-
City in Brittany becomes first to limit the size of swimming pools in France
Pools will be limited to 25m3 in size, 15m3 smaller than the average size in France
-
Key points and rules to consider if want a pool at your French home
Taxes, safety measures, running costs are all things you should factor in
-
Why your garden in France may look unusually ‘yellow’
Crops in northern France have been harvested early due to warmer temperatures
Is it cheaper to sell French property with a notaire or estate agent?
We look at how commissions work for both

Reader question: I understand that notaires can also sell property in France. Is it generally cheaper to sell via a notaire rather than an estate agent? Is the commission for a notaire sale fixed or negotiable?
It depends – and the only way to find out for sure is to go to a local estate agent and notaire to ask.
In the past, a notaire’s property portfolio was mainly from family matters, especially wills, where inheritors would leave the property with the notaire to sell.
Commissions were fixed – 6% for sums up to €45,735 and 3% for over that.
Fixed commissions were stopped in 2016 and notaires are now free to ask what they like when they sell property, ranging from 4% to 10%. The higher commissions are usually for cheaper properties.
Notaires have also set up an official property website: immobilier.notaires.fr. It is notable for having some ‘ruins’, which do not often make estate agent sites.
French estate agencies continue to flourish in spite of competition from notaires, online agencies, and direct property sales sites like Particulier à Particulier.
As always, their commissions depend on whether they are given an exclusive mandate to sell a property or not. This is usually under 5% compared to 6% to 8% for a non-exclusive mandate. Around 20% of estate agent portfolios are exclusive mandates.
Related articles:
Can we sue French estate agent over non-sale if price was too high?
French property: Buyers paying estate agent fees could save cash
Who is liable if someone is injured while viewing a French house?