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Private client advice

Bespoke advice for buying and owning in the Riviera hinterland

We represent buyers and owners across the Valbonne to Grasse hinterland. We find the right home, listed or off-market, value it honestly, and stay with you through the move and after it.

The short version

La Reserve is a boutique estate agency in Valbonne, giving tailor-made property advice across the French Riviera hinterland. We work for the buyer and the owner, not the listing: we search beyond our own listings, with other agencies and through our network, value at sector level from official DVF data, and guide clients through schooling, finance, renovation and settling in. Our clients come from many countries, and our advisers have lived here for years.

Property search

When you buy with us, we represent you. Under a search mandate we work for you, and if a home that interests you is one we hold for its seller, we tell you at the outset.

Once we understand your brief, we search beyond our own listings, with other local agencies and through our network. Many hinterland homes change hands without a public listing. We shortlist honestly, tell you what is wrong with a house as readily as what is right, arrange and accompany viewings, and negotiate on your side through to completion with the notaire.

Listed or not, from every agency we work with: you see the homes worth seeing, not a portal’s full inventory
A written mandate and a fee agreed in advance, so our incentives sit with you
Viewings arranged and accompanied, with a frank view of each property
Negotiation and purchase managed through to the notaire

With a search mandate

On your side
Every property on the market
Off-market homes
One point of contact
Advice at every step
Lower transfer duties

How the search mandate works

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Valuation

Valuations from specialists who compare your home with the recorded sales in its sector wherever there are enough, drawing on 2,644 DVF house sales rather than a headline average.

A valuation is only as good as the comparables behind it. We price street by street and sector by sector, using official DVF sales records (DGFiP), then give you a defensible figure and the reasoning behind it. You get a low, mid and high view, whether you are preparing to sell, testing an asking price before you offer, or still deciding.

Comparables from your sector when DVF records enough sales there, not a town-wide average by default
Low, mid and high figures, with the reasoning shown

Guidance and settling in

Our advisers have lived here for years, so we help with what decides whether a move works, as well as the purchase.

Beyond the property itself, we help you understand schools and catchment areas, introduce you to a notaire, lenders and mortgage brokers, and point you to trusted people for renovation, maintenance and the practical side of running a home here. For families relocating, this side of the move often matters as much as the house. We take no fee or commission from anyone we introduce you to: lenders, mortgage brokers, diagnostic companies, builders, architects or other tradespeople. Our only fee is the one in your mandate.

Schools, catchment areas and choosing between an international and a French school
Introductions to notaire, finance and mortgage
Renovation, maintenance and property management contacts
The social side of settling into a village

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Network

We keep a standing network of local partners, so an international client deals with one team who already know the right people.

Notaires, architects, property managers, mortgage brokers and tax advisers across the hinterland already know us. We work in English, French, German and Polish, so nothing gets lost when a contract or a deadline is on the table.

Notaires, architects, property managers, mortgage and tax advisers
Multilingual, for buyers of every nationality
One point of contact who coordinates the rest

From first conversation to settling in

Conversation

We talk through what you are looking for, or what you own, and tell you honestly whether we are the right people to help, and how.

Brief and mandate

We agree the brief and a written mandate, with the fee set in advance.

Search or valuation

We search on and off market, or value at sector level, and report back with candour.

Shortlist and negotiate

We shortlist, accompany viewings and negotiate on your side, or prepare you to sell.

Completion & settling in

We manage the purchase through the notaire and help with the move and the life around it.

See every step of how we work

How we know the market

Our advice is grounded in our own research: official DVF sales records (DGFiP), tracked village by village and sector by sector. It is the same market knowledge behind every valuation and every shortlist, and we publish a good deal of it.

Read the market insights See the market data

Questions buyers and owners ask

What does a buying agent do that a normal estate agent does not?

Under a search mandate we work for you: we search beyond our own listings, with other agencies and through our network, give you a frank view of each home and negotiate on your side. If a home you like is one we hold for its seller, we tell you at the outset. Our fee is agreed with you in advance in a written mandate.

Do you have access to off-market properties?

Yes. Many hinterland homes sell without a public listing, through local relationships. A standing network across the eight towns is a large part of what we do.

Which areas do you cover?

The Riviera hinterland from Valbonne to Grasse: Valbonne, Mougins, Biot, Grasse, Opio, Roquefort-les-Pins, Châteauneuf-de-Grasse and Le Rouret, and the sectors around them.

How do your valuations work?

We price at sector level using official DVF sales records (DGFiP), not a town-wide average, and give you low, mid and high figures with the reasoning behind them.

Do you work with international buyers and in other languages?

Yes. Our clients include British, American, French, Belgian, Swiss and Canadian buyers and sellers. We work in English, French, German and Polish, so you follow every document and every meeting.

Do you help with schools, finance and the move itself?

Yes. Beyond the purchase we help with schools and catchment areas, introductions to a notaire, lenders and mortgage brokers, and trusted contacts for renovation, maintenance and management. We take no fee or commission from anyone we introduce you to: lenders, mortgage brokers, diagnostic companies, builders, architects or other tradespeople. Our only fee is the one in your mandate.

Do you also help owners who want to sell?

Yes. We value owners' properties honestly at sector level and advise on positioning and timing, so you list at the right price instead of finding it out on the market.

Speak to an adviser

Tell us what you are looking for, or what you own. We will tell you honestly whether we are the right people to help, and how.

Speak to an adviser Get an online estimate