You need to be aware of the extra costs involved when you are purchasing French properties which can differ in line with property type and purchase area. These are the fees you should factor in when buying French homes:

• Estate agent charges
  These sit between 4 and 10% of property buying price and a VAT figure of 19.6% needs to be added to this.
  

  Note though that agent fees can be negotiated - with some deals involving the seller sometimes taking on board some of these charges.

• Notaire charges Normally shared with the seller, these fees are approximately 1%.
• Land registry charges These range from 0.715% if you are buying a new property to 5.09% if you are buying an older home. The fees are referred to as 'Droits d'Enregistrement' in France and
• Mortgage registration charge This extends from 1 to 2% depending on the size of loan you have taken out.

A good idea is to work these figures into your budget well before you start booking viewings of French property for sale with estate agents.

About the Author

John Turner is a writer specialised in travel, finance and property management.