Start by checking the property, full budget and financing. When buying a home in France, then agree the offer, preliminary contract, payments and notarial checks. A non-professional home buyer has ten calendar days to withdraw; the start and end depend on proper notification. Remote signing and the completion timetable need to be agreed for your transaction.
What should you check before making an offer on a property in France?
Check intended use, the property, budget and financing before making an offer. For a purchase in France, the list below identifies documents and conditions that could change your decision.
- Define the use: year-round home, holidays or rental. Walk your everyday routes from the property and assess noise and accessibility.
- Request title documents, diagnostics, charges and planned works. For an apartment, review co-ownership documents; for a house, check the plot and permissions.
- Compare transactions of similar type, area and date. official property transaction data records completed French transactions with a delay; a municipal median cannot value a particular villa.
- Build the full budget: price, acquisition costs estimated by the notary, works, upkeep and financing. Check agency remuneration in the listing and mandate.
This checklist identifies questions to investigate; it does not certify the condition of a particular property.
Where should I start if I have already found an apartment?
Start with what could change your decision: annual building charges and what they cover, taxe foncière — the property tax — planned works and the apartment’s condition. For a property in France, the aim is a clear list of confirmed costs and unanswered questions before discussing the price and terms.
Use the apartment, building documents and costs guide, then assemble the full purchase and ownership budget. You can also send us the listing immediately and start a conversation: how to organise the purchase of a property you found online.
Can a non-resident buy without a French employment contract?
Foreign nationals and non-residents can buy property; a French employment contract is not a general condition of ownership. Eligibility to buy and a lender’s credit decision are separate matters. For a mortgage, the bank assesses income, debts, deposit and evidence under its lending criteria. A purchase using your own funds does not require mortgage approval, but source-of-funds checks still apply.
Agree with the notaire and bank which account will send the euros and what evidence is needed. A French account should not be presented as a universal ownership requirement: whether you need one depends on the agreed payment route, borrowing and ongoing bills. Buying property does not itself grant a right to live in France. Notaires de France — non-resident purchases.
The next question is who will own the property. If several people are buying or family succession matters, compare direct ownership and a French civil property company before signing commitments.
What does acceptance of an offer mean?
An offre d’achat is a written purchase offer identifying the property, price, validity period and important conditions. For a property in France, an accepted offer is more than a moral promise: it can create legal obligations, including a commitment by the seller. Have its wording, finance and necessary conditions reviewed with the notaire before sending it. Do not pay the seller to “reserve” the property at the offer stage. Service Public — purchase offers.
Once terms are agreed, establish which preliminary contract you will sign and the circumstances in which you could withdraw.
What is the difference between a compromis and a promesse de vente?
A compromis records reciprocal commitments to buy and sell. For a property in France, under a promesse unilatérale, the seller reserves the property while the buyer has an option to purchase within an agreed period. These are different contracts: read the withdrawal, payment and missed-deadline provisions in the document proposed to you.
Pay particular attention to the mortgage condition, required documents, completion date and grounds for repayment. Do not describe the purchase as mortgage-free if completion actually depends on borrowing. Service Public — preliminary contracts.
How are the 10 calendar days counted?
A non-professional buyer of residential property may withdraw without giving a reason within 10 calendar days. For a property in France, the period starts the day after the first presentation of the registered letter notifying the agreement; where a legally valid handover is used, it starts the following day. The signature date alone does not establish the starting date.
Weekends and public holidays inside the period count. If its final day is a Saturday, Sunday, public holiday or non-working day, the deadline extends to the next working day. Confirm the notification method and recipient in your contract and retain evidence of timely withdrawal. For a copropriété — a jointly owned building — missing required supporting documents can affect the start date. A company, including a French civil property company, does not automatically qualify for this protection.
Sources: Article L271-1, notarial guidance on the last day. Ask the notaire to confirm both dates in writing. After the period expires, the contract’s conditions become decisive.
When is the deposit paid, and is it part of the price?
The amount and timing depend on the contract and its terms; 10% is not a universal compulsory payment for every purchase. For a property in France, before transferring funds, confirm the recipient, basis, deadline and repayment conditions with the notaire. A promesse may provide for an indemnité d’immobilisation, paid for the exclusive purchase option; a compromis may provide for a deposit towards the price.
When the purchase completes, a sum credited towards the price reduces the final balance: do not add it to the full price a second time. Withdrawal after the protected period does not guarantee repayment; the contractual conditions and reason for the failed purchase matter. Preliminary-contract and payment rules.
Who checks the property, and what determines completion?
The notaire handles the legal checks: ownership, encumbrances, applicable pre-emption rights and documents for the deed. For a property in France, relevant specialists assess physical condition, access to parts of the building and works estimates. Notarial checks do not replace a technical inspection.
The completion date is agreed in the contract. Documents, borrowing, statutory procedures, property access and receipt of funds can affect it. For a remote purchase, arrange the power of attorney, identification and document translations with the notaire in advance. Whether a notarial power of attorney can be made remotely depends on the act and the notaire’s procedure.
Before the acte authentique — the final notarised deed — obtain the completion statement and agree the pre-handover visit, keys, insurance and property care. In a standard price including agency fees transaction, the buyer pays €0 additional agency commission above the advertised price; special cases require a prior written agreement. This does not remove acquisition taxes and costs: IMMO BTC fee terms.
Discuss your circumstances with IMMO BTC
Send the listing and tell us how you intend to use the property and what you have already discussed with the seller or agency. In conversation, we can identify the next decision: property documents, the total budget, offer conditions or organising a purchase from abroad. You do not need a complete dossier before contacting us.
Start a conversation through WhatsApp, info@immobtc.com or +33663567065.
Reviewed on 22 September 2026. This guide describes the general process for buying residential property in France; the notaire confirms the particular contract, company purchases and special regimes.
This guide does not set a price or turnaround time for individual work. Before commissioning it, agree scope, cost and timing with the notary and relevant professional; for a purchase, do so before the relevant commitment.