# Using an estate agent



## Franco-Belgian Brit

So, having selected an area of Aveyron to look for a house, we have been a bit disheartened by the lack of houses for sale that meet enough of our criteria.

In the main, we are internet-hunting using the various usual sites but also the sites of local agents. We've given ourselves till next spring and then we may rent for a year in the area to be there in person.

My question is, has anyone used a local agent to "keep a lookout" for a house? If so, did this work?

Thanks in advance.


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## rynd2it

Franco-Belgian Brit said:


> So, having selected an area of Aveyron to look for a house, we have been a bit disheartened by the lack of houses for sale that meet enough of our criteria.
> 
> In the main, we are internet-hunting using the various usual sites but also the sites of local agents. We've given ourselves till next spring and then we may rent for a year in the area to be there in person.
> 
> My question is, has anyone used a local agent to "keep a lookout" for a house? If so, did this work?
> 
> Thanks in advance.


French agents are notoriously secretive and won't disclose any house details like location unless you have signed a document agreeing to pay their fees if you buy the house. If by mistake, you look at the same house with two agents and you buy it, you'll pay both agents the full fee - keep detailed records.
Secondly, French agents do not like dealing unless they are face to face, getting them to look for a house for you remotely would probably not even warrant a reply from them. Try to avoid the big chain agents who are not always French companies, their prices tend to be higher than a local agent selling the same property.

The sound advice is to rent locally and then go house hunting.


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## Bevdeforges

What rynd2it said. The ways of the French real estate agent are very different from how they work in many other countries. There is really no reason for them to "keep a look out" for you or any one else - since they have to have shown you the property (and gotten your signature on their form) in order to collect their fee. If they advise you of a property that meets your needs, it is far too easy for you to go see it on your own, negotiate with either the owner directly or another property agent and stiff them on the fee. Renting for a year while looking for a property to buy is the way to go - as it's the only way you'll get a genuine feel for the various towns, neighborhoods and other aspects of housing in the area.


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## Franco-Belgian Brit

Thanks. I really think the renting route is the way to go.


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## BackinFrance

Although it is not so easy to get a long terme rental.


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## rynd2it

BackinFrance said:


> Although it is not so easy to get a long terme rental.


Very true, probably best to go for a holiday let, then a longer term rental then buy


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## BackinFrance

The OP will have no choice but to go for a holiday let to start with, but he will have to work hard to find a permanent rental. Up to him whether he chooses to continue to opt for holiday lets whilst he is looking for a property to buy, but there are currently significant obstacles to access a permanent rental which was not the case a year or so ago. Probably a good idea to look at pap.fr though.


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## Franco-Belgian Brit

BackinFrance said:


> The OP will have no choice but to go for a holiday let to start with, but he will have to work hard to find a permanent rental. Up to him whether he chooses to continue to opt for holiday lets whilst he is looking for a property to buy, but *there are currently significant obstacles* to access a permanent rental which was not the case a year or so ago. Probably a good idea to look at pap.fr though.


What sort of obstacles?


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## BackinFrance

Well it seems that many or perhaps most landlords are now opting for a form of landlord insurance which pretty much means that people arriving from other countries don't qualify. I would suggest though that you try to rent direct from the owner. I would also suggest you peruse pap.fr for information about renting in France.


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## Franco-Belgian Brit

BackinFrance said:


> Well it seems that many or perhaps most landlords are now opting for a form of landlord insurance which pretty much means that people arriving from other countries don't qualify. I would suggest though that you try to rent direct from the owner. I would also suggest you peruse pap.fr for information about renting in France.


Thanks.

TBH, they either want my money or they don't. I'll look at the PAP info. May be easier in that I am coming from an EU country and I am a French national.


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## Franco-Belgian Brit

Just had a quick look. Seems fairly straightforward.

Failing all else, I'll offer 6 months rent up front.


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## BackinFrance

Franco-Belgian Brit said:


> Thanks.
> 
> TBH, they either want my money or they don't. I'll look at the PAP info. May be easier in that I am coming from an EU country and I am a French national.


No, being from an EU country or a French national makes no difference and even less so if your income comes from outside France even from another EU country,. You probably need to avoid most real estate agents in your search for a non-holiday rental and try to find something that is being rented direct by the owner, even if it is on leboncoin. You can find something, but it takes real effort and probably a bit of compromise.


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## BackinFrance

Franco-Belgian Brit said:


> Just had a quick look. Seems fairly straightforward.
> 
> Failing all else, I'll offer 6 months rent up front.


That is actually illegal. Up to you though.


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## Franco-Belgian Brit

BackinFrance said:


> That is actually illegal. Up to you though.


Really?

Wonder why. Should be able to spend my cash as I want.


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## BackinFrance

But this is France so what you think you should be able to do has no bearing on laws here. 

There is a severe lack of housing in France. 

The French PM has just annonced that energy prices will be limited to a 15% increase in 2023 which perhaps will make it less profitable for holiday lets, so perhaps that might just make finding a long term rental a little easier.


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## LFBEUSTON

Franco-Belgian Brit said:


> Thanks. I really think the renting route is the way to go.


 The advice given is sound that's for sure. What we did , many years ago was to take time out to look? A week staying in a B-B and if you can't find anything in that time I would suggest you are wasting your time. It takes a lot of work we found and often viewed two or more properties a day. In fact we spent two periods over here in adjacent regions before we found our home. Renting is ok if you are going to take your time but we didn't have that sort of casual approach !


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## Bevdeforges

Just don't forget that things move slowly in France (with a few exceptions, I'm sure). But once you have an offer on a house accepted, you need to figure on at least 3 months before you close on the property. And even then, it is often the case that sellers don't make various repairs or upgrades before selling, figuring that most buyers will want to renovate the place to their own needs and standards. It's clear that in some cases, time is of the essence, but it's not generally a good idea to rush these sorts of decisions if you don't need to.


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## Peasant

When we rented our flat we deposited a years rent with our bank who then issued a Caution Loyer to the landlord. It guarantees that the bank will pay the rent if we don't. After our first three year lease our landlord agreed to reduce the Caution Loyer to four months rent. We're hoping that one the second three year lease renewal we might get a deposit reduction to the normal one month's rent level, but there's no guarantee.


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## SPGW

Franco-Belgian Brit said:


> My question is, has anyone used a local agent to "keep a lookout" for a house? If so, did this work?


Getting back to the initial question, my response is yes and yes.
Our approach was to meet an agent, visit a few properties, let them know our criteria and ask them to let us know if anything comes on the market in the area with our criteria...they did, and we ended up buying. In fact, I though that was how agents generally work.


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## Franco-Belgian Brit

SPGW said:


> Getting back to the initial question, my response is yes and yes.
> Our approach was to meet an agent, visit a few properties, let them know our criteria and ask them to let us know if anything comes on the market in the area with our criteria...they did, and we ended up buying. In fact, I though that was how agents generally work.


Interesting.

I suppose there's no harm in asking. Thanks.


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