NickB62

Hi all,

In my New Year's quest to visit areas within the Morbihan Dépt. with a view to getting a feel for the property market, I have come across the following info.from the Daily Telegraph's 'Emigration Guide' :

'Buying agents represent the buyer’s interests and normally undertake negotiations on their behalf to acquire a property for the best possible price and terms.
Having someone represent your interests comes at a cost (usually 2%-3% of the purchase price) but a good buying agent will usually save you far more than this, as well as giving you peace of mind.
Using a property finder might be wise. You may not have the language skills, or the time, to negotiate with the vendor. A property finder will probably know the vendor, or at least be known by the vendor. These relationships matter, and it is in the interests of independent agents to secure a good deal for their clients. Their reputation depends on it.'

I'd be really pleased to hear your experiences (and thoughts) regarding the above

EuroTrash

I have no experience, only thoughts, and my thoughts can be summed up as LOL.

Call me cynical, and I'm sure there are exceptions, but I suspect most English-speaking 'buying agents' represent their own interests in that they're expats in desperate need of an income, and this is all they could find to do. In general agents immobiliers are not highly thought of (again, with exceptions - but how do you know which the exceptions are?). Some will make it up as they go along and tell you (and the seller) whatever it takes to get a sale and pocket the commission.

Quite honestly I would take anything you read in the UK press about buying property in France with a very big pinch of salt.

dmu

+1

Chatter Static

Buying agents are only there to empower their wallets but if you read enough guides you could probably move here and manage never to talk to a French person I hear they are strange and really scary.

What you need to do is visit look yourself and enjoy the experience as it's all part of the fun.

You could save yourself some money by making a lower offer or not looking at websites tailored to English people as English sites tend to add 5 to 6k for their commission on top of the commission that was added by the original immobilier "estate agent"

Tweedpipe

+2
Especially about taking with a very large pinch of salt the UK media reports about buying property in France , AND what you will be told by English-speaking 'buying agents', and french agencies themselves.
Furthermore I would bet a carton of excellent Madiran, that the majority of agencies would take you to visit places that bore little resemblance to your proposed description of your ideal property.
This has been proved to us over and over again during the years that we were looking for rental properties here, and again more recently to make a purchase. We were even taken to visit 2 places with a pool, that we had clearly stipulated was not required. "Oh that can be easily filled in!", was the pathetic reply from the agency on reminding them of our priorities. Proof enough that many represent their own interest.
Regarding that large pinch of salt, remember that salt farming is a booming business in France.
Be extremely cautious in what you are told by agencies. In the experience of myself and others here, so many agencies do so very little to earn their commision - unlike the UK imho.
I've just located a little something I put together a short while ago, and on further reflection some of my 'definitions' are not as far-fetched as one may think. To admirably quote DMU, 'Fore-warned is fore-armed.'
http://britishexpats.com/forum/franc...-guide-775909/

babyposer

ET, président !

Novocastrian

Most posters already in France seem to have a poor opinion of agents immobiliers, but ours was positive. We didn't have a buyer's agent at all but simply approached agents directly if we saw a property of interest on the interwebby (french sites only).

We found one that we thought had potential (although it needed complete redecoration and a tall chimney needed to be taken down, but the bones and room layout and location were great).

The asking price was 195000 euros ttc so we offered 170k but the agent immediately told us that he was sure the vendors would accept 160K.

And they did.

At no extra cost over the standard fee he also arranged for and supervised a local builder to take down the chimney and re-roof the hole.

Overall I thought he provided exceptional service.

Tweedpipe

Novo,
That does indeed sound like exceptional service.
All you need now is to find an exceptional garage for maintenance etc, and you will have hit the jackpot - not many guys around now though who have much experience on penny-farthings.......

Novocastrian

Damn Eurozone!

But the first part is already dealt with. There is a small Citroen garage about 150m down our road (pushing distance ) who have been very helpful and, at least in comparison with our experience in Toronto, dirt cheap.

Tweedpipe

Well yes, there is quite some difference between a Cadillac and a Citroen 2cv. Do you have the black beret yet?

Novocastrian

Cadillac? Wash yer mouth out. I drove a Hyundai and the Mrs had a Yaris.

I lost the beret at the same time I finished the string of onions.

Chatter Static

No he has a push along those in the know call it a Perambulator......

NickB62

Thank-you very much for your posting - I may well print your guide before visiting in Jan. - I wonder how much the UK press would pay you for your insider's view!

petitefrancaise

I know someone who does this in the Toulouse area. She's great. Charges a flat rate fee and takes no BS from any of the agencies. She is bi-lingual and totally straight up. She's very good at taking off the rose-tinted spectacles from would-be buyers/renters.

Considering the discussions on here about problems buying and selling a house and some of the disaster stories, I would think that at least investigating a buyer's agent is a good thing to do.

I mentioned before about my former french neighbours/acquaintances ALWAYS asking me if I knew any ENGLISH people who might be interested in buying their house....we all know why.

jjmb

We are going with a seller agent now as the English agent at Laforet in Pontivy was, and is useless. I would have gone with the selling agent originally as she was recommended by several people but my parents wanted to go with Laforet. In 6 months the only email he replied to, was the one he send yesterday, refusing to do something. He didn't even acknowledge the email that I sent when I cancelled the contract. Due to times differences and language barriers, contacting via phone was difficult.
The selling agent on the other hand has been very prompt, responding within hours to the emails, offering advise and is upfront about her charges. As we are doing this from afar, this is very reassuring. Good luck with your search. Lots of properties available in Morbihan so make sure you visit lots of properties.