How to discover the history of your French property

  1. PUBLISHED: 17:53 20 March 2018. Anton Lee.
  2. Research the local area.
  3. Don’t miss.
  4. Study old maps.
  5. Talk to your neighbours.
  6. Examine the building.
  7. Don’t miss.
  8. Look for mentions of your property in local registers.

How do you find the owner of a property in France?

If you wish to find out the owner of a particular property or parcel of land, or you wish to know the property owned by a person in a particular commune, you need to consult a document called the matrice cadastrale, which you can obtain at Demande d’extrait de matrice cadastrale.

How do I find property in France?

Finding a property in France To find French properties for sale, you can look online, in newspapers and property magazines, with an estate agent or realtor (un agent immobilier) or even through a public auction (vente aux enchères).

What costs are involved in selling a house in France?

The commission rates for selling a property in France can be anything from 4% to 10%. The highest commission rates would normally be payable on lower-valued properties because there is often just as much work – so the agent needs to make a reasonable fee. Generally, on higher-end French houses expect 4%-5% commission.

Why are there so many abandoned houses in France?

Early on, they served as strongholds for a nobleman to control and protect his land holdings. Later, as the threat of banditry reduced, they became country homes. There are many chateaus because any large noble estate would have one, and France has a lot of nobility and a lot of farmland.

What happens to abandoned houses in France?

As a basic rule, abandoned property must be looked after by its owner. For example, the mairie has powers to oblige the owner to carry out appropriate maintenance, and can even, if it comes to that, take ownership of the property if its owner doesn’t comply or is unknown.

Who owns most of the land in France?

In the 18th Century the majority of land in France was owned either by the church, the rich people or the nobles.

What kind of houses are for sale in France?

French-Property.com advertises a wide range of houses for sale, including many traditional French homes (Maisons de Maitre, longeres, chartreuses, mas Provencal etc), chateaux, town houses, villas, investment properties, typical country properties (farmhouses, country manor houses, cottages, barns, mills etc), ski properties and even land.

What do you need to know about French property?

The transactions include all sales, for houses, apartments, land and other buildings. The information provided includes the sale price, date of sale, size of property, number of bedrooms, land area and plot ( cadastre) number.

How can I find out if a property has been sold in France?

You can then either click on the relevant department for your search, or enter search criteria in the left-hand column of the page. Using the interactive map you can scroll down to a property. If there has been a sale within the last 5 years it will be coloured blue on the plot (s), for each section of the register.

Which is the best website for real estate in France?

French-Property.com is a leading web portal for property in France. We specialise in advertising real estate properties for sale and properties for rent across France. Our properties are advertised by both estate agents and private vendors located throughout France.