Frequently Asked Questions
Below are the answers to some common questions we are asked. If you have anything specific questions that are not answered below, then please do not hesitate to contact the HomeHunts team.
Our Service
Our largest teams are in France (Paris, French Alps & Lakes, French Riviera, Provence & Var, Occitanie, Nouvelle Aquitaine and Burgundy). We also cover Monaco and some areas of Spain (Costa Brava, Barcelona, Mallorca, Ibiza, Costa del Sol), as well as the Swiss Alps and Geneva.
No, you will be supported by one of our consultants who will take care of everything for you from start to finish. Your Home Hunts consultant will be your main contact to guide you, except when you concurrently search in different areas; in that case you may be in touch with several of our consultants.
You can be in contact with us as often as you like, we will adapt to your schedule. We are there to assist you at every step of the search and throughout the purchasing process. We will keep you informed whenever something new and important happens and you can liaise with us anytime.
Our service is free to the buyer, we take a split of the standard immobilier fee in France, so there are no extra costs for using Home Hunts.
There are some rare exceptions to this where we would require a paid search mandate from you, such as ‘off-market’ properties that are not officially for sale. If this happens, we would inform you well before a visit and you could decide whether to see this property or not.
Yes, we can advise you and help you with all aspects of your purchase.
We work with a broad network of hand-picked specialists, including lawyers, notaries, tax advisors, mortgage and currency exchange brokers, surveyors, builders and interior designers. We can recommend the best partners for your property projects.
Yes, we actively encourage you to do this. This can really help us to learn about your tastes and your needs. You can send us property suggestions you see on the web, and we can contact the selling agent for more details or arrange the visit. We work with most agents and know them well, so they give us more information than they would give you directly.
We will prepare a program of visits (itinerary) for you, avoiding the tedious task of having to contact every local realtor one by one…
To help you find your dream home, Home Hunts provide a free customised property search.
To achieve this :
We have a team of local consultants who are all multilingual experts and provide their in-depth knowledge of the market to help you find your dream home.
We work with hundreds of agencies and real estate professionals, as well as developers and private owners. This allows us to offer you access to the entire market, including off-market properties.
Information About Properties
We sell/find properties starting from €1M in most areas, with no maximum price limits.
As soon as we find properties that might match your requirements, we will share them with you. We can also set you up to receive monthly or even daily property updates from the Home Hunts property database if you wish.
Taking into account your search criteria, we build a personalized selection/shortlist that we submit to you prior to viewings.
Being in touch with the local agents, we have access to all the general and financial information on each property including price and the negotiation margin if any.
Our website showcases thousands of properties, but this is just a selection of that is available. We have access to the entire market, including off market properties that aren’t displayed anywhere online.
Yes, we have off market properties.
We are constantly in touch with our local partners and our team of property consultants study their local market daily. We are always able to obtain full information on the property including how long it has been on the market.
Yes, we uphold your interests and tell you objectively everything you need to know about the property, the good as well as the bad. Unlike the local immobilier, we work for you, the buyer. We do not have to sell properties that are on our books and provide impartial advice on each of them.
French Buying Process
We can provide you a clear and comprehensive overview about the French buying process thanks to our local buyers guide and the brochures we have designed. Our team of consultants are always on hand to discuss this too.
Yes, usually the deposit represents 5 to 10% of the property price. This is paid once you sign the initial sales contract (compromis de vente) to purchase your home.
In France, the buyer is given a 10-day cooling-off period after you sign the initial sales contract (compromis de vente). This is a period of reflection when you can pull out of the sale with no penalties.
Yes, our consultants speak your language, by default, they speak both French and English, but we provide assistance in German, Dutch, Spanish, Italian, Russian, Chinese and several other languages.
The agency fees are included in the price, but you have to consider the notary fees which are approximately 7% of the purchase price. These fees are predominantly made up of taxes (the same as stamp duty in the UK for example). Ask for a copy of our French buying process document; it contains an overview of the process and costs.
It usually takes 10-12 weeks (on average) after the signature of the compromis de vente for you to complete on the purchase and collect your keys.
The legal documents that need to be signed are:-
- The offer letter (at the moment of offering)
- The search mandate (not always required)
- Compromis/promesse de vente (pre contract)
- and finally, the acte de vente (final sales contract)
It is not compulsory, but it is very common to issue an offer in writing. The reason for this is to make sure that the buyer and seller are totally clear about the price and any conditions. If an offer is counter-signed by the seller, they are bound to sell the property to you.
On the other hand, signing an offer is not binding for the buyer, who can walk out of the deal. Until a pre-contract is signed and the cooling-off period is over you can freely cancel your offer at any time.
Viewings
Once we have made a shortlist of properties to view together, your Home Hunts consultant will contact the local agents on your behalf to arrange the viewings (taking into account time & geographical constraints) in the most efficient way and will hand you the viewing program to suit your schedule.
We assist you at every step of the buying process, including viewings. The Home Hunts consultant will accompany you at every visit and can drive you if requested, picking you up at your hotel, airport or accommodation.
When viewing with your Home Hunts consultant, they will hand you at the beginning of the visit a copy of our brochure plus information on all properties visited.
Your Home Hunts consultant will liaise with the local agent or property owner to make sure the property can be viewed (e.g. in summer, some properties are rented and organising a viewing is problematic) and is still for sale (not sold or withdrawn from the market).
Negotiation & Closing
It is not compulsory, but evidently better to have your funds available for the purchase because this would put you in a stronger position to negotiate.
If you need a mortgage, it makes sense to speak to your bank or a broker before you visit homes to be sure about what you can borrow. Home Hunts can put you in contact with mortgage experts if required.
Owners tend to give preference to cash buyers
If you need to sell your house in your home country, you could resort to a bridging loan if you haven’t exchanged contracts yet.
One of the benefits of working with Home Hunts is that our local consultant can help with the negotiation.
Generally speaking, we will be able to obtain inside information from the seller’s agent (e.g. find out crucial information like how long a house has been on the market, what is the negotiation margin with the owner etc.), which will help you negotiate the best possible deal. We will always negotiate in your best interest.
We always try to get as much information as possible about each property.
Yes, we accompany you at all steps of the purchase, all the way to completion, and usually beyond.
To help the notary draft a pre-contract, you will need to provide copies of your passports, information on your marital situation and, in some cases, proof of funds from your bank. Speak to your Home Hunts consultant about this.
After-Sales
Our service does not stop once we have found you the property. HOME HUNTS want to continue helping you long into the future.
Aside from helping you to set up your mains services (electricity – phone) and so on, we work with a network of specialists throughout France. We can help you to get the best financial, legal and tax advice, as well as assistance with currency exchange, surveys, architects, builders, interior designers, landscape gardeners, home technology, security, rental, management and much more.