FrenchPropertyBargains

There are a very large number of unoccupied rural properties across the whole of France. That empty, unwanted and uncared for bargain property - your period dream house or second home - can often be found before others get to know of it and possibly years before it reaches an Estate Agent's books.

The Normandy cottage in the picture is a classic example. It has been empty for about 10 years, ever since the elderly owner died, and the 28 inheritors have not yet been able to make up their collective mind to sell!

If you are prepared to do your own property research you can save yourself a small fortune in fees and costs and end up with a real property bargain in France. If you're looking to buy in France, you could find your French holiday home in the unadvertised French property market for unoccupied property where prices are low, very low.

Another advantage is that mortgages in France are cheaper and calculated very differently from the UK. To find out how much and on what terms you can borrow click here to go to our mortgage enquiry form.

What sort of Private Sale Property Bargain Houses could I find in France?

Unoccupied French property bargains often have very similar characteristics. They're usually old (over 100 years old), rural, in need of restoration and for various reasons (often connected with French inheritance laws) left, deserted and unwanted, until they become derelict. They may not come onto the property market for years or even decades, possibly they may never reach the open market.

How Many Houses are left Empty and Uncared for in France?

If you are used to the property market in the U.K. you'll probably find the idea of an empty and uncared for dream house incredible. Rural France is different. Take a look at the table below:

In France there are 737,937 empty period properties, built before 1915, many of them in rural locations. For many people, these are just the sort of properties they are looking to buy and restore but properties like these are seldom available in the estate agent's window. Not all empty properties will be uncared for and unknown to an estate agent, but a surprisingly large number will be. Getting to the owners before the property goes on the market and whilst the owners may still believe the property to be unsaleable can only help you get the house at a bargain price.

How to find that bargain dream house in France.

First you must get to know your chosen region and identify your preferred communes.

Then, you will need to build a list, Commune by Commune, of the number of empty properties in each commune. This is nowhere as difficult to do as you might think, you just need a little experienced help.

You should then build a short list of "target" Communes where there are suitable unoccupied property bargains to be had.

Next you will need the full address of each empty property in your chosen communes. Again, not nearly as difficult as you might think if you know how to do it.

Armed with a list of the empty houses in the communes you have chosen you can inspect them all from the road and see whether any might be your dream house property bargain.

After you've found your potential French property bargain you then need to find the owners (often a large family) and make an approach followed by an offer if they are prepared to consider selling. It may be that they thought that the property was unsaleable in its present condition. Maybe the family could not agree amongst themselves as to whether to sell or not and that a firm offer would concentrate their minds very quickly. In any case you have the advantage because you won't be competing with other buyers as the property will not be on the open market.

If they agree to sell then you just follow the usual French house purchase system of Compromis de Vente and Acte de Vente. Remember, if you negotiate the purchase yourself you can save yourself the 7-10% + TVA estate agency fees that are normal in France and you may also be buying before anyone else knows the property is for sale. So no competition, no gazumping and no other buyers driving the price up against you.

.....and don't forget SAFER!

S.A.F.E.R. and their associated organisation Propriétés-Rurale.Com (with English pages on their website) are public sector entities dedicated to helping people establish themselves in rural areas of France. If you have ever dreamt of embarking on a self-sustaining or self-sufficient lifestyle in rural France you must visit these sites. Click on the links below to visit them and remember, BestFrenchMortgage can find you a mortgage for these properties.

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