Buying a second home in the South of France often starts with a holiday, discovering the beauty of the French Riviera. People all look so happy and relaxed; you could live here too! Or maybe not the whole year, but at least a series of weeks per year. Ideal for keeping the balance between your work and obligations at home and then untying the stress and enjoying a better life in the South of France.
With Nice International Airport flying to more than 110 destinations, you are never far away from the Cote d’Azur with its beautiful long, stretched beaches and clear blue waters. Step one is to find a second home. Use this handy real estate purchase property buying guide that asks all the relevant questions.
Living on the Cote d’Azur offers the best properties from the best real estate agents. Our team comprises second home advisors, mortgage experts, civil-law notaries, tax specialists and renovation professionals. All real estate expertise at one address; that is our full service.
Finding your second home in France
You can start searching when you have defined your budget to buy your second home. You will see many houses with multiple agents and brokers on the Internet. They all seem to advertise their properties on the same luxury real estate portals, confusing the search. Who is the selling agent? What does ‘Exclusive’ mean if the property is for sale with other agencies too? The word ‘Exclusivity’ or ‘Sole Agent’ is less misleading; this stipulates that the agency is the only one with a mandate to sell.
Selecting a second home in the South of France is accessible online; all you need to do is to connect with the selling agency. You can do this yourself, or you hire a buyer agent. There are ten good reasons why you should be hiring a buyer agent. You don’t even need to pay for the services if you play the real estate game by the rules. The most important rule is that you don’t ask for information and register your name on other portals and websites. If the buyer agent registers your name with other real estate agencies, the selling agent will pay the buyer agent a part of their commission. With a buyer agent on your side, you will have access to their network that holds all the professionals you need for purchasing your holiday home in France.
Search mandate to cover the whole market
On average 50% of the real estate market in France is sold through multiple brokers. The other range of houses is sold without a broker, with the guidance of a notary. To optimally approach the market, you can sign a search mandate. If the search is successful, you pay 2% plus VAT to the buyer agent.
Notaries and tax advisors for your second home
Unless you already know a notary, we will be happy to share our favourite notaries with you. Of course, the work that notaries do is always the same. But we like to work with relaxed, intelligent and fun people that speak English and understand what foreign buyers need to know. They can advise you on how to buy it most efficient for the future. If you have children, you can consider them and make them co-owner or shareholders. Our notary will know the lawyer and tax expert that can help you set up the best structure for your situation.
Maybe you need financing. Banks have become less flexible in giving loans in a world that is changing daily. They need more security than ever. Luckily, the best mortgage broker in our team can advise you within a week if getting a mortgage for your French Riviera property is feasible. Or not.
Once the buying structure is set, we can start with the purchase and delivery. This process often takes about three months. On the day of delivery of the keys, we will do a final inspection and can help set up the gas, water and electricity suppliers. And we’ll tell you who has the fastest internet connection. Don’t forget the insurance; we’ll introduce you to our Allianz partner that speaks English and will help you with the right insurance.
Renovation and wellness professionals
Being the owner of your pied-a-terre on the Cote d’Azur, you might feel like redoing some work inside. That is where we introduce you to our renovation partner. With a team of Polish craftsmen, they can renovate complete villas or remodel the interior walls of your apartment. You might get inspired to create a wellness area near your house. Our wellness supplier for the French Riviera is the best in the area, with their technical staff and excellent after-sale service for maintenance.
Make the connection
Delivering full service in real estate is our daily goal. The bottom line is that you can ask us anything at any time, and we’ll do our best to help. We have established a significant and valuable network that is at your service. Contact us to get started with the form below. Or send a WhatsApp via 0033770186203.