📌 A distribution that is the subject of debate
When selling a property, one question always comes up: who pays the estate agency fees? Although French law allows you to choose whether to charge the seller or the buyer, more and more professionals are recommending that the seller should pay the agency fees. And this is not by chance: there are many advantages to this choice, for both the seller and the buyer.
💼 What do estate agency fees include?
Agency fees represent between 4 % and 10 % of the sale price of a property. At Alpimmorama, your estate agency, they are only 4% inclusive of tax for an exclusive mandate. They cover several services:
- Property valuation
- Carrying out or coordinating mandatory diagnostics
- Creating and distributing property advertisements
- Highlighting the property (photos, video, etc.)
- Organisation of visits
- Negotiating the sale price
- Support right up to the signing at the notary's office ...
👉 These services are provided in the interests of the seller, who mandates the agency to sell his property efficiently.
🎯 Agency fees payable by the vendor: a simple and ethical approach
It is logical that the party benefiting from the service should bear the cost. The seller calls on the estate agency to :
- Get a reliable estimate
- Enhancing the value of the property on the market
- Save time managing visits
- Benefit from the agency's legal and administrative expertise
👉 Result: a more consistent and transparent sales charge.
🧾 Price display: a marketing asset
With a seller's commission, the advertised price is "agency fees included". This has several advantages:
✅ Immediate transparency for buyers
✅ Better legibility of property advertisements
✅ Less confusion when comparing goods
This transparency builds buyer confidence and encourages contact.
💳 A helping hand for home financing
When agency fees are payable by the vendor, they are included in the overall price of the property. Result:
They can be financed by the buyer's mortgage.
They do not increase the personal contribution required
👉 A major advantage for first-time buyers, who often have limited budgets.
📉 Notary fees: limited impact
It is true that when agency fees are payable by the vendor, the advertised price includes these costs, which slightly increases the amount of the notaire's fees.
But this difference is often marginal compared to the benefits in terms of :
- Financing facility
- Clarity of the transaction
- Attractiveness of the property
⚖️ Greater legal and administrative clarity
The majority of sales mandates are now signed with the seller paying the costs, for a number of reasons:
✅ Simpler drafting of the mandate and the notarial deed
✅ Less risk of litigation
✅ A smoother transaction for all parties
📊 A standard in the French property market
Today, the majority of estate agents in France charge the costs to the vendor. The reasons for this are :
- Clear expectations from buyers
- A market standard that makes comparisons easier
- Better understanding of advertisements
🔚 A winning strategy for selling better
Put the estate agency fees payable by the vendoris to choose :
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- La transparency for buyers
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- La simplicity for financing
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- A better visibility of the advert
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- A secure transaction
If you choose to charge agency fees to the vendor, you are aligning yourself with the clearest and most efficient practices in the property market.
It's a simple approach that benefits everyone involved in the transaction.
