How to Buy an Apartment in France (As a Foreigner) | Realtor Interview + €400K Tour

How to Buy an Apartment in France (As a Foreigner) | Realtor Interview + €400K Tour

Hi everyone and welcome back to my channel. If you’re new here, I’m Jeanu and I’m an American that lives in the south of France. Today I am here with Alexandra. Um, hi everyone. So, I’m a real estate agent here in Nice area, Nice and Monaco surroundings. And I’m happy to be here. Thanks for inviting me. A lot of you guys have asked about how do you purchase property in France, especially as a foreigner. So today we’re going to answer a bunch of questions for you guys. Okay, so let’s hop into it. I’m going to bring up some of my questions that I have for you. Um, so can foreigners actually buy in France? Yes. So I am Polish as well. Like I’m not, you know, I’m just like a local. I’m not a local. And I happen to work with a lot of experts. So my clients are mostly Polish, but I also have a lot of like really different nationalities. Some of them they maybe that’s also a second question but some of them them they also take a mortgage here. So this is totally possible here. Do you have to live in France or have a visa to buy a property? No. So you don’t need any visa for European uh citizens. Then for American if you want to live then probably you’ll have to apply like you know to stay probably like some kind of longstay visa. However, to buy, no, you don’t need any visa. Okay. And so, how do you get a mortgage in the French bank account and how does all of that sort of work? So, I work with a very good broker um that uh I usually um put you in touch with. So, this person will analyze your situation throughoutly and they will uh put some kind of scenarios regarding to your you know situation. they usually like do some hypothesis and um yeah and they will basically guide you um through the whole process. So it’s really really like you’re taken care of from start to to the end to to the purchase um to the purchase situation. Okay. So how do I know how to budget for a place here? So how much do I need to put down? What is that process like? So usually you have to put down as non-resident around 40%, 40 to 50%, is a I would say good start and then if you want to put more you can also do it. Um but yeah it will basically define um the level of you know of the mortgage you’ll get and probably more you put the better offer you’ll get. Okay, got it. And you did say something about you should come expecting to pay 50% because of Yeah, because it’s just the minimum like I Yeah, it’s um so you have to also bear in mind that there are some fees, you know, that comes with the per purchase, right? So you have to have this um like 10% around like it’s a notary fees that are around 10%. And so you have to have um the kind of cash for it. you cannot like um take a mortgage for them. So you have to have your like personal port it’s called and then also the cash for the notary fees. Um so it will be around 40 to 50%. Okay, got it. And then what is sort of the price range of places that you can find in the area? So let’s say a one-bedroom um in Vil Franch and Nice. Um what can I expect? Okay. So, Nice will be a little bit cheaper than VR. Um, actually, so the rule of thumb is like starting so in N like you have a larger wider choice. You have it’s a bigger city, right? So, you’ll have more to choose from. But if you want to have a very nice district like a nice layout, you know, just basically be safe and have something uh that yeah, that’s is is um is has a nice uh design. you will have to count I think around 300 to 350 okay uh and then going towards Monaco the prices will go up so I would say here this flat is actually a good example he’s at yeah around 400,000 um so I think he’s a very good example of what you can get uh in this price range yeah okay and yeah we’ll also show the apartment as well um later on. Um, let’s see. Do you have any specific areas in the south of France that you recommend buying? Like what are your top picks? Um, I really like this place to be honest. Like I recently moved from N to V Franch. And if you guys are looking for some kind of like a a you know a match between being close to the bigger city but at the same time having having this calmness and like the security uh and the vibe of just like a smaller town then Filon is a very good pick. So that will be my recommendation. You’re also a little bit closer to Monaco for people that like to be closer to events like you know Grand Prix and like there is a lot of going on. So yeah, that would be my recommendation. Definitely VR. Then I also have a lot of requests for KHN as well since you know this is a place where you have the festival and it’s also pretty good for investing. Okay. And do you think you need a car to live in these places? You actually don’t need a car. there is this you know magical train that sometimes gets late but but it it’s you know it’s a good connection from I would say like can n uh also like in between you have the on and then going to Monaco you can really circulate by just using the train uh also I recommend you know recently got a scooter scooter can be a good option I’m too scared to ever get a scooter it’s just not not going to happen for me maybe not for everyone but it’s a good option if you’re here in the self as well. Is it possible to buy an apartment that’s already furnished or move in ready? Yeah. So, this apartment is a good example. It’s um I would say more like an investment option. It’s been done by a professional um constructor. So, you have all the works, all the guarantees done perfectly and it’s sold furnished and um it’s actually very popular in Niss as well. you have more wider choice like more districts and you know you can really pick a nice flat with a nice view and or nice district and like everything is already done. Okay. And what’s the time frame of all this? If I said today I wanted to buy this apartment, how long does that take? So it will depend on whether you have cash or you are you need to get a mortgage. So I would say that mortgage adds like more or less a month and a half to the whole process. If you were a cash buyer then I would say and also it depends if you’re buying like now since it’s like a holiday period so everything is like kind of slowing down but it’s like I would say more or less is like 2 months if you have cash and then if you have a mortgage then it will be three and a half months. Oh wow. Three and a half months. That’s a long time now. However, yeah I mean it’s France so I feel like everything takes forever. I feel like this is actually a good lesson and like really kind of get used to the vibe that like in France you basically have to be patient for everything. So if you’ve never been to France and you’ve never lived here, what what would you tell someone before coming? Say definitely like just go with the flow and like don’t the French flow. Don’t be in a rush, you know, because in um in France like nothing happens fast and it’s like regarding everything being at like a purchase of of a place then like even going to the restaurant. I think we’re going to check it out right after because we want to grab a drink and it’s really like you just have to be patient for everything. But yeah, you wait but it’s kind of worth the wait, you know. Did you explain the French bank account situation or how that works? Do you have that much? No, but when you get a mortgage, basically you um you you get a bank uh bank account like the so the broker will set up a bank account for you and then you will put so the money that you have to broker sets you up. You’re not going through this. No, no, no. Broker it’s actually good because broker takes care of everything and he will guide you like through everything. So he will put like you know the application through you etc. And then also the money that you will need to put like uh up front, you will have to put it on a French account. So he will do that for you. Okay. Yeah. Cuz if you wanted to get your own French bank account just in general, I feel like there’s all these hoops that you have to jump through because they’re like, “Where’s the money come from?” And then you need an address to get an account and then you need an account to address and it’s this never ending circle of you never can get anything. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. It’s like really That’s true. That’s true. It’s France. Okay. No place is perfect. How does it work if I want to Airbnb out an apartment? Like, can I just do it? Is there permits? Like, how does that work? So, first of all, you have to make sure that you can do the Airbnb, right? So, there are some buildings, certain buildings that have only residential purpose and you are like some like the residents, they will say just, you know, no, it’s not allowed. So, you make have to make sure uh that it’s allowed. So, so that’s why I kind of I would advise always to go through uh real estate agent because this is a person that will make sure that it’s possible for you. Then the second uh part is uh once you buy you have to make an application you either you can just do it yourself or again there is a concurgery service that you know I I have contacts for and that those people will make sure that everything will be taken care of. So they will do an application for you. So I think it’s a good option if you want to have like an you know worry-free investment that will be definitely a thing to do. So it’s it’s the building has to approve it but then also is there anything like state citywide wise or yeah there are so like the building is the first step so you have to make sure that it’s allowed by the building. So it’s the first thing and the second you have to make an application through the marine. So it’s like a municipal council. Yeah. The city you have to like make this like a demand application but it’s done either you can like sell it uh send it yourself or it can be done by you know specialized concurgery. What’s the situation where it could get denied? Um that’s a good question. It can happen. However it’s kind of like something that you can never be sure of. Like I had um situation in the past like the lady that work uh for the concurgery services she got someone that like got denied but he like redone the application and it got accepted the second time. So once you get denied it doesn’t mean that like you’re never it’s like doomed and like you will never be able to do Airbnb. You just have to kind of try your luck. It’s so random actually in France like you can never be sure of anything like 100%. Absolutely nothing. Oh my goodness. Um, so how do taxes work? Like when I buy this, there’s taxes. Like do I pay a yearly tax for owning this? How does that work? So you will pay I think it’s like yearly, but to be honest, like I’m usually not the person that like takes care of it. It would be usually like the concier for example, the person that do the application for you. If you want to do the Airbnb investment, those people will also take care of the taxes. So, they will also help you, you know, fill the form and they will Yeah. like basically help you with everything tax- wise. I think it’s once a year and it will be around 20% and it also 20%. It’s 20%. Yeah. What? Yeah, that’s a lot of money. And how is it in US? Is it like less? I don’t think it’s 20%. I would need to look. Maybe it’s like 10. I don’t know. Yeah, it’s 20% and only if it’s your first investment. Because if you have more than one flat. What if it’s not an investment? What if it’s just where you live? Um if you declare it as like Yeah. So if it’s just where you Okay. So that’s different because I was focused on Airbnb. So it would be Yeah. If it’s just your like per principal residence that’s called it would be just like it’s called taxonere which is a property tax and it’s paid yearly uh in September and for this flat for example I think it’s like somewhere around 1,800. Oh okay. Okay. So okay yeah that’s why the 20% was throwing me off. I was like what that’s way too much for Yeah. Yeah. So it’s like um it will be it will also depend on location. So depends like okay here will be probably a little bit more than it will be in needs. Um and also on the square meters and like you know many things but yeah it will be around that that amount and then for of course like houses which are bigger it will be more but it’s yeah it’s like something that you can I think bear it’s it’s not like that big of a cost I think. Okay. And so if I want to buy what documents do I need to bring with me like which what’s the oh my god what’s the packet super long the list is like very long but um basically you will have to so you have have to have like proofs of all the financial like everything that proves your financial situation wherever you live. So for example if you have already some mortgages loans you know in US then you have to like bring the proofs right like you have to prove also if you own you know a flat already you have to like prove it if you like everything also the income income wise you have to bring all the proofs you can and usually it’s also easier if you’re um not entrepreneur so like not having your own you know company but like if you’re if you’re under a contract and you just like have a salary then for French system it’s usually better because it’s considered that it’s more stable you know because if you have a company then sometimes maybe your income is not always the same even if it’s often the case that it’s more for the French system would be like they would actually prefer the salary but it’s not impossible like for I I got a lot of mortgages for entrepreneurs and it’s possible as well. Okay. And what would you say as so like is there something else I can add extra to like make it more um appealing to the buyer if I’m an entrepreneur and my income is you know um I think it’s like so the broker will make sure to put like your dosier it’s called like forward so she will ask you like some additional questions as well. is basically your packet your Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. She will she will like prepare it with you basically. She will ask you all kinds of documents to make sure that the French bank accepts it. Like honestly like if you guys want to buy and you’re non-resident like it’s more you know the the biggest piece of advice I can give you go through the for a broker because this person is really like it’s not even in terms of just you know putting the doier right but it’s the thing is that she just has all the contacts. She has like the relationships that she worked like you know through the years. You have to go to a broker to purchase a property anyway, right? Or no, not necessarily. Like I mean technically you could just do your own dosier with French bank but like good luck with that you know like nobody speaks English so but some people would still try because they will think yeah maybe it will be cheaper or whatever. it’s it’s going to probably be rejected because uh like French banks they really like you know all the organisms like they they are very formal so if you go with a like trusted partner you have 90% of chances that you will get the mortgage so it’s really worth it and then is that broker’s fee in that 50% we talked about earlier so broker fee is on top uh it will be I don’t remember because it will be always like you know it will differ but it will be around Like I would say yeah something about like 1% something like that. So they need to come with 51% of like Yeah. Okay. Or or the Yeah. That 1% of the cost of the cost of the loan. Yeah. Oh. Oh. The loan. Interesting. Yeah. So not the cost of the of the purchase. No. Oh. So because you get ahead. Yeah. Yeah. So you get like you you put like for example 50% of you know the total price and then so the so the other 50 Okay. So this is maybe a bad example because it will be 1% still but yeah it’s basically calculated on the amount of the mortgage you’re getting of the loan that you’re Yeah. So it’s based off the loan and not the cost of the apartment. Exactly. Okay. So if so what happens if I bought this cash then? Do you not get paid or how does that work? So you’re asking about like my um so if I the agent’s agents fee. Yeah. So like the agent broker is that like a different thing or explain? Yeah, it’s a different thing. It’s like completely different. Explain the people that are involved in making this happen. Okay. So um yeah, if you need a mortgage then you will go through a mortgage broker. I’ll be the one putting you in touch with with uh them if you need them. But when you want to buy a property here, like usually you’ll probably have to see multiple properties, multiple listings, multiple, you know, places. And I’ll be the person to organize that. So I charge in between 1 and a half to two and a half%. Okay. Uh it’s on top because like it’s called like property hunting. So I’d really like do a selection just tailored made you know to your needs to according to like you just give me the criteria and I’ll make it happen for you. So it will require probably multiple days of visits. It’s usually like that but however it happened to me like my fastest deal was like 24 hours. Basically the guys they just like took a flight they came we did free visits and like next day they already made an offer you know. So it can be quick. It really depends on you. My advice would be like don’t come on weekends because we’re not going to get the viewings on on weekends. It’s just not possible unless I have the keys, but it’s not always the case. For this apartment, I’m lucky enough to clo to live close by, so I can come anytime. But yeah, usually, so the real estate agent is a person that will organize everything, orchestrate that like depending on you, you know, your needs, I will like put you in touch with the right person. Got it. Got it. Okay. I think that makes sense. And then your fee that’s like something you have to pay that cash like that can’t go within the mortgage. Yeah. It’s also cash. Yeah. Yeah. Yeah. So basically you’ll kind of have to have more. And the reason is just like So come with what 60% then or what do you think is like a I think like the same if I wanted to buy 50% is okay because like like 40% is like where it starts from and then 50% is like you’re like good, you know. Okay. Yeah. If I wanted to um buy more of like a fixer upper, what does that look like? What’s the process? Like how long? More of what? Oh, well in English we or like in America we say fixer upper. So like a like maybe it’s not done and you want to remodel it. Oh, okay. Like how much would that ideally cost? What’s the time frame? So obviously we’re not talking about like something where like you know there’s no plumbing, but something that needs to be renovated. How long would that take? Cuz this was renovated. No. Yeah. So how long did that take? But it was renovated by a professional. So it means that like I I like honestly depends you know if he has his probably I assume that he has his team already and then if you buy something that is like completely you know to have have to be redone. Um it depends if you already have a project in mind or maybe you’ll need an architect then we also have you help you help with that too. Yeah. Yeah. Like I have all the contacts you guys might need. Uh so we can also offer you the you know the project the 3D modelization everything. Um we might I actually have few contacts also for the works. So it will depend also on their um you know the their dates. So we will just have to put a schedule in place. So we’ll probably you know take a little bit more time. But yeah, realistically I think like so like Yeah, if you don’t probably say something around five to six months. Yeah, it’s a long time. Yeah, it’s true. So that’s why, you know, if you don’t want to wait that much, maybe buying an uh just like something that is already done and furnished is a good idea. And then let’s say you’re an American and you you know you’re in America while this is happening. Do you guys go on site to help manage it? Like is there property management if I’m in the US or how does that work? Oversee what’s going on because you know you know French people are going to take all day long to get things done if no one’s like on them. Yes. So definitely that’s something we can also include like you know the full um a toz like you know just management. So what would that cost me? What would what would that cost me? And it will depend again like you know we’ll have to see how many square meters you guys have how the big you know how big project is but it will be like you will of course receive like a cost sheet before like there are no like uh surprises or hidden cost like we’ll basically do everything uh in advance so you guys will know exactly what you’re paying for and how much it’s going to you know take etc. M so yeah we’ll keep you posted like via you know emails we could do zooms as well if you feel like that will be more comfortable then we’ll have a trust trusted partner to come on side and you know keep you posted with the with the you know the works so welcome in this beautiful refurbished apartment in VR this apartment has one bedroom maybe we’ll start from is join me guys. So here you have beautiful big bed. Let me just put some lights on. Uh and you have a AC unit also here. And then you can even profit from the terras and also you have a drawer that is like it’s been custom made. So all the furnishings are really high quality. Um then close to the bedroom I also have bathroom which has also been nicely done. You can join me. It’s small but very functional and it still has this really beautiful, you know, beige coloring. Have very nice Italian shower. Um and then we’re going to go back to the living room which has also been optimized. Here you have a sofa that is not convertible but if you want it to be your Airbnb investment then you can buy a convertible sofa and like this you get more space you know more sleeping space. So in the living you also have the kitchen the kitchen corner and everything is it has all the equipment uh that is under guarantee. Uh so when you buy the apartments like you’re you’re sure that everything works fine and you get all the guarantees with it. Uh also all the work that has been done in the apartment there is like 10 years guarantee for it. And from the kitchen we can get to the teras that is also beautiful. It’s 41 sorry 21 square meter. It has been nicely redone. It has some lights. It has some shutters as well and shade. I don’t know how it’s called. Um, but you can sit on the teras. You can enjoy your dinner or lunch or whatever. Just like have an apero and yeah, have an amazing view. And you can even see a little bit of a sea view from here. So, it’s almost last floor. It’s, as you can tell, it’s very quiet and it’s a beautiful peaceful area. So, I hope that you enjoyed the tour.

Ever dreamed of buying an apartment in France? 🇫🇷🏡
I sat down with a local realtor to break down exactly what it takes to purchase property as a foreigner — from visas and financing to the hidden costs no one talks about.

We even toured a real €400K apartment in the South of France ( villefranche-sur-mer) so you can see what your money gets you ✨

Whether you’re manifesting it or already house hunting… this one’s for you.

📩 DM me on Instagram @jhanneu if you want the realtor’s info.
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Time Stamps
0:00 Intro
0:31 can foreigners buy in France ?
01:24 How do you get a mortgage?
02:36 How much do you have to put down?
03:18 Cost of an apt in the south of France ?
04:33 Areas to live ?
07:24 Advice for living in France?
07:59 Getting a French bank account
08:59 Can I do Airbnb?
11:12 How do taxes work?
13:18 Documents needed?
19:32 How long is the process ?
22:22 Apartment Tour

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☀️About Me: I’m Jhánneu, a sustainability content creator, speaker, and expert based in Los Angeles and Nice, France. I’ve built a successful lifestyle brand dedicated to helping others live more sustainably and intentionally. My work focuses on solo travel, eco-friendly living, slow living, and wellness, inspiring women to explore the world while making mindful, sustainable choices.

I’ve partnered with brands like Hotels.com, Marriott, Dell, and Volvo, bringing an eco-conscious perspective to every collaboration. My work has been featured in Vogue, CNN, and Vox, and I’ve also appeared on The Drew Barrymore Show. Through my content, I aim to empower others to live intentionally, travel solo, and embrace a more sustainable way of life.