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Buying in France?Avoid the mistakes other buyers made.

French and foreign buyers share what went wrong when they bought property in France. Most of these problems were easy to avoid. Read them before you visit, make an offer or sign anything.

Avoid all the traps

RedditForum-ConstruireSurvive FranceForum JuridiqueQue ChoisirCommentCaMarcheLégavox239 mistakes you won’t make

Real experiences, by real people

Most buyers in France find the problem after the compromis

And by then, it's expensive. A loan clause missing from the compromis, a DPE that drops to G after the sale, €71,000 of copro works voted before you even get the keys. In France, one bad signature can easily cost €50,000 to €100,000, the savings of a lifetime, and years of cold sweats.

The agent won't stop you. He's there to sell a property, and he's paid when you sign. Walking you through every trap of a French purchase isn't his job.

You can always ask ChatGPT which mistakes to avoid. It will give you the ones everyone already has in mind, or niche cases that will never concern you. The people who can really warn you are other buyers, on the forums where real owners talk. But you won't scroll through all of it, and you shouldn't have to. If you're buying a flat in Paris, a thread about a seaside villa in Cannes won't help you. So we read it all, and sorted every mistake by step of the purchase.

It would be a shame to put years of savings into a home without spending one evening on the mistakes others made before you.

More about us

Your buying journey in FranceAreaChecksOfferCompromisNotaireLoanMoneyKeysLiving there

Step 1

Picking the town and the street

Flood zones, rural services and what a summer visit never shows you

  • “It looked perfectly fine on paper, then the bills came in.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
15 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 2

Checking the diagnostics and papers

The DPE, the energy audit, the copropriété minutes and undeclared works

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
41 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 3

Making an offer on the place

The offre d'achat, the agency fee and what you sign without noticing

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
9 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 4

Signing the compromis de vente

The clauses that protect you, and the 10 days you have to walk away

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “Nobody mentioned this part before the signature. Nobody.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
18 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 5

Choosing and working with the notaire

Fees close to 8% on older homes, the delays, and having your own notaire

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “Nobody mentioned this part before the signature. Nobody.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “It looked perfectly fine on paper, then the bills came in.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
16 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 6

Getting a loan as a non-resident

French banks, borrower insurance and the loan clause in your contract

  • “Nobody mentioned this part before the signature. Nobody.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “It looked perfectly fine on paper, then the bills came in.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
14 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 7

Paying and moving the money

Transfers from abroad, fake notaire emails and the final balance

  • “It looked perfectly fine on paper, then the bills came in.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
9 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 8

Signing the acte and getting the keys

The final deed, the last visit and what is still owed on the day

  • “The agent knew about it, and the contract said nothing.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
12 more traps to avoid in this step
Step 9

Living there after the keys

The taxe foncière, second-home surcharges, the syndic and the neighbours

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
31 more traps to avoid in this step

Optional steps

Only if they apply to you.

Optional

If you plan to rent it out

Tourist rental registration, DPE minimums and new copropriété bans

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
8 more traps to avoid in this step
Optional

If you buy an old house to renovate

Permits, local builders, quotes and the works that never end

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
16 more traps to avoid in this step
Optional

If you buy off-plan

The VEFA contract, stage payments and delivery delays

  • “Three other owners in the building had the same problem.”

    A very common trap. The person who posted explains every step, with the names.

     Source

  • “We only found out when it was already too late to walk away.”

    He shares the documents, the dates and what it finally cost him.

     Source

  • “The paperwork took far longer than anyone promised us.”

    Owners in the thread compare what happened to them, and what they would check first next time.

     Source
14 more traps to avoid in this step

How we work

  • We findWhat ChatGPT won't tell you: Forum-Construire, Universimmo and Que Choisir threads, local press interviews and buyers' own blogs.
  • We link backEvery trap links to the post it came from. Open it, read the replies and judge for yourself. Nothing here is made up or rewritten.
  • We go localParis, Nice, Bordeaux and Lyon of course, but also smaller places like Périgueux, Annecy, Sète or Brive.
  • We read both sidesFrench owners and expats rarely post in the same places or talk about the same things. We read both, and show you both.
  • We keep it updatedWe're on these forums every week, reading what buyers post. As soon as a post is worth knowing, we add it here.
  • We stay independentNo developer, agent or lawyer pays to be on this page or to be left out of it. Nobody has paid us anything, and nobody will.
  • We helpFound a problem you didn't know about, and not sure how to fix it? We work with local real estate experts. Contact us
  • You read it in one eveningGrab a coffee, take an evening, read the ones that could happen to you. You’ll walk into every meeting knowing what to look for.

One evening of reading.Years of expensive mistakes avoided.

Every day, plenty of foreigners and locals make mistakes when buying in France. Why repeat them when you can learn from them?

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