House purchase costs, and estate agents

[footloose]

Hi

My pre-move to France research continues, and the more I look, the more questions crop up.

However, in trying to decide in which area to live, and what sort of house to choose, I have been looking on the Sextant and Rightmove websites, and this has given birth to questions.

1. In my previous searches, I discovered that the French Notaires fees ranged from between 1 to 1.5%, and yet, using the Sextant Notary fee calculator this adds a much highter percentage fee than that, nearer to 10%.

2. So far, I have identified the purchase costs, using other sources, as the following:-
Notary fee 1 to 1.5%
Transfer fee 6 to 7.5%
Legal fees 1 to 1.5% (what about the Notary?)
Property registration fee 1%
Surveyor's fee (optional but advisable?)
Estate Agent's fee (Avoided if house found using local Notaire?)
VAT, registration, land registry and stamp duty (costs unknown)

Now, I know that I have probably got half of this wrong, but if anybody can throw any light on any of the above, it would be a tremendous help.

[Bevdeforges]

Never heard of either Sextant or Rightmove, but I take it those are English language estate agents. The one and only place to get current information on notaires fees is on the site of the Notaires de France, and it just so happens they do have an English language page: Frais Acquisition

As you'll see, it all depends on lots of different factors having to do with the property and the sale. The surveyor's fee is kind of up to you if you decide to engage a surveyor. I'm told there are British-style surveyors here in France, but the French normally don't make use of such professionals. I'm not certain, but I think if you find the house through the local notaire there may be some alternate fee in lieu of the estate agency fee. (No one in France does these things for free, or so I've found.)

The site IMMOBILIER De Particulier A Particulier - Annonces immobilières de particuliers - Immobilier | PAP also has quite a bit of information about the process of buying a house in France - and quite a bit of it is available in English if your French isn't up to reading the original.
Cheers,
Bev

[footloose]

Hi Bev,

Thank you for the prompt reply to my query, I shall now bury my head in the suggested reading!

I am sure you appreciate that it is difficult to calculate a house purchase budget, without an accurate forecast of ancilliary costs?

All this work, just to sit under a tree in gentle sun, sipping wine!!!