How a purchase works with us
1. The brief
We start with how you will live in the house: the school run or the holidays, the number of bedrooms, the land you are willing to look after, the view, the budget including purchase costs and the dates that matter to you. A precise brief saves wasted viewings on both sides.
2. The shortlist
Agnieszka selects homes that fit the brief, including those presented by partner agents and, where the owner agrees, homes that are not publicly advertised. For each she compares the asking price with recorded sales in the commune, using the official DVF data shown on our price per m² page.
3. Accompanied viewings
Viewings are grouped by area so that a trip from abroad is used well. Agnieszka attends each one and points out what photographs do not show: the road access, the neighbours, the exposure, the condition of the pool and roof and the planning context. If you are flying in, our guide to getting here covers the airport and drive times.
4. Offer and negotiation
When you find the right house, Agnieszka helps you set a figure you can support from the sales data and presents your written offer. She negotiates the price and the details that matter later: what furniture is included, the completion date and any works to be done before you move in.
5. The compromis de vente
Once the price is agreed, buyer and seller sign a preliminary contract, usually a compromis de vente or a promesse de vente. The seller attaches the technical diagnostics file, explained in our guide to property diagnostics. As a non-professional buyer of a home you then have ten days to withdraw without giving a reason. The period runs from the day after the contract is first presented to you by registered letter or handed to you by the professional acting in the sale. During those ten days nobody may take a payment from you. The contract also sets out its conditions suspensives, such as obtaining a mortgage.
6. Between compromis and acte
The notaire carries out the legal checks on title and planning and prepares the deed. If you are borrowing, your bank issues its loan offer in this period; our guide to mortgages for non-residents sets out the lending rules. Agnieszka keeps the file moving and tells you what is outstanding. The timeline from offer to keys explains how long each stage usually takes.
7. The acte authentique
The sale is completed when buyer and seller sign the acte authentique before the notaire. You pay the price and the purchase costs, which notaires put at about 7% to 8% of the price for an existing home and about 2% to 3% for a new one. Our guide to buying costs breaks these down. If you cannot attend the signature, ask the notaire about signing through a power of attorney.
Working with the notaire
In France the notaire is a public officer who drafts and authenticates the deed of sale and collects the taxes due on it. You are free to appoint your own notaire alongside the seller's. The official directory of Notaires de France lets you search by town and by language spoken; our page of useful contacts lists it with other public services.
Homes that are not advertised
Some owners on this coast prefer to sell without public advertising. If you register your criteria on our off-market register, Agnieszka will tell you when a home that fits comes to her. If you would rather she searched the whole market on your behalf, a search mandate makes her your agent alone.
This page gives general information. Your notaire will confirm how the rules apply to your own purchase.
Last updated: 11 October 2026