Frequently asked questions about the house hunting activity or flat finding work
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In what consists your activity ?
Our activity, a fairly new concept in France regarding to the anglo-saxon’s countries, known as Property Search or home finding (house hunter, property hunter, flat hunter, home seeker, buyer-friendly property), consists in offering a global and personalized service to anyone that wish to buy a property, working exclusively in his best interest.
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What is the difference between Domicilium and a traditionnal real estate agency ?
Working on the basis of a selling contract the aim of a real estate agent is to sell the Properties he has on his listing. Domicilium does not have properties to get rid of but is dedicated to each specific search using the whole market opportunities in partnership with all the real estate actors such as home owner’s, agencies, sollicitors, real estate speculators, auction’s sales, developers ….
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What is the difference between Domicilium and Advertising Agencies ?
Domicilium previews all the properties according to the buyers criterias and offers an individual service in order to find the right property that perfectly fits the client’s needs while agencies are only publishing listings without any preview of the properties.
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Who are Domicilium's clients ?
Any potential buyer with a time consuming professionnal or private life which deprives him of the time needed to find the ideal home or the right property, it mays be business men or women, entrepreneurs, retailers, CEO….
People who don’t live currently on the spot whether they are on a professional relocation plan, foreign investors, expats, soon to retire individuals interested in settling in the south-west of France, parents seeking an accomodation for their student child or people wishing to buy a second home.
People facing any kind of incapacity or handicap.
Companies wishing to assist their employees or partners for any kind of relocation plan or recruitment in the area. Sport clubs wanting to offer help to their new members in settling in a new place in order to be in a better position to recruit potentially high- level athletes in the area.
And of course, anyone who feels secure to hire a dedicated professional buying agent knowing he will be on the best postion to negociate on his behalf in an extremely competitive market and who will offer him, key in hand, the home he always wanted to own.
As a matter of fact, Domicilium appeals to all kinds of budget and all categories of buyers.
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What benefits does buyers get using Domicilium's services ?
Domicilium saves you a lot of precious time. No need to spend hours through the classified on newspapers and web sites, no need to speak with real estate agents. Gone is the unpleasant feeling of disappointment after visiting properties that does not meet your expectations. Domicilium spends 100 % of its time seeking the right place for you.
Your home finding agent is totally dedicated to your search, ready to listen to you, keeping you informed on a regular basis.
You’ll get the benefits of a wide and thorough research on the whole market. This way the risks of missing a golden opportunity or your ideal home are reduced to the minimum. On the contrary your chances to make the deal for the property you really want even if it appears for a very short time on classified are maximized.
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What is your legal environnement ?
Despite the fact that property searching is a recent activity in France, it’s controlled by the Property Transactions Legislation.
In order to protect customers, the amended Hoguet law N°70-0 of the 2nd of January 1970 stipulates that all companies dealing in the property transactions field should hold a licence delivered by their Chamber of Commerce and Industry.
Domicilium's licence number is CPI 3101 2018 000 026 816 and was delivered by the CCI of Toulouse - Haute Garonne (31).
Domicilium is a member of the « Syndicat National des Professions Immobilières » (26, avenue Victot Hugo, 75116 Paris)
Domicilium also joined an Estate and Property Corporation : QBE Insurance (Europe) LIMITED, Cœur Défense - Tour A, 110 Esplanade du Général de Gaulle, 92931 La Défense Cedex (Siège social : plantation place, 30 Fenchurch Street, London EC3M 3BD) – Financial guarantee of 110 000 Euros with no funds handling (in order to maintain the absolute protection of its clients, Domicilium receives no funds others than the transactions fees)
Domicilium is also covered by a Professionnal Civil Liability (RCPSAA) : Assurances du Sud 34, rue du Wacken, 67906 Strasbourg.
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What is the cost of our services ?
All fees are clearly specified in our contract. Fees are due only if the purchase is successly confirmed at the signature of the act of sale in the notary’s office.
The amount of fees goes from 2,5% to 5% of the sale price whether the property is sold by a real estate broker or any paid intermediary or by a private owner.
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Is it more expensive to work with Domicilium rather than a real estate agency ?
Certainly not ! On the contrary, if the property is sold by an owner or any non-remunerated intermediary our fees are 5% of the sale price, thus cheaper than the rates proposed by estate agents. These may vary from 6 % to 10% of the sale price. Moreover, if the property is sold through an estate agent Domicilium charges only 2,5% of the sale price because of the additional expense to the buyer.
Most of all, Domicilium brings solutions to its clients’s situation : time-consuming professionnal activity, not being on the spot to visit properties ; difficult access and means of transport or simply a smart decision to seek professionnal advice.
Taking into account these conditions, Domicilium offers a much greater chance to find the ideal home for our clients without any waste of time and energy and offers professionnal advices. We also handle negociations of the price and thus bring a real advantage for our clients and certainly not an additionnal cost.
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Are you giving priority to home owners ?
Yes, as far as possible and only if the property presents all the requirements our client is looking for and previously agreed in the search contract.
Our aim is to stick to the initial project and find the property you really want. That includes the price and all others specifications.
On the end, no matter where we found the property, on the owner’s market or through a real estate agent, the important thing is that you should obtained the property you desired in the shortest time anda t the best price.
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Will the client still be liable to charges from Domicilium if he finds a property on his own, or if the property wasn’t viewed with a Domicilium’s finding agent ?
No. Transactions fees are only due when a Domicilium's finding agent has identified and presented you the property.
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In which geographical area are you working ?
Domicilium is working mostly in Toulouse and the surrounding areas but our extensive know-how of the property market allows us to extend our researches to the Midi-Pyrénées region, in fact the whole South-west of France and beyond if necessary.
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Do you undertake any kind of property search ?
Yes. Our knowledge of the whole property market is so vast that we can find for you whatever property you require : house, semi-detached home, studio, apartment, workshop, factory, garage, farm, domain or just a plot of land.
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How many previews are you doing for a research ?
It is very difficult to give a precise number. It all depends on luck, type and size of the property , the price, the localisation… But to give you an idea of the quality of our research, out of 100% of properties researches carried out after obtaining information through press and web advertisements, notaries, auction sales … we can safely say that we visit from 15 to 30% of those properties.
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During your search are you dealing with all actors of the real estate market ?
Yes, we do. We leave no stone unturned to find the best purchase for our client. Our independence and our objectivity allows us to reach all those involved in property transactions from private owners to notaries, real estate agencies, auction sales …. without any obligations to any of them.
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How do you keep your client informed of your search ?
After each preview of a property by Domicilium, our client receives a detailed report, with pictures (with the owner agreement). Your web slot facilitates the reception of the informations, as well as immediate queries and interaction with Domicilium.
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How many visits does it takes to a prospective buyer to make his final choice ?
As Domicilium does a thorough search based on mutually agreed criterias, quite often just one to seven visits are necessary before the final choice. But, of course, there may be exceptions to this average estimation.
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What is the purpose of the visit agreement ?
This document certifies that the buyer found and bought the property through and with the help of Domicilium. He therefore commits himself to buy the property only through Domicilium.
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What happens if you don’t find the property for your client ?
At the end of the contract concluded with Domicilium, the client may renew it. If he is not willing to do so then the contract expires automatically.
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Are the services of a notary absolutely necessary when buying a property ?
Yes. Notaries enjoy a legal and mandatory monopoly on drafting any act of sale of a property (but not on Promise of Sale, wether these are done by one or both parties).
Consequently, the notary is entitled for fees for the drafting of the act of sale, fees charge to the buyer. Sometimes both parties (seller and buyer) asked for their own notary’s services.
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What is a Registered Act of Sale ?
This official document authenticates the transfer of the property. Unlike a promise of sale, it is mandatory that the Act of sale is drafted by a notary so that it may be registered and published by the mortgage office thus making it possible for third parties to challenge it.
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Does Domicilium stands by its client size during all these technical and legal steps ?
Yes. Domicilium stands on its clients size from step one of the reseach to the final one in the notary’s office at the signature of the Act of sale.
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What is the nature of the notary’s fees ?
These costs come in addition to the sale price and include :
- Fees due to the notary for drafting the Act of sale document. These are fixed by law.
- Taxes dues to the treasury, for which the notary is answerable.
- Payment of all expenses occurred during the drafting of the act of sale, for example, cadastre, surveyor, mortgage …
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Would you like to ask any more questions ?
Please do not hesitate to contact us, for more informations. Refer to the section entitled contact. Domicilium is at your disposal on a 24 hours basis.