Notaires always oversee the legal aspects of the purchases of property for sale in France. Different from the English system, the notaire acts as the role of a solicitor, but on behalf of the state. English buyers often feel uncomfortable with the single notaire and often employ British based legal advisors to help out with the French bureaucracy that occurs with the purchase of property for sale in France. This is more expensive though but is often thought as money well spent, but it can also be thought as a waste of money; it all depends on individual preference. Some purchasers appoint two notaires, it is possible to do this as long as they can communicate effectively together but this is not necessary and does not cost more.

Notaires are basically lawyers and thus have little interest in estate agents in the purchasing of property for sale in France process. You will need to make an appointment with a notaire, they normally only speak French and will show you a selection of houses with often limited information. To view properties it is necessary to make further appointments that normally have to be accompanied. Upon deciding to purchase a property for sale in France all the paperwork will be in French so it is often advised to obtain some help with the translation. At the time of completion it will be up to you to arrange the provisions for all amenities and to cater for all required insurance.

It is also up to you to provide all the finance necessary and to discover builders if any restoration is required. When carrying out the final handover of property for sale in France you will probably need to put down a deposit ranging in between 10-15% of the asking price. This includes all of the legal fees and the notaires commission.

Notaires usually charge lower rates of commission than agents, and because you are dealing with legal professionals people are usually more comfortable using notaires than estate agents. Most notaires are used to foreigners purchasing property for sale in France and are often very helpful in these situations.