Buying a House in France as a Foreigner: What You Need to Know

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ntil we finally received approval.</p><p id="b7c1">We filled out dozens of documents, signed hundreds more, and jumped through hoops like purchasing both life and death insurance and depositing a large chunk of money in our bank so our down payment would be decreased.</p><blockquote id="d038"><p>But finally, after FOUR months of paperwork, money talk, and zoom calls, we got the keys to our new house in the south of France!</p></blockquote><h1 id="a5fc">Tips for buying a house in France as a foreigner</h1><ol><li>If you’re not a French citizen and you’re thinking about buying a house in France, <b>start the process 6 months to a year before</b> you actually want to move.</li><li>Find a banker/home loan agent you trust to guide you through the process. You have to work with this person A LOT so make sure you like and trust them! Our first agent was nice but unreliable. He wasted several precious weeks during the process so we decided to work with someon

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e else. We should have left this guy sooner, hindsight being what it is…so learn from our mistake! Don’t waste your time with someone who isn’t efficient, trustworthy, or reliable.</li><li>If you don’t speak French fluently, find a real estate agent and banker/home loan agent that speak your language. Buying a home is a life-changing decision and the process is detailed and arduous. You need to clearly understand everything that’s happening.</li><li>Complete the paperwork as soon as possible each time you receive new documents. Deadlines are crucial to this process, so don’t wait to start filling out the forms. You need to give yourself wiggle room in case anything needs revision or correction.</li></ol><p id="87d1" type="7">Let me know if you’d like more tips or even some resources. I just went through this process, so it’s fresh in my mind.</p><p id="9d29">Even if you just need a listening ear, I understand and I’m here for you!</p></article></body>

Everything takes longer here.

Photo by jjfarq Adobe Stock

We’ve been in the process of buying a house since February.

Buying a home in France is no joke. They want to make absolutely sure you have the money before purchasing a property.

They don’t give loans to just anybody. Your mortgage must not exceed a third of your monthly income. If the mortgage is higher than that, they will under NO circumstances extend a loan to you.

Forget about it!

We went through two banks and one home loan agency until we finally received approval.

We filled out dozens of documents, signed hundreds more, and jumped through hoops like purchasing both life and death insurance and depositing a large chunk of money in our bank so our down payment would be decreased.

But finally, after FOUR months of paperwork, money talk, and zoom calls, we got the keys to our new house in the south of France!

Tips for buying a house in France as a foreigner

If you’re not a French citizen and you’re thinking about buying a house in France, start the process 6 months to a year before you actually want to move.

Find a banker/home loan agent you trust to guide you through the process. You have to work with this person A LOT so make sure you like and trust them! Our first agent was nice but unreliable. He wasted several precious weeks during the process so we decided to work with someone else. We should have left this guy sooner, hindsight being what it is…so learn from our mistake! Don’t waste your time with someone who isn’t efficient, trustworthy, or reliable.

If you don’t speak French fluently, find a real estate agent and banker/home loan agent that speak your language. Buying a home is a life-changing decision and the process is detailed and arduous. You need to clearly understand everything that’s happening.

Complete the paperwork as soon as possible each time you receive new documents. Deadlines are crucial to this process, so don’t wait to start filling out the forms. You need to give yourself wiggle room in case anything needs revision or correction.

Let me know if you’d like more tips or even some resources. I just went through this process, so it’s fresh in my mind.

Even if you just need a listening ear, I understand and I’m here for you!