Is a Commissioned Search worth the money?
For many reasons we believe it is very much worth it. From purely a financial point of view, our local knowledge and contacts will often enable us to negotiate a reduction in purchase price worth significantly more than our total fees, hence our services will be self funding. The initial retainer fee will save you the cost of many wasted trips to the region as part of what is often a long search process. Add to this the time we save you during the search, the local knowledge and contacts we can use to find properties which often have not yet been publicised and many other benefits.

What is the difference between Discerning Properties and web-based property searches?
You will have noticed we do not advertise any properties on our websites - that is because we have no selling clients and as such remain completely independent and focused entirely on you the buyer. Most web-based property searches/search-engines in France are tied to one particular estate agent/set of estate agents. What you are searching are properties they currently have on their books. We, in contrast, have no such constraints. We can search all agencies as well as private sellers advertising locally. Through our relationships with local agents we often get to see properties long before they reach websites. We also visit each property before we recommend it to you to get a real feel for it - an actual visit to a property is worth a thousand web-pages in our opinion.

What areas do you cover?
Our area of primary expertise is the triangle from Antibes in the East, to Grasse in the North, to Mandelieu in the West - This catchment area includes Cannes, Mougins, Antibes, Le Cannet etc. We do also cover the wider region of Nice in the East to Cabris in the North to St Tropez in the West.

What about Estate Agents fees, Stamp Duty etc?
Estate Agents fees are always included in the listed purchase price. Stamp duty of ~7% (includes notaires fees) will then be added at time of purchase.

What is the Property buying process in France?
The process is very straightforward in France. Once a price is agreed, the buyer and seller sign an initial document called a Compromis de Vente and the buyer pays a deposit of 5-10% as agreed. This document, once signed by both parties, ties in the seller. The buyer then has a cooling off period of 7 working days during which they can back-out of the purchase with no financial penalty (ie deposit is fully refunded). Two to three months after the cooling off period has lapsed, the final signing will be completed before which the remaining balance plus stamp duty and notaires fees are paid. Once the final signature has taken place, the property is then legally the buyers.

How much do you charge?
We charge an initial retainer of €750 to start the search. Upon purchase of a property we have shown you, a completion fee of between 1-2% is then due. Please see the fees page for more details.

How much it Capital Gain Tax (CGT) in France?
For non-French tax residents, CGT due in France is currently 16% (for French tax payers it is 27%). However, under the current system, after 5 years of ownership, the total amount of CGT due in France is reduced by 10% each year thereafter, which falls to zero after 15 years of ownership. Primary Residences are CGT exempt in France.

What happens if we can't find you a property?
In the unlikely event that we cannot find you a suitable property, we will discuss with you why this is the case - inappropriate budget, too strict a set of criteria etc. We will show you some properties that fit your criteria but may be out of budget and the closest matches within your budget. We will then make a joint decision with you as to how you wish us to proceed with the search. The retainer will secure you a 6 month search period during which we will continue to scour the local market for suitable properties.