Additional purchase costs in the Alpes Maritimes 06

When buying a property in France, you will face three main types of costs:

• Notary fees (notary fees) – approx. 7-8% for existing properties
• Real estate agent commission (frais d'agence) – usually included in the purchase price, approx. 5-7%
• Additional incidental costs – insurance, expert opinions, interpreters

The so-called "frais de notaire" are the largest item in the closing costs. However, the term is misleading – only a small portion actually goes to the notary as a fee. The majority consists of taxes and fees that the notary pays to the French state on your behalf.

The notary fees consist of:

• Real estate transfer tax (Droits de mutation) – approx. 5.8-6.4%
• Notary fees (Emoluments) – approx. 0.8-1%
• Fees and expenses (Débours) – approx. 0.4%
• Sicherheitsgebühr (Property Security Contribution) – approx. 0.1%

Special feature of Department 06 (Alpes-Maritimes)

In the Alpes-Maritimes department (Département 06), which includes the Côte d'Azur with Cannes, Antibes, Nice, and the entire hinterland, the property transfer tax rate is 5.81% of the purchase price. This puts the Alpes-Maritimes department in line with the French average. Some departments in France have raised the rate to as much as 6.4% since 2025 – Département 06 is not among them so far. The exact breakdown is as follows:

• Department-Anteil: 4.5%
• Municipal share: 1.2%
• National tax: 0.11%

In addition to notary and real estate agent fees, you should also budget for other costs:

Mandatory costs:

• Building insurance – mandatory from the day of key handover (approx. €800-1,500 per year for a villa)

Optional, but worthwhile costs:

• Additional building survey – recommended for older properties (€500-2,000)
• German-speaking interpreter at the notary's office – significantly facilitates communication (approx. €300-500 per appointment)

The real estate agent's commission (frais d'agence or honoraires) is, as in Germany, a success-based fee – it is only due if the purchase actually takes place.

In the South of France, the commission typically ranges between 5% and 7%, including French VAT (TVA) of 20%. At HEXAGON Real Estate, the standard commission is 6% including TVA. The net amount "hors tax," abbreviated "HT," is then 5%.

In France, there is no legal regulation regarding who pays the real estate agent's commission – this is a matter of negotiation between the seller and the agent. In practice, however, a clear market practice has become established: in the vast majority of cases, the seller pays the agent's fee.

You can recognize this in the property listing by the indication "charges vendeur" or "Prix FAI" (Frais d'Agence Inclus). This means that the real estate agent's commission is already included in the advertised purchase price. Unlike in Germany, where the agent's commission often has to be added to the asking price, in France, with "charges vendeur" you pay exactly the price stated in the listing – no more! After deducting the commission, the seller receives the net proceeds ("prix net vendeur").

Less common, but possible: Sometimes the property listing will state "charges acquéreur" or "Prix net vendeur" or "Prix hors honoraires". In this case, the buyer pays the real estate agent's commission in addition to the listed price. However, this is the exception in our region on the Côte d'Azur. Important: Always check the property listing to see if "charges vendeur" (FAI) or "charges acquéreur" (net vendeur) is stated.

The transaction will be handled through a notary.

Regardless of who pays the commission, the transaction is always securely handled through a notary. The real estate agent's commission is stipulated in writing in the notarized purchase agreement. Shortly before the final notary appointment (acte de vente), you transfer the entire purchase price to the notary's escrow account. The notary then distributes the funds: the net proceeds go to the seller, and the commission to the real estate agency(ies) involved. The agent therefore only receives their fee at the very end of the sales process, several months after the successful sale.

At first glance, it seems illogical – why would you, as the buyer, voluntarily pay the real estate agent's commission? But the "charges acquéreur" model has a crucial tax advantage:

The tax difference

If the real estate agent's commission is included in the asking price ("charges vendeur" or "Prix FAI"), the property transfer tax is calculated on the total price – including the agent's commission. For a purchase price of €1,000,000 FAI, you pay notary fees and property transfer tax on the full €1,000,000. However, with "charges acquéreur," the property transfer tax is calculated only on the net selling price – not on the agent's commission.

When you commission us to find your dream property, we work according to the "charges acquéreur" model with a commission of 6% TTC (including VAT). This may initially sound like you'll incur additional costs – but in practice, it primarily means greater transparency and better negotiating positions. Here's how it works in practice:

Once we've found the perfect property for you and you'd like to make an offer, we'll present the owner with a two-part offer: a clearly defined net price for the seller, plus the 6% real estate commission, which you, as the buyer, will pay. For example: You're prepared to pay a total of €1,000,000. We would then offer the seller €943,396 net, plus €56,604 real estate commission for you, the buyer.

The advantages for you

This structure creates clarity: The seller sees exactly what they will receive net. You see precisely what the property costs and what the brokerage fee is worth. Both items can be negotiated separately – this gives you significantly more flexibility than with a flat FAI (real estate agent's commission) price. And as already mentioned: With this model, you save on property transfer tax because it is only calculated on the net price, not on the broker's commission.

With the search mandate at HEXAGON, you can view not only properties from our own portfolio, but any property that is on the market (and even off-market properties).

If a property is already listed by another real estate agency, both agencies will work together for you: the listing agent (who is marketing the property on behalf of the seller) and us as your personal buyer's agent. The agent's commission is then split between the two agencies – you don't have to pay twice! The total commission remains at the agreed 6% including all taxes and fees.

Your advantage: You have a personal advocate at your side who exclusively represents your interests, while the seller's agent works for the owner. Two professionals ensure that the purchase runs smoothly – and you have someone who takes care of your needs 100%, without it costing you anything extra.

Why do I need to sign a search mandate? This written agreement secures our commission claim against other agencies. If we collaborate with other real estate agencies on your behalf and show you their properties, the two agencies share the commission. Without a signed search mandate, other agents wouldn't be able to recognize our services – and we wouldn't be able to offer you full access to the entire market. The mandate therefore protects both parties and is essential for a comprehensive search across all available properties. Naturally, you only pay the commission if we find a property you're interested in.

How long am I committed? Our search mandate initially runs for only one month and automatically renews for another month at a time. You can terminate it at any time with a brief message – so there is no long-term commitment. This allows you to remain flexible and test our collaboration without obligation.

What does "exclusive" mean?

An exclusive search mandate means that for the duration of the agreement you will work exclusively with HEXAGON Real Estate as your buyer's agent.

What you should avoid from now on:

Do not contact other agencies directly to request viewings, "more information" about an advertisement, or the exact address of the property. The problem is that once your name is registered in the other agency's customer database, we may no longer be able to work for you as your Buyers Agent – at least not free of charge. The other agency would then no longer recognize us as an intermediary, and our commission would be forfeited.

Therefore: Simply send us the link to the listing (preferably via WhatsApp), and we will gather all the information (address, etc.) for you, arrange viewings, and negotiate on your behalf. This way, your status as our exclusive client remains intact – and our service is free of charge. What should you do if you have already been in contact with other agencies?

No problem! This happens very often – after all, most people start their search themselves before hiring a buyer's agent. Once you're working with us, you shouldn't make any new direct contacts with other agents.

What does a search mandate from HEXAGON Real Estate look like? Download a template here (French/English):