doing anything about it) quite closely. The average French buyer, however, is pretty motivated to buy when he visits an agent to discuss a home purchase and is given the individual attention he demands of an agent.