30/09/2026
Buying a home in France? Here are three things that often surprise international buyers.
Buying property in France can feel quite different from buying in your home country. We regularly work with international buyers, and these are three parts of the process that often raise questions.
1. An accepted offer is only the beginning
Once an offer has been accepted, there are still several steps before you receive the keys. A preliminary contract — usually a compromis de vente or promesse de vente — is prepared and signed, followed by a cooling-off period for the buyer. The notaire then carries out the necessary legal checks before the final acte authentique is signed.
The whole process commonly takes a few months, so a little patience is part of buying in France.
2. The notaire has a central role
The notaire is a public official responsible for ensuring that the sale is legally valid and properly registered. The buyer and seller can use the same notaire, or each appoint their own. If each party has a notaire, this does not normally mean paying double notaire fees.
3. Expect plenty of paperwork
Depending on the property, buyers may receive information covering energy performance, asbestos, lead, termites, electricity and gas installations, natural and environmental risks, sanitation and more.
If you're buying an apartment or another property in a copropriété, there will be additional documentation about the building and co-ownership too.
It can feel like a lot — particularly when it's all in French — but the purpose is to give you important information about the property before you buy.
And you certainly don't need to understand the entire French buying process before you start looking. Part of our role is to help international buyers understand what happens next, step by step.
What part of buying a home in France would you like us to explain in a future post?
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