We are returning to the UK after a wonderful eighteen years here and now wish to sell our house of seven bedrooms (four of which have washbasins) and which incorporates a fully self contained apartment (sleeping four) making it ideal for letting to summer holiday paying guests providing an annual income potentially of €10,000 The villa is detached and stands in its own grounds of 2,200 m². We are within half an hour's drive of Collioure and roughly halfway between Perpignan and Gerona airports.
The property market being what it is at the moment – a buyer's market if ever there was one! – we want to make it as attractive and as easy as possible for potential buyers.
To this end we are exploring the idea but have not yet decided to quote a price of €555,000 to include notaire's fees and estate agent's commission as well as furniture and fittings in the apartment, garden equipment and tools together with outside summer furniture.
Ideally we would like to provide potential buyers with details of our notaire and a list of up to seven (?) estate agents on the understanding that we would pay their fees but only in the event of a successful sale.
However, we are uncertain of the success or practicality of such an offer and are concerned that such a proposal may result in complications including that of our being charged with more than one estate agent's commission!
We would be most interested in hearing from anyone with experience in this field as to whether our idea is a practical one or one fraught with potential problems and best to be avoided.
Selling property
Hello robren.
Welcome to Expat.com! 
Hope you'll be helped by other members soon.
Thank you,
Aurélie
Hi - I have lived in France for eight years (although I'm working in Russia at present, and only manage to get back twice a year). Several of my friends have been in the same position as you and the most successful agent (as far as our experience is concerned) is frenchestateagents.com
Recently the house behind mine was sold after only two months of being on their books. It had been on the books of other agents for over two years! They got a good price too.
If II were selling I'd go though the normal process with the agents and then come to an agreement with the buyers about fees etc.
Yes, prices are not very good (compared to what they were nine years ago even).
Best wishes and contact me if you want more help.
Bob
Hi
I've been here for many years, and while I haven't personally bought property here, I have close family members who have been through the process several times and I've had to help them out on occasion.
Based on that, if it was me and I wasn't too pressed for time, I would explore the possibility of not bothering with an estate agent and selling the property myself. There are websites where you can advertise the property - some may be free, some you may have to pay a bit, but nothing compared what you would pay an estate agent. I would also recommend advertising your property to the English market.
From what I understand, if you have a potential buyer then you will direct them to one of the estate agents? If you already have a potential buyer, all you need is a notaire - which they pay for. You pay for the estate agent - but only if you choose to have one.
Beware too of agencies (not sure if I can mention names here) that offer a guaranteed price 'without fees' - it is often a below market price and they keep any profit they make.
That's just my two cents for what it's worth, I wish you all the best.
SF
Yes, I entirely agree: if you have a potential buyer, you have no need of an agent! Just go to the notaire.
Articles to help you in your expat project in Languedoc Roussillon
Every year, the lifestyle, culture and history of France draws millions of visitors to the country. Many ...
Located in Southwest France in the Midi-Pyrénées region, Toulouse is nicknamed “La Ville ...
To most people, Bordeaux conjures up images of vineyards stretching over many kilometres. However, the city has ...
Located in the northeastern part of France, close to the border with Belgium, Lille is very well connected to the ...
Lyon is a dynamic national and European economic hub. It provides a huge employment pool, especially in terms of ...
The vibrant city of Marseille or “La Cité Phocéenne”, is located on the South-Eastern coast ...
