Chez nous
Houses for sale
What can I buy?
Our service
About us
Buying in France
SW France - Area
SW France - Life
Ask a Question
Email updates
Contact us
Links
 Buying in France

 Buying property in France can appear to be complex and mysterious to British people, but it's most often much simpler than buying in the UK. Here's how it works:

The first visit
We recommend taking two to three days for your visit. Flights into Carcassonne, the closest airport, are direct from London Stansted, Dublin and Brussels Airports via RyanAir.  Think about your visit well in advance. Contact us in good time as we need to plan ahead and it also takes time to book appointments to view.

Prepare!
It's very important to do as much preparation as you can before you contact us to arrange your first visit. Read as much as you can about the area. Take a look at the websites we have collected for you in our Links section and buy a map!.


Look at our Properties for Sale pages Next look at the selection of properties we have for sale and write down what kind of property you think you would like to buy:

  • How many bedrooms?
  • Outside space?
  • Swimming pool?
  • A wood-burning stove?
  • Fully-restored, or are you a dab hand at DIY?
Tip - Renovation costs in France can be high

Arrange your visit
Contact us to arrange your visit. We can advise on accommodation and car hire and we also have a house which may be available at a special 'house-hunting' rate.

We will ask you to sign a 'bon de visite' which confirms which properties we have shown you and as some properties are on with several agents, it helps us all know who initiated any eventual sale.

You will be taken round a few contrasting areas of the Aude, the landscape here is a wonderful contrast between gentle rolling hills, vineyards and the foothills of the Pyrenees. We will also try to show you a range of properties, to enable you to really decide on the what you want. We can give you rough estimates of the cost of any restoration if you instantly fall in love with a house or barn! It does happen!

Arrange your visit
Contact Marilyn to arrange your visit. We can recommend hotels and even pick you up at the airport. We ask you to sign a 'bon de visite' which confirms which properties we have shown you and, as some properties are on with several agents, it helps us all know who initiated any eventual sale.

Marilyn will take you round a few contrasting areas of the Aude, and the landscape is a wonderful contrast between rolling vineyards, in the north and east, to the fresh mountains of the foothills of the Pyranees.

She will also show you a range of properties, to enable you to really decide on the type you want. Marilyn can give you rough estimates of the cost of any restoration and tell you about the immediate area, if you instantly fall in love with a house or barn! It does happen!

Tips

  1. Bring your passport and a utility bill to prove your residence in the UK
  2. Come prepared to climb up in lofts and so on.
  3. If you bring children with you, let us know in advance so we can help you make the day less tiring for them.
  4. The French eat lunch between 12.30 - 2pm, and everything, quite rightly, stops for this. This is therefore a good time to stop and think about the properties you have seen in the morning and to look over the details of the afternoon viewings.
  5. Finally: Be honest. If you don't like what you see TELL US, don't stay quiet for fear of offending! Tell us what you like and what you don't; we can then adjust future visits to suit you
Buying your home - in easy steps
The Aude is one of the new 'hot-spots' for property-buying in France. ">Read the report (it's in French).

If you see a house you like, it's very important that you carefully consider whether to put an offer in immediately by signing a 'promesse de vente' which secures your option to buy . A ten day cooling off period allows you to withdraw, and, there are further safeguards after that, which we can explain to you. Buying homes in France is much simpler than in the UK.

Making an offer
We will advise you what would be appropriate for each property, the UK culture of offering considerably less than the asking price can cause offence and lead to problems.

Make sure you know what you are buying before you agree to make an offer. We normally hold a copy of the 'plan cadastral'; drawn up in Napoleonic times they are the plans of the property and its land. You will be able to see clearly what you are buying.

Contracts
The first contract is called a 'Compromis de Vente' once this has been signed by both parties and registered at the Notaires you the buyer have a further seven day cooling off period before you pay a ten percent deposit, you will now have, as they say here, a 'petite pause' of around 2-3 months during which time searches are completed, land registry details are checked, and the commune has the opportunity to purchase the property if they so wish; an option extremely rarely taken.

Houses with outside space are more expensive but are easier to let

A specialist survey known as an 'Expertise' is also done, which includes/ checking for the presence of lead, asbestos and for any infestation of termites.

Finance
On top of the 'net' purchase price of the property, you will need to add the notaire's fees (these include government tax on the transaction; the equivalent of the UK's stamp duty), usually about 5-7% of the net purchase price. You will also have to pay our fees which are always included in the advertised price of the property. We can also help you with a French mortgage if you need one.

Tip - The mayor may need to approve some changes

Signing day
The whole process should take about 3 months from the offer being accepted to signing the final contract 'Acte Définitive'. There is a bit of a tradition at Maisons à la Carte that we celebrate the day with you! It gives us great pleasure to see our friendly local Notaires (French lawyers) welcome you and your family to the region.

Settling in
This is where we are very different from other estate agents, Maisons à la Carte can help you settle in by:
  • Assisting you to find builders
  • Making sure all the services are connected
  • We have links with a very good translation company in Limoux and our clients can take advantage of this service at preferential rates
  • Advising on the re-registration of cars
  • Offering advice on schools,medical services and Insurance
Whatever you need we can help. hough these can vary, anything from 4 - 15%. See the section below on fees.

Buying and restoring old property in France
Building your castle and living like a King in France
Concise Dictionary of house building terms