For anyone contemplating a purchase as important as a house, wherever that might be, understanding and having confidence in the legal and administrative process is vital.
And for someone not familiar with the French administration system; particularly someone with limited or no French language, the prospect of buying property in France can be even more of a challenge.
In fact the system in France is both thoroughly robust and trust worthy. Providing you think things through and take time to understand the process, and most importantly get the right advice and support, it is also quite straightforward.
Buyers from England will in fact discover that the French system provides a much more predicable and reliable, if sometimes rather protracted, path to home ownership than the one they are used to at home.
The French legal system is organised along more collaborative lines than the English system. So rather than the concept of two competing solicitors representing the buyer and the seller, the process is supervised by a neutral legal representative of the State – the notaire, who works on behalf of both buyer and seller to ensure the transfer is effected legally and safely.