Selling French Property
Things To Consider When Selling Property In France
There is no doubt that some French property stays on the market a long time, longer than we are used to in the U.K. The reason for this is the large amount of rural French property which is no longer wanted by the local French. There are two reasons for this and it is worth giving thought to the implications for those selling French property. Firstly and unsurprisingly, the local population needs to live near where there is work, which is mainly in urban areas. In France, this means generally living no more than 20 minutes away from the place of work as getting home at lunch is still a tradition which most people try to hold onto. Secondly, and again traditionally, the grandparents’ or great grandparents’ home was never sold on their deaths but was used by the whole family as a holiday home. Now that life is changing, albeit slowly, and with finances for most people being tight, many families have decided to sell the family home. Thus, unlike the U.K. where we do not have enough housing to meet demand, in France there tends to be too much property, especially rural property.
So much French property on the market can cause a problem for those buying French property and those selling French property. For buyers it can be so easy to be relaxed about finally deciding to make an offer to buy. So often people find a house they love and knowing that it has been on the market for a year or so, they believe there is no need to rush to make a decision. Unfortunately, it just seems the way the world works that buyers are like London buses, the vendor waits a year for a buyer and then two come along at the same time! So if you are planning to buy a French property, don’t risk losing the one you love. Let the agent or vendor know that you intend to make an offer while you think it all out. At least that way they are likely to come back to let you know if a second buyer suddenly arrives.
Ten Things To Help You Sell Your French House Quickly
1) Present it well. People need to envision their own belongings in your home so do not over clutter your house. Keep the house clear and the garden tidy.
2) If there are any simple d-i-y jobs that need doing to smarten it up, then do them before you start to market the property. It really doesn’t work to tell potential buyers that you will be sorting out the leaking tap, the damaged wall or the broken light switch before they move in.
3) Decide how to market the property:- privately, a local agent or several, an international marketing company or a combination of all three. It is vital to ensure that however you decide to market the property it will get good coverage on the internet.
4) Ensure that whoever takes the photographs takes really good ones. Sunny days are essential, flowers inside and outside make it feel welcoming and don’t forget not to have too much personal stuff around.
5) Make sure that whoever writes up the description does it so that it is not only technically accurate (e.g. rooms sizes) but that anyone reading it will ‘be able to get a feeling of how it would be to live in the house and don’t forget to mention local facilities and attractions.
6) Get the energy efficiency report done so that it can be used in the description.
7) Price it right!!! Probably the hardest thing to do as we all know how precious our home is to us and tend to over value it when we try to sell.
8) Have information about running costs available to share with a potential buyer.
9) Ensure you, or someone, can be available for all viewing appointments.
10) Make your home a welcome place for people who want to view – fresh flowers, coffee and a warm welcome. However, don’t pester your viewers nor keep talking. Let them have time to see and to think, knowing you are on hand if they have any questions.
Finally…..
Healey Fox Direct – A Cheaper Way To Sell Your Home In France
Find a buyer for your French house. Get more exposure direct to people who are actively looking to buy a house in France. Save paying high French agency fees. Benefit from including your property in all Healey Fox’s online marketing and email campaigns to 5000+ buyers. You will need someone to welcome buyers and show the house and we do all the marketing, speak with clients, pre-qualify all leads and arrange as many visits as possible to find a buyer. For this service Healey Fox charge 2% of the net sale price the property is sold for. Our fee only applies when there is a successful sale to a buyer we introduced.
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