Beyond Paris
French countryside properties
Realizing the dream of buying a French countryside home, farmhouse, bed and breakfast … or whatever your fancy, can be a very trying experience. What looks like a dream from afar can become a nightmare when the details reveal problems with a property, undiscovered hazards, or costly unexpected renovations.
The French countryside offers a lot of choices, with many beautiful regions and types of properties to choose from, all with different benefits and challenges to the owner. For some buyers, the first and most difficult challenge is finding the right region then getting to know it and feeling right there before making the plunge to purchase property. For others, they know the region, but are not there to find the place they want themselves, do not have the time to do the searching needed, or else are challenged by making a purchase from overseas in a language not their own. In particular for international buyers, the unfamiliar customs, language barriers and confusing legal procedures make many people shy away from what could ultimately be a satisfying experience.
In the countryside like in the city, most of the properties – and especially the better ones – change hands before ever being advertised. This is due in part to the fact that estate agents outside the capital will often set their commissions at 10% or more, far higher than in Paris (where commissions are about 6%). Many sellers feel that these high commissions are not worth paying, and would rather sell their properties on their own. Thus the main-à-main and locals network remains stronger than ever in regions outside of Paris.
Internet postings are even fewer outside of Paris, with most agencies not even listing their properties on collective or newspaper websites, and rarely keeping up a site of their own. Rather, they make their postings the old fashioned way - simply by putting the listing in their shop window, or putting an ad in local print weekly circulars. The best properties are gone before the print hits the page, to potential buyers on the ground or through the word of mouth network.
The lone buyer is unable to access this market effectively. If you are keen on one particular area, there may be few suitable properties, and if you miss the right one it may be a long time before another appears. If you are more open in terms of the “where,” how do you get to know more about the region so you can effectively choose?
How can we help?
Flat Hunter covers certain regions of the French countryside in conjunction with Flat Hunter experts on the ground, and otherwise through partners with whom we work closely to ensure that they deliver on the Flat Hunter promise to our clients. Our clients enjoy full exposure to the local market, from developed personal contacts, local connections, full-scale searches in public and private listings, and a personal search expert who literally pounds the pavement – even door-to-door! – looking for your suitable property. Because we are independent and not tied to any estate agent, we consistently gain unrivalled access to the best properties before they come on to the market, from sellers’ agents who are more than glad to show us the properties that meet the very specific needs of our clients.
For those clients who aren’t sure of where they want to be, we can arrange for a multi-day visit to a particular region, a chance for potential buyers familiarize themselves with an area. We arrange lodging, transportation and a guided tour of the region, finishing with visits to properties that fit the client’s search criteria. Many on-the-fence buyers found this offering to have been the key ingredient persuading them to go forward with buying the property they were dreaming to own. If you have a different view of what you need for your property search, do not hesitate to ask us; we will do what we can to meet your needs.
We offer a highly individual buyer’s service, second to none. If you are ready to embark on a property purchase, please tell us about your search details and we will be in touch to discuss your needs.
