Your French Estate Agent

Estate agents in France must have a professional license - the coveted "carte professionnelle". Attika has the full license (license number 5799T) and is insured by the FNAIM, France's National Federation of Estate Agents. We are not a "middle-man" as are the vast majority of other "English Estate Agents" based on the Riviera - we are a fully registered and professional estate agent with many French clients too! When you use Attika as your agent, you can rest assured that you are getting your property at the same price as any local would with no "price hikes" added for a middle man, or to exploit foreign buyers ! In addition, we do not charge for our add-on services as do many UK agencies based in France. We will set up your bank account, utilities and broker a mortgage deal for you - at no cost.

Unlike in the UK and many other countries, France has a system of multiple listings for property sales and it is rare for a vendor to give an exclusive contract to just one agency. Multiple listings allow maximum exposure for a property and it is not uncommon to find the same property on the books of 20 different agents - and often at different prices!! This can be a tiresome and disheartening process if you’re wasting valuable time visiting previously viewed properties.

How do we get round this problem? The best solution is to appoint one single agency to act on your behalf who will undertake a full and comprehensive property search allowing you to visit suitable properties on the market offered at the best price.

Attika International’s personalised property search will source properties and co-ordinate an itinerary of visits for you. It couldn’t be simpler, all you have to do it is turn up and enjoy the fun part of finding your property!!

How can Attika help you find your perfect off-plan purchase?

We work directly with the constructers of all our new build developments and sell these at developer prices. Developers/constructers are happy to work with agents in order to increase exposure for their properties and in the event of a sale they will pay a commission to the agent. If you go directly to a developer you will pay the same price except the developer will be richer because they keep the commission for themselves! We can therefore offer you a wide selection of developments, arrange site visits and drive you from one development to another to maximise your viewings at no extra cost to you.

What is the amount of agency commission and who pays this?

In France each individual estate agency is free to decide upon the amount of commission they will take for selling properties and this is usually further negotiated with the seller when they choose agencies to market their property. The price of any property presented to you will normally already include the agency commission which has been previously negotiated with the seller (this is ALWAYS the case on the Attika site). The amount of commission must be displayed in the estate agents window and inside the office. Normally speaking agencies will take between 5 and 10% depending on the price of the property. For more expensive properties costing above 1 000 000€ the agency commission is normally around 5% and for less expensive properties costing under 200 000€ the agency commission can be as high as 10%.

Normally speaking the seller pays the agency commission.  However, it can be the case that the buyer pays the agency commission instead in which case the agency will ask you to sign a search mandate - a 'mandat de recherche' - this is rarer and will be fully explained to you by any agency should they advise you to carry out your purchase in this manner.

The advantage of the buyer paying the agency commission:

• You may be advised in certain cases to pay the agency commission separately via a Mandat de Recherche. Your notaire may well advise you to do so or your agent may discuss this option with you since paying this way may have certain advantages for you as the buyer. By signing a Mandat de Recherche, you will pay slightly less Notary fees since these fees are based upon the net purchase price i.e. the total purchase price minus the agency commission. This means that if you were to buy a property for 750 000€, the agency commission might be around 50 000€ and is included in the asking price. Should you choose to pay the commission yourself instead of the seller, this 50 000 Euros commission will be knocked off the purchase price and thus your Notary fees of approximately 7.5% will be calculated on the net 700 000€ rather than on 750 000€ so you will be making a saving of  3750€

The disadvantage of the buyer paying the commission:

• If you are taking out a loan on the property it is often the case that the bank will not loan on the agency commission if it is stipulated that the buyer will be paying the commission separately. They do however loan on the agency commission if it's included in the price as is generally the case. So, if you know you need a loan you are generally best to avoid a mandat de recherche.
• In terms of capital gains tax, your property will have gained more in value as the starting price didn't include the agency commission. You will therefore be liable for added tax should you sell before 15 years. For information on Capital Gains Tax, please see the following chapter on French Taxes & Costs.