Following the rush to buy properties since the end of deconfinement in May 2021, estate agents have now a shortage of properties for sale. If you visit agent’s websites, you will often see more houses that have been sold than those still on offer.
What is the impact of this for a house buyer ?
The first impact is of course to restrict the choice to houses that either needed some work or renovation, or have a handicap or that were considered overpriced. All is not lost for the buyer, as a small number of attractive houses still come onto the market priced correctly, but as soon as they are advertised, they sell in a matter of weeks and even on the very first visit of a buyer.
This means that searches months ahead of a purchase are no longer useful, as you will find the best houses get sold even sometimes days before you reach the region.
So what is the best approach for buyers who are not based locally ?
The 2 solutions we recommend are:
Due to the current scarcity of houses we also offer “a la carte” assistance for your property search, specially adapted to budgets below 400K:
So to help you in this competitive market, you have at your disposal new ways of realizing your house buying project !
What is the impact of this for a house buyer ?
The first impact is of course to restrict the choice to houses that either needed some work or renovation, or have a handicap or that were considered overpriced. All is not lost for the buyer, as a small number of attractive houses still come onto the market priced correctly, but as soon as they are advertised, they sell in a matter of weeks and even on the very first visit of a buyer.
This means that searches months ahead of a purchase are no longer useful, as you will find the best houses get sold even sometimes days before you reach the region.
So what is the best approach for buyers who are not based locally ?
The 2 solutions we recommend are:
- If you don’t know the areas in the South of France well enough and need to visit the region as well as the properties, then the best is to do an intensive search 20 days before you come with the help of a property finder like Smartfinder Home. It is useful to do an early search on property websites, but more as an educational exercise to help you identify the type of properties that you like most.
- A second more innovative approach, adopted by some of our clients who know the French Riviera is to run an ongoing search and pounce on a property that meets your needs as soon as it appears on the market. And if you don’t live locally, ask us to do a virtual visit of the house to get objective feedback rather than a sales pitch, along with video and dozens of photos. You can then negotiate and agree a price and do the confirmation visit immediately after.
Due to the current scarcity of houses we also offer “a la carte” assistance for your property search, specially adapted to budgets below 400K:
- A formal coaching/training session on how to find and buy a property in South of France
- An upfront search of the best fitting 10 properties + sharing your criteria to the top estate agents
So to help you in this competitive market, you have at your disposal new ways of realizing your house buying project !
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