What kind of House do we want ? 1. An individual villa with a garden and pool. 2. A townhouse with a terrace and a small garden 3. A house with a seaview 4. A large property 5. A modern house or a Provencal house Where do we want to live ? 1. In Alpes-Maritime or in the Var. 2. Close to the sea or in the hinterland 3. In a town, a village or on the country side 4. Close to a golf course - or other leisure facilities How much money are we willing to spend ? How to go buying a house ? - Always use an authorised real estate agent. Their commission is included in the purchase price. - Usually the price is negotiable. Offers must be maid in writing and should be subject to a time limit. - Don't forget that there are legal fees in addition to the selling price of 2 - 2,5 % for new properties and 6 - 7 % for others. Both purchaser and vendor are free to choose differents notarians. If this is the case the legal fees are equally split. - In France, you can borrow up to 70 % of the purchase price, depending on income etc…The variable interest rate is approximatly 5 %, the fixed rate is 1 % higher. The maximum duration of a mortgage is 20 years. - Houses are sold as seen. Expert advice from a surveyor is essential to assess the state of the property's repair. - Newly built as well as newly renovated houses are subject to a 10-year guarantee. We advise you to ensure that the construction company has registered with an insurance company and that you are provided with the relevant insurance documents. - When buyer and seller have agreed, a binding contract is signed. This agreement can be subject to certain conditions. Examples are the granting of planning permission to change the property or the receipt of Funds from a lender. - A deposit (10 % of the purchase price) should be send tranferred to the notarian's account within 10 working days. The remaining sum is be due when contracts are exchanged. We advise you to tranfer the deposit one week prior to the due date to ensure that the contracts can be signed in a timely manner. - It takes approximately 6-8 months before the contracts are ready to be signed. In France, it is up to the notarian to ensure : servitude, the town district's first right of refusal, mortgages and building permission documents. - A final piece of advice, as the property you are buying is in France, all dealings will be subject to the prevailing French law. You should make provision for this when writing your Will.