www.frenchnotaire.com will give you all the tips to buy a French property
Notaires are the principal partners of any property transaction in France.
They will help you find your property, will prepare the deed and give you all necessary advices and security (legal structures, taxes, mortgage,...).
This website presents all the important steps for the acquisition of your future home in France.
The must know:
Once you have found your home and reached an agreement on its price, you must enter into a provisionnal contract ("compromis de vente " or "promesse d'achat") with the seller. The "compromis de vente" must be negotiated using a notaire who provides necessary guarantee on your future acquisition. The provisional contract stipulates, among other things, the details and state of the property, existing encumbrances, price and terms of payment, the amount of the security deposit, the date for taking possession and any conditions precedent you wish (building permit, mortgage...). The security deposit usually amounts to 10 % of the acquisition price and is payable after a "cooling period" of seven business days, giving you the opportunity to retract. The deposit is held by the notaire and is refundable in case the conditions precedent mentioned in the provisional contract are not met. Be careful: do not buy rented property unless you have consulted a notaire: tenants have many legal rights in France, especially in rural areas.
This is the actual sale and purchase agreement which must be prepared by a notaire and signed in his presence by all parties concerned. See details under "The role of the notaires".