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Real Estate Agent’s Guide

Guide du Vendeur Immobilier

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A real estate project? You want to sell your apartment, your house or your parking lot? Follow our real estate seller’s guide and discover step by step the necessary information to carry out your real estate sale project in a simple and efficient way.

Real Estate Sale

You are an owner and wish to sell your property, it is a fundamental step of the selling process which must be meticulously prepared to take place in the best conditions. From the estimation to the signature of the deed of sale at the notary’s office, each step is important and meets certain obligations that require the skills of a professional.

Selling with or without an intermediary

Of course, several alternatives are available to you when you decide to put your house or apartment up for sale. You can choose to sell between individuals, which can take more time and will require a greater involvement in the whole selling process, or choose to delegate by trusting a real estate agency to ensure the success of your real estate project. Its perfect knowledge of the real estate market for the estimation of your property, its financial and legal skills, its customer file, are a real added value to be taken into consideration in your approach.

Real estate estimation

Today, there are many solutions to estimate the value of your property, some are free, others are paid, you can also make the estimate by yourself online.

The real estate estimate is a key step and especially the first in any real estate sale process that should not be taken lightly.

Buyers are often very well informed of the real estate market prices so to put all the chances on your side and sell your property quickly and at the best price, being accompanied by a real estate agency can bring a real added value to your project.

The price being a trigger for the desire to visit your property, the estimate must be carried out on the spot by a professional in a precise and methodical way.

Sales mandate

You have the choice between two different types of mandates; whether simple or exclusive, the sales mandate is a legislative contract that binds you to a real estate agency.

It is a contract between the seller and the real estate agency that defines the property to be sold, its selling price, the amount of the real estate agency’s commission and who will pay it (the seller or the buyer).

By signing a sales mandate, you delegate, among other things, powers of representation during the entire process of selling your property.

By opting for an exclusive mandate, you will avoid the pitfall of the simple mandate by making your property commonplace, if you plan to put it up for sale with several agencies.

Real estate diagnoses

When you put a property up for sale, you must provide essential documents.

These are mandatory and serve to inform the buyer about the property he wishes to acquire and allows you to avoid being accused of hidden defects.

There are 8 real estate diagnoses in case of sale: the carrez law, the parasitic state, asbestos, lead, gas, electricity, ERP and DPE.

The diagnosis of energy performance (DPE) aims to assess energy consumption and greenhouse gas emissions in the form of a classification.

This ranking will determine the need for an energy audit of your property, the objective of which is to eliminate thermal flaws by obliging sellers to carry out renovation work.

Real estate advertisement

The real estate ad is a key step in the process of putting your property up for sale, because it serves as a showcase for your property.

It must be attractive to buyers and stand out from the many ads on different real estate websites.

For you to have a chance of selling your property, the photos must be of good quality, taken by a professional, and the text of the ad must be sufficiently detailed and attractive to highlight your property.

Real estate negotiation

Real estate negotiation is a common step in the selling process that occurs when a buyer is interested in purchasing your property.

When a buyer is determined to purchase your house or apartment, they may make an offer to purchase, which may be equal to or less than the price set by the seller.

From the buyer’s point of view, real estate negotiations are prepared before making an offer to purchase.

As the seller, you are free to accept the offer, refuse it or enter into negotiations.

Promise and compromise of sale

If you are satisfied with the proposed price and accept the offer, the buyer makes a contractual commitment to complete the transaction by signing a promesse de vente or a compromis de vente to seal the sale from a legal standpoint.

This is a preliminary sales contract before the deed of sale is signed at the notary’s office, in which both parties, the seller and the buyer, agree on the conditions of the sale of the property.

Deed of sale

The signing of the deed of sale is the contract that officially and definitively validates all the conditions of the sale of your property, including the real estate agency’s fees if applicable, and constitutes the last and most important step in the sales process.

The deed of sale is the document that formalizes the transaction between the buyer and the seller, triggering the transfer of ownership with the handing over of the keys to the buyer and the payment of the property.

Notary fees

The notary’s fees are payable by the buyer and must be paid on the day the deed of sale is signed.

These costs include both the notary’s fees and the various taxes due to the State, the department and the municipality and reach an average of 7.5 to 8% of the sale price of a property.

Surface area of a property

It is imperative to know the exact surface area of the property you wish to put up for sale, the calculation of which is governed by the Carrez law which applies to all real estate sales in co-ownership, except for the sale of a house.

A Carrez law surface is a technical diagnosis carried out by a professional who certifies the private surface of a property.

Real estate capital gains

The capital gain on the sale of a property is the difference between the purchase price plus certain expenses and the sale price of a property.

If the difference between the two prices is positive, the capital gain realized on the resale is generally taxed, unless it is exempt.

The capital gains tax is not levied after the tax return is filed, but is calculated and levied at the time the deed of sale is signed.

The capital gains tax consists of the 19% capital gains tax and the 17.2% CSG tax.

Depending on the length of time the property is held, you will benefit from tax allowances.

In particular cases of inheritance or donation of a property, it corresponds to the declared value of the property.

Real estate taxation

When you have sold your property and wish to rent it out, you should be aware that rental income is taxable.

The French Finance Law contains various measures to support the real estate sector and allows for a large number of measures to significantly reduce the owner’s tax bill.

In particular, the Cosse scheme, known as “affordable rent”, in place until December 31, 2024, offers the lessor a tax reduction that is all the more important as the rent is low.

It is therefore possible to pay less tax while investing in real estate.

Heritage and donation

The real estate patrimony is made up of real estate which, as their name indicates, cannot be moved and also includes all the financial products held which make up the patrimony.

When donating real estate, each parent is entitled to an allowance of €100,000 per child on the value of the property transmitted, renewable every 15 years, without paying gift tax.

Nevertheless, the donation must be made at a notary’s office and gives rise to fees based on the value of the property in full ownership.