Check the paperwork

While the real estate market in France is well regulated and most purchases go through with no problem at all, buyers should obviously apply basic precautions in order to avoid deceptions. It has been known for an individual posing as the owner of a property to ask for a deposit paid in cash, and then disappear, leaving completely worthless paperwork behind him!

The good thing about 'paperasse' is that there's a lot of certification of all kinds of professionals which you can - and should - check. Most estate agents will ask you to visit their office. Make a point of checking the carte professionelle which is displayed there and take a note of the total amount of the agent's financial guarantee - this is what covers your deposit if it is paid to the agency. You should also check the SIRET number of any agents or building professionals you use - that's the French business registration.

French builders have to offer an assurance décennale (ten year insurance) covering any defaults in their work for ten years. If you are buying a new build, or a house built in the last few years, or if the property you are looking at has had substantial recent renovation or extension, check the paperwork and make sure it's in order.

Some French agents will ask purchasers to sign a 'lettre d'intention d'achat' before the compromis is prepared. In English, this sounds innocent - but in French law, it can be held to constitute a binding contract. That would then prevent you introducing conditions into your compromis, such as making the purchase conditional on being able to arrange a mortgage. (Note, though, that you still benefit from the ten day cooling off period, so you can cancel - but that would be a waste of everyone's time.)

Paperwork is very important and not always easy to steer a way through, so that some vital issues drop through the cracks. For instance, owners have been known to provide a diagnostique for the property on sale that is several years old and may not accurately represent the current condition of the property - so always check the date.

Cash under the table? Just say no!

Finally, 'under the table' deals are completely illicit, but that doesn't stop some vendors asking. One notary confessed that he had looked out of his window once, after handling a property transaction, only to see the purchaser handing over wads of money to the farmer who had sold off his barn. Unfortunately, if you engage in such a deal, when you come to sell, the notaire will base your profits on the documented purchase price - not the extra cash.

FAQ

与市政厅交谈

值得注意的是尽管法国在各项调查方面已经做的很全面了，但是并不包括房屋周边的市政规划调查。你需要亲自去一趟市政厅，了解清楚哪些地方正在申请规划，哪些是悬而未决的，你也可以找人代你去市政厅了解这些事项。

如果你从开发商手上购买期房，那么一定要了解清楚开发商的背景和声誉，还要了解这个项目售出了多少户，有时候开工之前没有达到一定的销售比，就不会开工。按阶段支付房款是很常见的，因而如果开发商让你一次性交付全款，你就需要当心了。

至于乡村住宅，包括较大的村子里的住宅，都是没有市政排水系统的，而对于化粪池的规定是非常严格的。房东需要确保在接管房屋的2年时间内能遵守这些规定。这方面的成本在1万欧元以上，如果是村中心那些没有大花园或出入口较窄的住宅，多了这笔费用就让投资变得毫无意义。如果你对此有疑问，就不要选择投资这些地方了。