In addition the issues we discussed in the video, here are some extra costs which you may need to budget for…

On top of whatever price you eventually agree with the seller, be aware that there are likely to be some extra costs you're likely to have to stump up for. They generally include estate agent fees, Notaire's fees and property taxes. Here's a detailed breakdown of what you might have to pay:

1. Estate Agent's Fees

Typically 3% to 8% of the purchase price (plus 20% VAT).
Often included in the advertised price but make sure you verify if this is the case.
If not included, expect this to be a significant addition to the total.

2. Notaire’s Fees

These are the most substantial additional costs, comprising:

Registration taxes and stamp duties: 5.8% of the purchase price (slightly lower at 5.09% for newer properties under 5 years old).
Notaire’s remuneration: Fixed by law, generally around 0.8%-1% of the purchase price.
Administrative fees: ~€400-800 for standard processing.

In total, Notaire’s fees range between 6% and 7% of the purchase price for older properties and 2%-3% for new-build properties.

3. Property Taxes and Other Fees

Land Registry Fee: ~0.10%-0.50% of the property price.
Mortgage Fees (if applicable): ~1%-2% of the mortgage amount for registration costs.
Annual Property Taxes: Not an immediate cost but relevant for budgeting. Includes:
- Taxe Foncière: Paid by the property owner, varies by region and property size.
- Taxe d'Habitation: Paid by the occupier (this no longer affects main residences but is applicable to subsequent properties).

4. Other Potential Fees

Survey Costs: ~€500-€1,500 if you choose a surveyor.
Currency Exchange Costs: Depending on the amount and provider.

Example Calculation for an Older Property (€250,000)

Item	Percentage/Cost	Amount (€)
Estate Agent Fees	~5% (if not included)	€12,500
Notaire's Fees	~6.5%	€16,250
Land Registry Fee	~0.10%	€250
Survey Costs (optional)	Fixed	€1,000

Total Extra Costs: €30,000 (approximately 12% of the purchase price).

For newer properties, the fees are generally lower (Notaire's fees ~2%-3%), but estate agent fees and optional costs still apply.

So, here are the key takeaways regarding extra fees:

For older properties you should budget around 12%-13% of the purchase price for all fees and taxes.
For newer properties, expect to pay around 7%-9% extra depending on the specifics.
Always confirm whether the estate agent's fees are included in the asking price.

Now, here's the video transcript which you may find useful...

Let’s talk about buying a property in France. Along with our lessons on Currency Exchange, Mortgages and Pensions, this is potentially the most important lesson for saving money - big money so pay attention. And you at the back, stop fidgeting!

Let's start at the start.

Finding a suitable property to buy and live in here in France is easy these days. When I was much younger I used to subscribe to a monthly magazine called Living France, which was full of interesting articles about living here but also had heaps of ads for property that was for sale. They were from all over the country though and all types and it was difficult to research properly. That was just window shopping for me then so it didn't matter.

Then, the Internet happened and that made everything so much easier. Now you can just Google 'French Property for sale' it and you'll find zillions of French real estate agents or immobilier.

I would suggest that unless you are fluent in French, the first quality you should look for in an agent is their ability to speak your language. So much can be lost in translation and when you are buying something as important and expensive as your house you need to minimise the scope for errors. Communication is king!

For that reason I also like to ask agents really important questions by email so that I will have a permanent record of their replies. A paper trail can be very useful if you ever need to refer back to them in the future or, god forbid, you ever have to go to court (or perhaps just threaten to). That may sound extreme and I'm sure you will never have to sue anyone but it's just handy to have a record of what was said or promised, just in case.

You will also want to find an agent who actually lives and works in the area you want to move to so that they have local knowledge. That's an important thing.

Remember too, that agents will bend over backwards for you while they are trying to sell you a property but as soon as you've signed on the line and the sale cannot be stopped, they may lose interest and suddenly no longer be willing to help with any problems that may crop up. Therefore, you should make sure to ask all the questions you need help with before the sale goes through, while the agent is still enthusiastic about helping.

Finding property to buy

France is a big country, more than twice the size of the UK but with around the same population numbers.

You might want to buy a fantastic house on the French Riviera but might not be able to afford to. You might want to buy a place on the Mediterranean coast but are forced to stay near Calais, up in the cold north, because of family issues. Or you might want to get a chateau in the Dordogne but have to make do with a small apartment in a Paris suburb because that’s where your employers have sent you to work.

There are so many reasons and so many permutations. It would be totally impossible for me to cover every scenario. It’s down to you and your circumstances.

However, I can give you a few little pointers which might be useful. They may sound obvious to some but please don’t think I’m being patronising because there will be a lot of folk who have not considered this stuff.

Assuming you are not being told where you have to live in France by your employer, your wife or your family, you will have carte blanche to go wherever you please.

We initially looked at buying a big house in the countryside. You can get a lot of bang for your buck in remote areas. Large properties with land appear to be pretty inexpensive… but there is a reason why that is.

Many ex-pats who have bought their houses in deep country regret that decision. You may have space on your land for a tennis court but being 20 miles from the nearest village with no amenities is not much fun.

Another reason we decided against a house in the country was the prevalence of spiders and snakes, both of which my wife is particularly afraid of.

Therefore, we ended up buying in the very centre of a city. Our townhouse has just a teeny-tiny garden and nowhere to park a car. We have to find a parking space on the road outside at a cost of 276€ per year. If we're lucky, we could find a space nearby but often we have to park maybe half a mile away from the house, usually when we're coming back from a shopping trip with loads of heavy bags. Not good!

The further south you go, the better the weather tends to be. Right up in the north the weather is much like the UK - grey and miserable. After all, Calais is only 21 miles from Dover so you might expect the same kind of weather. But in the very south it's generally sunny with mild winters and very hot summers. Our town, Béziers, 15 minutes from the Mediterranean beaches, boasts more than 300 days of sunshine per year. That was a big draw for us although I have to add that sometimes it can be a bit too hot here.

When you have settled on an area of France you want to live in I would suggest that you should actually go there and stay a while so you can get to know all about it. You may have heard me say that before and I'll probably say it again because it is an important factor in getting things right. We stayed only a couple of weeks in Beziers before choosing the house we have now but that was simply not long enough. With hindsight, we should have stayed much longer and looked at many more houses.

Finding the perfect property

Let's keep this one fairly short. The perfect property does not exist just like the perfect town or village or human does not exist. All you can do is try to check as many boxes as possible on your list of requirements.

So what should some of them be? Well it all depends on what you are looking for and everyone is different. There are some things that a majority of people will consider however, so let's look at those.

The first three checkbox boxes are the same - location, location and er, location.

Some people don't like hot summers so they may prefer to buy in the north where property prices are a bit lower and you can get more bang for your buck. Others prefer Southern France and it's lively Mediterranean coastline because they do like hot summers and milder winters. So perhaps make the next couple of checkboxes Climate and Cost.

Do you enjoy sitting in the sun, perhaps eating al fresco or having an apéro while watching the sun set? Well make sure you can actually see the sun.

In some towns and cities the buildings are so close together that seeing the sun at all at ground level can be difficult.

Is the house you are viewing on a flight path? It might not be obvious when you have your house viewing so you should ask.

Before or after your viewing you really should walk around the local streets to get a feel for the area. If you are an outgoing type with good French then maybe knock on the neighbour's doors and ask them what the area is like.

One way to go some way towards owning your perfect home would be to build it yourself or at least have others build it for you to your own specifications. However, this option will not be for the faint-hearted. If you are already an architect or you work in the building industry then you'll have a head start on the rest of us, but remember, you will still need a pretty good command of not only the French language but also French legalese and French building jargon. If you are lucky enough to be very well off you'll be able to hire people to do it all for you but most self-builders don't have that luxury and have to do at least some of the work themselves.

Building a house in most countries is difficult enough but I would suggest that doing it in France would be extra difficile.

So my advice on this one is, unless you have deep, deep pockets and can afford to hire a team of bilingual building experts, steer clear. You'll thank me for this tidbit one day.

Having said that, if you are hell-bent of building your own place, take a look at my interview with XYZ, who knows all the right people and can help you achieve your dream.

Buying a property in France – Part 1