Market Analysis
Selling Property in France: A Seller’s Guide
From pricing with DVF evidence to the mandate, diagnostics, compromis and final acte — the steps, the timeline and the tax, for owners selling in the Alpes-Maritimes.
In This Guide
Selling Property in France: A Seller’s Guide
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), commission the obligatory diagnostics, then market it. Once a buyer signs the compromis de vente, they get a 10-day cooling-off period; the sale completes at the notaire’s office (the acte authentique) roughly two to three months later. Budget for plus-value tax if it isn’t your main home.
Selling in France is a notaire-supervised process with a fixed sequence and several seller obligations that don’t exist in some other countries — chiefly a pack of technical diagnostics and, for energy-poor homes, a regulated energy audit. The steps below are the same across the Alpes-Maritimes hinterland; only the pricing and the buyer pool differ village to village.
About this guide
General information for owners selling in France, not legal or tax advice. Rules and figures are dated and primary-sourced; your notaire and tax adviser confirm your specific position. Last updated 30 June 2026.
Step 1 — Price with DVF evidence, not hope
Quick answer: The single biggest lever on time-to-sale is an evidence-based asking price. Anchor it to DVF — the tax authority’s record of actual sold prices — adjusted for your sector, condition and views, rather than to optimistic portal asking prices.
Overpricing is the most common reason a quality home sits unsold: the first three weeks attract the most qualified buyers, and an inflated price wastes them. Start from what comparable houses actually sold for, then adjust up or down for the specifics of yours.
- Benchmark the village. Our Hinterland Price Index gives the median €/m² and sale price for each of the eight communes, from 2,764 DVF sales.
- 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. Prime sectors run well above the commune median; an agent who works your micro-area can place you on that curve.
- Get a figure for your home. Use our valuation tool for a conservative/expected/premium range, then refine with a viewing.
DVF reflects completed sales and lags by three to six months, so in a moving market read it alongside current demand. The point is to set the guide price on data both you and the buyer can verify — which also shortens the negotiation.
Step 2 — The mandate: simple vs exclusive
Quick answer: To sell through an agent you sign a written, dated, time-limited mandate (required by the loi Hoguet). A mandat simple lets you list with several agencies and sell privately; a mandat exclusif gives one agency sole rights, usually with 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 can appoint multiple agencies and also find a buyer yourself. Maximum reach in theory, but a property advertised by several agencies at slightly different prices can look tired and weaken your hand.
- Mandat exclusif — one agency only. In exchange for exclusivity you should expect a defined marketing plan, professional photography and qualified-buyer screening. For prime and discreet (off-market) sales this is usually the stronger route. Exclusive mandates typically include an initial irrevocable period (commonly around three months) before they can be terminated with notice.
- Fees (honoraires). Not regulated — negotiable, and displayed inclusive of tax (TTC). They can be charged to the seller (charge vendeur) or the buyer (charge acquéreur); this choice affects the headline price and how the sale is recorded.
Why exclusivity often sells prime homes faster
A single, well-resourced agency can protect the price narrative, control who views, and run a confidential off-market process for sensitive sales — all hard to do when a property is scattered across competing listings. Discuss the trade-off with your agent against your timeline and privacy needs.
Step 3 — The obligatory diagnostics
Quick answer: 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; others depend on the property’s age, installations and location. Energy-poor houses also need a regulated energy audit.
Diagnostics must be carried out by a certified diagnostiqueur and have different validity periods, so timing matters — the shortest expire before some sales complete. Typical 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). When selling an individual house — or a whole building in single ownership — that is rated F or G, an audit has been required since 1 April 2023; this 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 presents renovation scenarios and costs roughly €500–1,500 (source: service-public.fr; ecologie.gouv.fr).
Why the DPE matters to your price
Since the phase-out of poorly-rated homes from the rental market, the DPE letter increasingly moves value: F/G homes face audit obligations and buyer renovation budgets, while well-rated homes command a premium. Commission the DPE early — it shapes both your asking price and your buyer pool.
Step 4 — Compromis, completion and tax
Quick answer: When a buyer accepts, both sides sign a compromis de vente; the buyer then has a 10-day legal cooling-off period and typically a financing condition. Completion — the acte authentique de vente — happens 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 then.
The compromis (or promesse) de vente is the binding pre-contract. After signing, the buyer has a statutory 10-day right of withdrawal, and the contract usually carries conditions suspensives — most commonly the buyer’s mortgage offer — that must be met before completion. The notaire then prepares the deed; the gap to the acte authentique is typically two to three months.
- 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. The figures and reliefs are in our dedicated plus-value guide.
- Non-resident sellers. For higher-value sales by non-residents, a représentant fiscal (fiscal representative) is generally required to handle the plus-value — see the plus-value guide for the threshold and mechanics.
- Right of pre-emption. Some communes hold a droit de préemption urbain: the notaire notifies the town hall (via a déclaration d’intention d’aliéner), which has a set window to buy at the agreed terms before your buyer can complete. Your notaire manages 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 onward? The buyer-side costs are covered in our cost-of-buying guide, and the whole process in the guide to buying in France as a foreigner.
Frequently Asked Questions
Frequently Asked Questions
The main seller costs are the agency fee (negotiable, charged to seller or buyer), the diagnostics pack (typically a few hundred euros, plus €500–1,500 for a regulated energy audit on an F/G/E house), and capital-gains tax if it isn’t your main home. The buyer pays the notaire’s acquisition costs, not you.
A mandat simple lets you use several agencies and sell privately, but a property spread across competing listings can weaken your price. A mandat exclusif gives one agency sole rights in exchange for a stronger marketing commitment and is usually better for prime or discreet sales. Both must be written, dated and time-limited under the loi Hoguet.
The DPE and the natural-risk statement (ERP) are always required. Others depend on the home: lead (pre-1949), asbestos (permit before July 1997), gas and electricity (installations over 15 years), septic (if not on mains drainage), and termites (in designated zones). An F/G/E individual house also needs a regulated energy audit.
From compromis to completion is typically two to three months, set by the buyer’s 10-day cooling-off period, any financing condition, and the notaire’s deed preparation. Time-to-offer depends on pricing and the village; an evidence-based price is the biggest lever on speed.
Not on your main residence, which is exempt. A second home or investment property is subject to plus-value tax, reduced by a taper for length of ownership until full exemption. Non-residents selling higher-value property generally need a fiscal representative. See our plus-value guide for the current figures.
Need personalised guidance?
Our team knows every street and every sector across the hinterland.
Explore