Buyers often think that vendor agents are their only option in France and that each agent has access to the entire market. But not any longer.
Buyer’s or search agents (or property finders) worldwide are property experts who can help to save prospective buyers time, stress and money. In recent years property finders have become increasingly popular in France too, especially for people who don’t have time to visit the country looking for a property. Because if you live abroad and don’t speak the language of the country you’re looking to buy in, the advantages of the service are even clearer. In France, estate agents do not display a lot of information on their websites making property details vague, at best, for potential buyers. On top of that, France arguably has more micro-markets than anywhere else. Hence buyers can benefit from having a local expert on their side to recommend the best areas, and which to avoid.
Qualifications and contract
Like all real estate agents, property finders are required to hold a carte professionnelle. But where they differ from traditional (listing) agents is that they work purely on behalf of the buyer. They do not take on any property listings, and instead have chosen to exclusively represent private buyers. Contractually, property finders work via a search mandate agreement (mandat de recherche) under loi Hoguet, and never share in the vendor agency’s fee.