france mediterranean property

Starting with a detailed brief from our clients, our role is to search for and recommend a selection of personally selected properties. They are carefully chosen from a range of sources – including local estate agents, notaires and private sellers. All properties are personally inspected by us (we tend to reject two-thirds at this stage) and only those meeting your personal criteria and our own exacting standards are short-listed for viewing. Clients can then spend a profitable few days visiting the region to view the properties we have pre-selected and are prepared to recommend.

The range of properties we can propose includes beachside villas and apartments, including new-build and buy-to-let investments, inland village and town houses, detached houses with a garden and pool, right up to large estates, wine domains (one of our specialities) and all types of business properties.

We accompany our clients on visits and offer comprehensive advice and guidance throughout the viewing, negotiation and buying process, based on first-hand knowledge of the area. We also work closely with the local agent and French notaire, and other specialists such as surveyors, architects, local builders, to resolve issues as varied as obtaining planning permission or helping you take over an existing business.

Our terms of business

We operate through commission-sharing arrangements with a number of selected local estate agents, so our service cost you nothing. However, in order to track down the ideal property, we may occasionally negotiate with agents outside our network, with local French notaires or directly with owners, in order that we can offer you the widest choice. In the event that we do not receive a commission on the sale, we charge a percentage fee for our services of 1.5 – 3 per cent (depending on the value of the property). We are confident that in virtually all cases we can negotiate a reduction of the asking price, so that in effect our services still cost you nothing.

The services we offer are based on personal and professional connections which we have developed over six years in the region. In order to assure ourselves that our clients are potentially serious buyers we ask for a payment of €650 (£455) before we start the search process. This is reimbursed in full in the event of a sale where we receive part of the agents’ commission or deducted from the percentage fee charged on the sale, as noted above. This payment is not refunded in the event that no sale results.

We recommend that you have funds in place or a loan or mortgage agreed in principle before beginning a property search. You may be asked to provide formal proof of this. You should not commit to buying a French property if the purchase relies, for example, on the eventual sale of your present home.

Company No. 05838920