Many people who are selling a house in France ask themselves whether or not they should sell their house through an immobilier (an estate agent in France).
So what are the pro’s and con’s of using an immobilier?
Pro’s
They know what they’re doing - first and foremost they know their market, they know the price the house should be marketed at, they know where to go to get potential buyers. They advertise your property (this point cannot be under-emphasised, immobiliers spend thousands of Euros advertising the properties on their books, reaching a far wider audience for your property than you could ever do…unless of course you have a very large marketing budget for your property?). They know the rules about selling/buying houses, they can advise clients on various aspects of buying your property (and believe me there are a lot of rules and regulations about buying a house in France you could spend years finding out about). They know which notaire to use or not use for the sale of a property - do you?
What about the statutory property checks - do you know where to go to get them done? Can you get them done as quick as an agency even if you do know where to go? And if you can get them done quickly do you know what checks need to be carried out on a property in a particular region (the checks differ by region)?
They know where to go for mortgages if a client needs one (thereby increasing your chances of selling your property), they know where to go for foreign exchange deals to help the buyer reduce the amount they have to pay out.
They deal with the day to day questions from potential buyers in a professional manner (well most do).
They can sell to both English speaking buyers AND French buyers, they know what each of the different cultures are looking for in a property (and those requirements are very different).
They have a large ‘footfall’ and can direct people who ’stop by’ the agency to properties they think may be suitable for that client (potentially YOUR property).
They help buyers with ’settling in services’ when they do buy - this is VERY important to most overseas buyers. Do you think you would know what to do and where to go?
Con’s
You have to pay commission. It’s a fact of life if dealing with an agency in France you will have to pay the commission.
They don’t know the house as well as you. But, if you take time to explain things and emphasise points to the agent when they come and look at your property they will take your points on board and use them.
You can advertise your property better than an immobilier - you could try advertising your property yourself but do you know where to go to advertise your property (apart from FranceHouseHunt of course)? Can you afford €60 to €150 per property advert that most internet sites out there are charging? Can you afford €150/month to advertise your property on Google out of your own pocket? Do you know the best place to list your property to get the most serious enquiries?
You’re not in control - well, if you want your property sold you will have to place some trust in an immobilier to help you to sell your property. They will also deal with the day-to-day ‘I’m just dreaming’ property enquiries (it can be very disheartening for a seller to deal with these enquiries).
Conclusion
So in conclusion an immobilier does a lot more than just slap up a photo in their shop window. The pro’s far outweigh the con’s. Do you think you could do all that an immobilier does (or even want to do it)?
