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Arriving at our French agents
Definite Dont's on arriving at a French agent are:
- Don’t say you have only got an hour, 2 hours etc before your next appointment – wait and see what the agents have to offer and then if they have more than your time allows, decide whether to put off your next appointment or arrange a second appointment with this agent. The agent will feel that he can’t do his job properly if you are rushing off elsewhere and may lose interest in assisting you.
- Don’t expect that they will have all appointments made in advance of your arrival – unfortunately too many potential British purchasers before you didn’t turn up or changed their requirements and budget, so many French agents will wait for your arrival and will prefer to run through your requirements again and discuss the properties in order to be sure that they will suit you and not waste your time – although this can take a little time you will develop a rapport with the agent and it will more often than not save you a lot of time.
- It is quite normal that after several days of viewing you may change your ideas a little as far as the type, style, location or condition of the property you would like – do make sure to explain your thoughts and feelings to the agent so that you don’t waste time seeing properties that are similar to those you have already discounted.
Definite Do's on arriving at a French agent are:
- Expect the agent to take you to view the properties in their car and use this time to discuss the area and any other questions you might have – it can be extremely useful. They can act as ‘tourist guides’ to help you know more about the area and its amenities.
- You may be asked to sign a ‘bon de visite’ which is a form stating that the agent is showing you a certain property or selection of properties.
It does not commit you to anything at all and is just a record for the agent, perhaps to show the vendor that he has been working on the property and you can have a copy if you wish.
- If you are out with a French agent over a full day it would be polite to offer to pay for a snack lunch for them– bear in mind they are spending their day working with you and using their petrol etc.
- If you are running late or having difficulty finding the agency, give them a call. If you want to change or rearrange the appointment try not to leave it until the last minute so they have time to rearrange their day too.
- When viewing a property do give the agent your frank opinion on each home you visit. If it is unsuitable please explain why, so that they don’t continue to show you similar properties – though if there is a vendor in the house, do wait until you leave before doing so.
Staying in the Area Where you are Viewing Properties
You will need to consider accommodation for the viewing period. We suggest you book accommodation close to the location in France that you are viewing houses for sale.
If you are looking over a wide area and your appointments are more than 30-50kms from each other, we would strongly advise changing hotels each night, and at the end of the viewing day driving onto your next area. This will give you the opportunity to have an evening meal and perhaps see the area at night, enabling you to get up leisurely the next day without the added pressure of navigating to a new area of France. It is really important to allow some time to see and enjoy the area that you are considering buying a French home.
If, on arrival, you find the area is not as you had hoped, please tell the French agent politely you would prefer not to visit your chosen properties rather than missing an appointment. However, don’t judge an area too quickly if you have arrived on a main road or motorway. It is often worth seeing local areas that the agents will know and recommend.
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Local French Property Agents | Do's & Dont's | Viewing Properties in France |
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