AMERICAN BUYER HUNTING FOR FRENCH PROPERTY - CASE STUDY - DAN
Learn from the mishaps, common mistakes, and failures of other American buyers and international investors looking for and purchasing property in France!
Let’s learn from other American buyers in France - today’s REAL LIFE CASE STUDY? DAN!
“Dan” (we changed the name with Dan’s permission) is a buyer who lives in the US, but for many years he had the dream of owning a French property. He is in his early 50’s and experienced buying and selling property in the US. He had never purchased property in France.
When we first had contact with Dan, he hadn’t really worked out where in France he wanted to buy. He liked several areas and regions of France, wasn’t too specific as he had previously visited several areas of France and wanted to stay flexible.
He was also open to lots of different types of properties (from the more historic to the more modern but with some character)! He had a budget up to €400k cash to invest in his property purchase.
As part of planning his viewing trip to France from the US, he had looked online and come across some property listings in English and had contacted 2 different real estate agencies with English speaking real estate agents in France. They suggested some properties to visit based on his search criteria, but of course, they focused only on their own properties that were on active mandate with them to sell as * France has no MLS system* as you already know! But it was a surprise to him!
Of the various property suggestions, Dan picked the ones he liked most, set up a viewing trip, and viewed 8 properties in 4 days with 2 separate real estate agencies.
So… what happened after those 4 days?
We’re highlighting the experience of one of our previous clients - “DAN” as it may just resonate with you and your French property journey - the struggles and frustrations!
Dan’s viewing trip - what happened?
Dan’s viewing trip to France from the USA is what we’ve often seen with other American buyers and international investors - 4 days covering a large area of France, planned several weeks in advance at substantial cost and investment of time!
Dan didn’t find his perfect property!
He didn’t find anything that he wanted to put in an offer on at all!
In fact by the end of the trip he still didn’t really know what he wanted before going home!
Dan had thought that seeing things in real life would make everything easier and he would know the right one when he saw it.
He had looked around online on the two agency websites initially, but had relied on the agents to find him his property options for the most part.
And the worst part?
He spent thousands of dollars on the trip
He used up precious vacation days
He didn’t actually have any down time to experience the areas and get to know them better
He was surprised by some of the properties he visited which were entirely unsuitable for him
He ended up being absolutely exhausted by the experience
Dan left France disappointed and dispirited and went back to the US not wanting to buy a property in France any more.
Dan’s experience is not unique, it’s not unusual. In fact, it’s very normal and typical with many American buyers hunting for property in France!
What can we learn from Dan’s experience?
One of the team at French Property Focus, actually carried out some of those visits with Dan when they were a real estate agent here in France last year.
They had suggested properties to him when he got in contact as is normal as a real estate agent in France. They did not have the time to sit down with him to make sure he understood everything, and neither did any of the other agents Dan worked with.
That is standard in the French property market with all real estate agents. They simply don’t have the time to educate American and international buyers!
This all happened in the fall of 2024. We had not launched French Property Focus by then. However…
THIS IS EXACTLY ONE OF THE MANY REASONS WE DID! CLIENTS LIKE DAN THAT WE FELT WAS UNDERSERVED AND NOT HELPED IN HIS FRENCH PROPERTY SEARCH!
As we’ve developed our online courses and downloadable guides aimed at helping American buyers truly learn and get empowered about purchasing property in France, we think about Dan quite often! And we make sure that each and every course we create helps Dan! Perhaps you see yourself in “Dan”?
What if French Property Focus had existed when Dan was property hunting in France!
If French Property Focus had been created and we had already rolled out our online courses, downloadable guides, suite of personalized calls and free expert advice when Dan was property hunting in France as an American buyer, we often wonder… what could have been different for Dan? Could we have genuinely improved his French property search experience? We recently caught up with Dan, and the answer is a resounding YES!
Reflecting back on our experience, we believe that if Dan had taken our course on Optimizing your French Property Search he would have learned:
Our strategies to help define what he was looking for,
How to turn these into really specific search criteria,
Which websites to carry out his search,
Our strategies for getting the most out of those websites to give himself the best chance of finding what he wanted
Our strategies for contacting agents to give himself the best chance of being prioritised by them.
Of course, there is no guarantee that Dan would have found his perfect property in France, but his search would have been much less frustrating! And much less stressful and more enjoyable! And, he would not have wasted the time and money that he did!
After that viewing trip, Dan ultimately decided not to pursue his dream of owning a house in France. If he changes his mind and once again rediscovers his love of France, then this time around, we can help with our specialized courses!
Of course for every American and international buyer who has the experience that Dan had, there are plenty of others who have a different experience property hunting in France!
The lesson from Dan’s experience property hunting in France!
Of course there are American and international buyers property hunting in France that do exactly what “Dan” did, and did find a property in France that they ultimately bought. We’ve sold property to many Americans who have had this other experience.
But the real question is… Are there more Dan’s out there? Having the same frustrations with their French property search? Not being able to transition their experience of having purchased property in US to France… and… “not knowing what they don’t know?!?”
Absolutely, we see them all the time!! Online and in real life!
The reality is this - there isn’t enough time for real estate agents on the ground in France to help all the “Dans” as much as they might need.
Real estate agents in France (even the English speaking ones!) are not bad… or lazy or incompetent…. they are simply not incentivized to prioritize American and international buyer education! We’ve revealed more on this key topic here!
Check out our selection of resources below! Let us help you get knowledgeable, confident and empowered to successfully find and purchase property in France while saving serious money and avoiding the common pitfalls and costly mistakes!!
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THE ULTIMATE PROGAM FOR AMERICAN BUYERS PURCHASING FRENCH PROPERTY
Make sure you sign up for our brand new program launching soon! It’s our comprehensive roadmap for buying property in France specifically created for the unique requirements and needs of American buyers!
Stop struggling, wasting time and money trying to find a needle in a haystack! With our comprehensive roadmap, you will finally gain the knowledge and confidence to find, research, visit and purchase your dream French property!
Our program will help you avoid costly mistakes and frustrations so that you can finally make a decision that’s right for YOU and move forward with your French property purchase confidently and with joy!
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1-HOUR PERSONALIZED LIVE EXPERT CALL
We have a limited number of time slots available for a 1 hour live calls with buyers focusing on any topic of your choice related to French property!
During these calls, you can ask us anything related to the French property search - no question is too big or small!
Whether it’s the big questions about where to start looking, the best websites and property portals to use, how to contact real estate agents and sellers, or a specific question about negotiating an offer, how to understand the diagnostic reports, what to expect from your interaction with the French notaires, or even or what pitfalls to avoid with your French property purchase, we can help!
If you want a truly independent unbiased professional opinion on a specific situation you’re facing related to looking for and purchasing French properties, then we can help!
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EXPERT ONLINE COURSE - OPTIMIZING YOUR FRENCH PROPERTY SEARCH
Ready to leverage our years of French real estate expertise combined with our unique cultural insight to FINALLY find your Dream French property while saving serious money and maximizing your budget?
Want our expert advice on what are the best websites, property portals and aggregators to search for your French property with our step-by-step instructions on how to actually use them?
By implementing our proven methodology, you will be able to successfully find properties that are right for you, ask the right questions, make contact with real estate agents and even sellers sellers direct (FSBO opportunities) with a downloadable template on how to contact French real estate agents and sellers to get the best response?
Get the right tools, learn industry insider strategies, and be able to implement proven methodologies to finally find your dream property in France!
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Apply for Free Personalized Advice!
Every American buyer in France is different with their own unique search criteria, challenges and questions! No two French property searches are ever the same!
Want to get some FREE personalized expert advice? You’re in the right place! No obligation, no catch, just genuinely useful actionable expert advice for your French property search! Apply here!
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Free 30 Minute Masterclass!
BRAND NEW! Check out our 30 minute free masterclass revealing the 7 key mistakes we see American buyers in France making and sharing our top tips and expert advice on how you can avoid them!
You will gain the insight and knowledge to avoid these mistakes that could cost you money, lost time, missed opportunities and endless frustration!
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Free Expert advice - Our Blog!
Check out our blog where we share our expert strategies and industry secrets!
We share our insider tips helping you find your perfect French property! Whether you’re looking for a countryside property in Provence, a modern seaside villa on the French riviera, an apartment in Paris, or your very own chateau or castle in France, learn how to make your budget go further!
One of the best sources of our expert advice is our blog! We share our expert insight, market analysis and top tips and more!
All for free! Check out our blog here!