Tool
What buying in France really costs when you live abroad
The price is only the start. This tool lays out, for the property you have in mind, everything a non-resident buyer pays on completion, then every year, then on the day they sell. 2026 scales, calculated in your browser.
What you will pay, in three stages
On completion
- Asking price
- Negotiated reduction
- Price paid
- Acquisition costs (duties, notary, formalities)
- Home Select fee, due on success
including 10% of the negotiated reduction : - Total on completion
- Indicatively
The Confidential Offer covers projects of €2M and above: below that, the Exclusive Offer applies.
Every year
- Property tax
- Service charges
- Wealth tax (net property assets in France)
- Total per year
On resale
- Gross capital gain
- Estimated tax and social charges
- Resale price net of tax
Indicative estimate on the 2026 scales, calculated in your browser: nothing is sent or stored. Loan guarantee and arrangement fees, brokerage, currency exchange costs and works are not included. Conversions at the fixed rate of 11 September 2026, never a daily rate. The firm figures come from the notaire and your bank, on the actual property.
What the tool adds up, and why
On completion, a buyer pays the negotiated price, the acquisition costs (around 7 to 8% on an existing home, under 3% on a new build, most of it tax) and their buyer’s agent’s fee. Home Select charges on success, on the net purchase price: 2.5% incl. VAT with the Exclusive Offer, minimum €10,000 incl. VAT, or 1.5% incl. VAT with the Confidential Offer for projects of €2M and above, plus 10% incl. VAT of the reduction obtained between the asking price and the price paid.
Every year, the owner pays the property tax and, in a co-owned building, the service charges. A non-resident whose net property assets located in France reach €1.3M is liable to the wealth tax (IFI), calculated on a progressive scale over all their French property, debts deducted.
On resale, the capital gain is taxed at 19% after an allowance for the years of ownership, plus social charges (17.2%, or 7.5% for a non-resident affiliated to a social security scheme of the European Economic Area or Switzerland) and, above €50,000 of taxable gain, a surtax. After 22 years the tax disappears; after 30 years the social charges too.
To go further
Frequently asked questions
Does a non-resident pay higher notary fees?
No. Transfer duties and the notary’s fees do not depend on the country of residence. What changes is the work around the deed: the power of attorney if you do not travel, the translation of documents, the international transfer and its justification.
How is Home Select’s fee calculated?
On success only, on the net purchase price: 2.5% incl. VAT with the Exclusive Offer (minimum €10,000 incl. VAT), 1.5% incl. VAT with the Confidential Offer for projects of €2M and above. On home-select.fr both offers add 10% incl. VAT of the negotiation obtained: on a €48,000 reduction, €4,800.
Does the negotiation cover the fee?
Often. Home Select negotiates 6% on average off the asking price: on a property listed at €800,000, a €48,000 reduction, against €18,800 of fees on the price paid and €4,800 on the reduction. The tool runs this calculation on your price.
When is the wealth tax due?
Every year, when net property assets located in France, debts deducted, reach €1.3M on 1 January. The progressive scale starts at €800,000, with a relief between €1.3M and €1.4M. A non-resident is taxed on French property only.
Which social charges on resale for a non-resident?
17.2% as a rule. A seller affiliated to a compulsory social security scheme of a European Economic Area country or Switzerland pays the 7.5% solidarity levy instead. The notaire applies the right rate on proof.
What is missing from this estimate?
The costs tied to a loan (guarantee, arrangement, insurance), brokerage, currency exchange, works and, for a second home, the residence tax that some municipalities increase. A Home Select buyer’s agent lays them on the actual property, with the notaire and the broker.
This estimate, on a real property
Describe your project: a Home Select buyer’s agent takes it up with the notaire and the broker used to buyers from your country, within one working day, with no commitment.
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