Many Americans who move to France live in apartments, but there comes a time when some of these expats want to buy property in France. I’ve thus written this guide to (hopefully) clear up any doubts you may have about buying a property in France.

First, I’ll start off with a few tips about buying property in France:

The process of buying property in France is fairly straightforward. Under French law, you have various protections as a buyer… in my experience, more so than American law… but enough about consumer law.

If you don’t know French or do not have a good grasp of it, you’ll want to hire a translator. This is for your protection, since you’ll be dealing with contracts. If you remember how contracts are written back home in the US, you’ll fully understand why you’ll want a translator for something like this.

Mortgages in France come with some good rewards, including major tax advantages. Consider going with a loan from a French bank.

The day before the contract closes, make sure everything in the house you are buying is as it should be. You don’t want to sign the contract to find that the previous owner took all the light fixtures a week before the contract closed. Take pictures if possible. This might seem strange, but it happens.

You’ll want your own notaire instead of using a mutual notaire or the seller’s notaire. I’ll tell you why later in this post.

Once you make an offer (even a verbal one,) you have committed to the contractual process. There need not be a written offer, so be careful not to accidentally say, “I’ll buy it.” Once the seller agrees to your offer, they will generally send a certified letter saying they agree. Under French law, you are given seven days from the date of receiving the letter of confirmation to pull out without penalty.

It is against French law for a seller or agent to ask you for any kind of deposit when an offer is made. That being said, don’t hand over any kind of deposit to the seller or agent. You should only be asked to give the deposit when the actual sale is being made.

There are two different types of contracts, the Promesse de Vente and theCompromis de Vente. There isn’t really much that differs between the two. You’ll likely use a Compromis de Vente as they are more commonly used.

Notaires usually use their own version of a contract, which may be of advantage to one of the parties involved in the agreement. That’s why it’s important to have your own notaire present to make sure that the contract is fair for you.

Once you sign the contract you are obligated to actually purchase the property subject to any conditions set by the contract and the seven day “cooling off” period. So, of course, don’t sign a contract unless you’re sure about it.

You use a notaire for purchasing the property instead of an agent. A notaire is a publicly appointed official who can often times be cheaper (cost is based on a fixed scale set by the French government.) If the seller insists that you not use a notaire, you have reason to be suspicious. Plus, a notaire is under the legal responsibility that you know what you’re signing. That being said, don’t pretend you know what’s being said. It’s better to play it safe and there are no dumb questions.