French Property Purchase Process

1. Once you have identified a property, arranged a viewing, and wish to proceed, you can submit an offer via your estate agent. If your offer is accepted you can find a local notary to assist with the purchase or your estate agent should be able to recommend one.

2. Appoint the notary: The notary acts for both sides under French law.

3. The notary will draft the Compromis de Vente. This is typically signed and returned within 7 days of offer acceptance. You will then be asked to pay a deposit of ~5–10% to the notary’s client account.

4. There is then a 10-day cooling-off period.

5. Due diligence & mortgage period (about 2–3 months): The notary will then assemble the remaining legal documentation.

6. Secure mortgage approval (if applicable) and ensure all conditions in the Compromis de Vente are met.

7. Acte Authentique: This is the final purchase deed, which is typically signed by both parties in the notary’s presence (or via an online electronic system). On signing, the transaction becomes legally binding.

8. Transfer remaining funds & receive deeds.

9. You receive the keys at the final signing of the Acte Authentique once all funds have cleared and ownership is legally transferred. This usually takes place at the notary’s office, where the notary or estate agent will hand over the keys. If you sign remotely, the keys are released by your agent or couriered to you after completion is confirmed.

When buying property in France, the main additional cost is the notary fees, which cover legal work, registration, and taxes. For a resale property, these are usually around 7–8% of the purchase price, while for a new build, they are closer to 2–3%.

Estate agent fees can sometimes add another 4–8%, though they are sometimes included in the advertised price. Please note that Alpine Property Finders are paid by the sellers so there will be no additional estate agency fees if you are a client of ours in France.

If you are taking a mortgage, then you should also expect a fee of 0.5–1% of the loan amount in bank charges.

A Compromis de Vente is a legal document which serves as the sale agreement between seller and buyer. If you live in France, this can be done in the notary’s office, but if you live outside of the country, the agreement will be sent to you to sign.

While the document is valid for several months, in most cases, it is signed and returned within 7 days of an offer being accepted.

This is the purchase deed and the last contract that needs to be signed by both the seller and buyer in the presence of the notary. If you are not in France to sign the document, it can be done in your home country under certain conditions. This requires you to visit a local notary (not a solicitor), and the Foreign Office also need to validate documentation for UK buyers.

This is the point where the transaction becomes legally binding. Once the Acte Authentique is signed, all outstanding funds must be transferred to the client via the notary and once received, the buyer receives the property deeds and becomes the registered property owner.

Purchasing a property in France typically takes around three to four months from the time your offer is accepted until you receive the keys.

However, delays can arise for several reasons, including obtaining mortgage approval, gathering legal or technical documents, the availability of local authorities or notaires, rights of pre-emption, and holiday schedules.

The best times to buy French ski property are usually in spring or early autumn. In spring, once the ski season ends, sellers are often more flexible on price, and there is more stock coming onto the market. Autumn is also attractive because many owners want to complete a sale before the winter season begins, which can make them more open to negotiation. Summer offers the chance to view properties without snow, but availability can be more limited. Winter is generally the most competitive period, with higher prices and fewer opportunities since owners are often renting out or using their homes.