How do you sell a property in France?
Quick answer: Price the property against real sold data (DVF), sign a written mandate with an agent (mandat simple or exclusif), order the obligatory diagnostics, then go to market. Once a buyer signs the compromis de vente, they have a 10-day cooling-off period. The sale completes at the notaire’s office (the acte authentique) about two to three months later. If it isn’t your main home, budget for plus-value tax.
A French sale runs under the notaire’s supervision, in a fixed order, and it puts duties on the seller that some other countries don’t have. The main ones are a pack of technical diagnostics and, for homes with poor energy ratings, a regulated energy audit. The steps below apply across the Alpes-Maritimes hinterland. Only the price and the type of buyer change from one village to the next. If you would rather hand the process to one team, read about selling with La Reserve.
About this guide
This is general information for owners selling in France, not legal or tax advice. Rules and figures are dated and come from official sources. Your notaire and tax adviser confirm your own position. Last updated 30 June 2026.
Step 1: price with DVF evidence, not hope
Nothing affects how fast you sell as much as an asking price backed by evidence. Base it on DVF, the tax authority’s record of real sale prices, and adjust for your sector, condition and views. Ignore the optimistic asking prices on the portals.
A good house that stays unsold is usually overpriced. Interest is usually strongest in the first weeks on the market, and a price set too high can lose those buyers. Start from what comparable houses sold for, then adjust up or down for what is particular to yours.
- Benchmark the village. Our Hinterland Price Index gives the median €/m² and sale price for each of the eight communes, from 1,164 DVF sales of houses sold for €1M or more, or €700,000 or more in Le Rouret.
- Drill into recent comparables. Each town hub carries its own sold-market read, e.g. Valbonne recently sold or Mougins recently sold.
- Adjust for the sector. Sector medians sit above or below the commune median. An agent who works your micro-area knows where your house sits on that curve.
- Get a figure for your home. Our online estimate tool gives low, mid and high figures, and a visit narrows it down.
DVF records completed sales, is updated twice a year and runs several months behind, so in a moving market read it next to current demand. The aim is a guide price built on data that you and the buyer both check. That also makes the negotiation shorter. Our note on how to value a hinterland home walks through the adjustments.
Step 2: the mandate, simple or exclusive
To sell through an agent you sign a written, dated, time-limited mandate (required by the loi Hoguet). With a mandat simple you list with several agencies and keep the right to sell privately. A mandat exclusif gives one agency sole rights, usually in return for a stronger marketing commitment. Agency fees (honoraires) are freely negotiable and must be displayed inclusive of tax.
The mandate is the contract that authorises an agency to market your property. Under the loi Hoguet it must be written, identify the property and price, state the fee and who pays it, and carry a fixed duration.
- Mandat simple: you are free to appoint several agencies and to find a buyer yourself. In theory that reaches the most people. In practice, a house advertised by several agencies at slightly different prices starts to look stale, and your negotiating position weakens.
- Mandat exclusif: one agency only. In return for exclusivity, expect a defined marketing plan, professional photography and screening of buyers. For prime and discreet (off-market) sales this is usually the stronger route. Exclusive mandates usually start with an irrevocable period (commonly around three months), after which you are free to end them with notice.
- Fees (honoraires). They are not regulated. They are negotiable and displayed inclusive of tax (TTC). The fee is charged either to the seller (charge vendeur) or to the buyer (charge acquéreur), and that choice affects the headline price and how the sale is recorded.
Why exclusivity often sells prime homes faster
One agency with the right resources keeps the price story consistent, controls who visits and, for sensitive sales, runs a confidential off-market process. None of that is easy when your house appears in competing listings. Talk the trade-off through with your agent in light of your timeline and how much privacy you need. Read how we work with sellers before that conversation.
Step 3: the obligatory diagnostics
The seller pays for a pack of technical diagnostics (the dossier de diagnostic technique), bundled into the compromis. The DPE and the natural-risk statement (ERP) are always required. The others depend on the property’s age, installations and location. Houses with poor energy ratings also need a regulated energy audit.
A certified diagnostiqueur must carry out the diagnostics, and each one has its own validity period. Timing matters, because the shortest ones expire before some sales complete. The usual pack and validity:
| Diagnostic | When required | Validity |
|---|---|---|
| DPE (energy performance) | Always | 10 years |
| ERP (état des risques) | Always | 6 months |
| Lead (CREP) | Built before 1949 | Unlimited if negative |
| Asbestos (amiante) | Permit before July 1997 | Unlimited if negative |
| Gas / electricity | Installation over 15 years old | 3 years |
| Septic (assainissement non collectif) | Not on mains drainage | 3 years |
| Termites | In a designated zone | 6 months |
| Carrez surface | Lot in a copropriété (not standalone houses) | Unlimited unless works |
Regulated energy audit (audit énergétique). An audit has been required since 1 April 2023 when you sell an individual house, or a whole building in single ownership, rated F or G. The requirement extended to class E from 1 January 2025, and reaches class D from 1 January 2034. It does not apply to a flat sold within a copropriété. The audit sets out renovation scenarios and costs roughly €500–1,500 (source: service-public.fr, ecologie.gouv.fr).
Why the DPE matters to your price
Poorly rated homes are being phased out of the rental market, and the DPE letter now moves value more each year. F/G homes carry the audit obligation and the buyer’s renovation budget. Order the DPE early, because it shapes both your asking price and who will buy.
Step 4: compromis, completion and tax
When a buyer accepts, both sides sign a compromis de vente. The buyer then has a 10-day legal cooling-off period and, in most cases, a financing condition. Completion, the acte authentique de vente, takes place at the notaire’s office, usually two to three months later. If the property isn’t your main residence, capital-gains tax (plus-value) is settled at that point.
The compromis (or promesse) de vente is the binding pre-contract. After signing, the buyer has a statutory 10-day right of withdrawal. The contract usually carries conditions suspensives, most often the buyer’s mortgage offer, which must be met before completion. The notaire then prepares the deed, and the acte authentique usually follows two to three months later.
- Capital gains (plus-value). Your main residence is exempt. A second home or investment property is taxed, with a taper that reaches full exemption after long ownership. Our plus-value guide gives the figures and reliefs.
- Non-resident sellers. For higher-value sales by non-residents, a représentant fiscal (fiscal representative) is generally required to handle the plus-value. The plus-value guide explains the threshold and how it works.
- Right of pre-emption. Some communes hold a droit de préemption urbain. The notaire notifies the town hall (through a déclaration d’intention d’aliéner), and the town hall has a set window to buy on the agreed terms before your buyer is able to complete. Your notaire handles this.
- What you net. From the sale price, deduct any seller-side agency fee, the cost of diagnostics, plus-value where due, and any mortgage redemption. The notaire’s purchase costs are paid by the buyer, not you.
Selling and buying again? The buyer-side costs are in our cost-of-buying guide, and the whole process in the guide to buying in France as a foreigner.