Pebbles Seller’s Guide

SELLER’S GUIDEBUY WITH US • RENT WITH US • SELL WITH US

Pebbles Seller’s Guide 2.indd 1 12/01/2016 15:59

Nice Pebbles are the Riviera’s leading holiday rental agency with over 180 prime properties from Antibes to Cap Ferrat. Each designer apartment boasts WiFi, L’Occitane toiletries & a welcome basket with wine, and is bookable in a few clicks.The Times, November 2014

I’ve always been very impressed with Pebbles when renting a number of your holiday apartments, and recommend you to friends, family and colleagues. I have found the same high level of professionalism and honesty in my dealings with the Sales side of things.Jane Tobias, November 2015


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Selling your property is a big decision and not one to be made lightly. We want you to give you instant confi dence in your sale and the secure the belief you’ve picked the right agency. Whether you’re selling from Nice or the other side of the world, you should know we are always at your side to assist in any way we can.

The three most common questions we are asked by vendors are:

Welcome to Pebbles

Matt & Gayle Roberts

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Can I fi nd a trustworthy agency?

Can you sell it quickly? and…

How much does it all cost?

& the Pebbles team

Let’s tackle those right away.

Since 2006 our fully licensed agency has sold over 100 apartments and villas. Our fantastic multilingual team is based out of offi ces in the centre of Nice, as well as the UK. Both on the ground in Nice, and across the channel in the UK, we work hard to deliver to all our clients.

Our trans-national setup allows us to focus on sales and marketing simultaneously, rather than juggling client meetings in-between marketing initiatives. This allows us to put twice the amount of resource into a sale than traditional agence immobilière at no extra cost.

We’ve condensed a decade of French real estate experience into the following 16 pages. We’ve tried to make it as interesting as we can. No mean feat when talking about dry topics such as diagnostic reports (pages 12 & 13) and the documentation needed to sell (pages 8 & 9). If you just want an overview, then skip to the back. Or if want the low down on what it’s like working with us, simply jump to the Seller case studies on pages 10 & 11.

Let’s get started.

Best Wishes,


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How will you market my property?

We go above and beyond the status quo marketing that you will find in

your average French estate agent. So extensive are our marketing efforts in both the UK and France that we’ve dedicated page 4 to telling you more. Extensive marketing costs, but don’t worry, Pebbles foot the bill.

What if I am currently renting my property?

It’s music to our ears that your property is a buy to let. Whether the future buyer will rent or not, the attributes of a buy to let are always appealing to our international clientele. It will be music to your ears to hear that international buyers are more willing to pay above and beyond for something that meets a holiday let criteria, than the local who may be richer on time, but poorer on funds.

Almost 40% of our clients are also Pebbles rental clients. Our holiday rental company started a decade ago, and it remains the leading and biggest in Nice. When it comes to expertise on the logistics of renting while you sell, no competitor comes close!

Even if you haven’t been renting through us, we will still work to provide a solution that lets you rent the property until the final signing (this will be dependent on your current rental obligations).

There’s more about the finer details on pages 10 & 11.

How much is my property worth?

We know what properties sell for thanks to our collective experience

of the local market, but of course, we don’t claim to know everything simply by eye. Once we have seen your property, we make sure to analyze the available market trends, conduct any price comparisons where there is (or was) similar property for sale within the same building, street, or neighborhood.

As a member of the largest multi-listing network on the Côte d’Azur (MLS), we have access to a price comparison report with historic and current prices for a specific location. It’s sort of like the French equivalent of Zoopla, but not publicly accessible.

We can visit the property and give you a no obligation valuation, free of charge. This will of course be somewhat independent of the location, exact size, amenities offered and the several other factors mentioned above.

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5 questions we get asked by first time sellers…


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I do not live in France; do I have to be present throughout the sales process?

Not at all. At Pebbles we keep up to date with all the latest digital developments and work with clients located across the world using electronic signatures. Using a combination of snail mail and a courier service (for title deeds, keys etc.) and electronic transmissions, you can easily sell with us from a distance.

A signed power of attorney prepared by a notaire can be executed for both the compromis and completion. Our notaries come highly recommended, and have years of experience working with international clients. They can correspond with you by email and phone, and in English if preferred.

Which mandate should I choose?

It can be confusing with various ways you can sell your property, but we’ll discuss your goals from day one.

We’ll then advise you on the best mandate to pick for your circumstances. You will be choosing from:

Simple Mandate – You can give as many as you like to different agencies, and even connected professionals.

Exclusive Mandate – You give to just one agency and entrust them with the sale. An exclusive mandate is the only way your property can be listed on the MLS network to go out to most other estate agencies.

Co-exclusive Mandate – You give to two agencies who both try and sell for you. The remuneration is shared between both agencies no matter which one completes the sale.

Semi-exclusive Mandate – You give to just one agency, but also actively sell the property privately.

Benefits and Drawbacks

Generally, we’ve found our clients choose either an exclusive or a simple mandate because it is the most practical.

If you are selling remotely from abroad, the last thing you want is multiple agencies calling to arrange times, inquire about lost keys, or ask whether the apartment is occupied or ready for viewings etc.

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Rebecca’s help has been invaluable to us during this sales process and we really appreciate it. Thanks again for everything.Karen & Lenny Telford, October 2015

We’re very happy that the selling process went well without problems; thank you for your help. The notaire was very professional, quick and helpful; she made sure the whole sale moved forward in record time!

Paul and Kim Walter, November 2014


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Marketing is the driving force behind each and every property sale. You can have the most attractive property in the world but without the right marketing it will not be seen by the right people.

Estate agents are wont to wax lyrical about their marketing wizardry. They will tell you how they’re the best around. What makes Pebbles any different? Well, rather than telling you how great we are, we give you the facts and let you make your own decision. Below, you can see the ten tactics we use to deliver your successful sale.

Professional photos and staging

Sign an exclusive mandate with us and we will arrange for professional photographs to be taken by a

professional photographer. What’s more important to sell your lovely property than lovely photos? We can even arrange staging. Sounds expensive? Don’t worry, Pebbles takes care of this.

Our website

Our website is on the first page of Google for the search terms that matter, so it’s sure to be found. Once it is, visitors

can easily browse, read our blog and enjoy searching for their dream property. We think this is important. With the skill of the writers’ who make our Rentals Portfolio great, the text accompanying your listing will be accurate and lovely to read, as well as the lovely photos we’ve already mentioned.

External worldwide websites

We allocate a healthy portion of our budget to ensure your property is seen from all four corners of the globe.

We only advertise on the best property listing websites around.

MLS Côte d’Azur Network

The MLS network is a great marketing channel. It puts your property at the fingertips of 80% of estate agents in

Nice, which can really help in finding the right buyer. However, some agencies can rely upon this service exclusively. At Pebbles, we make the most of the MLS network as a channel, but would never use it as the sole means of marketing your property.

Our extensive mailing list

Our mailing list is enviable. We have potential purchasers who have signed up to our newsletter and property

Marketing matters: 10 tactics behind a successful sale

We never use MLS as the sole means of marketing your property

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alerts like everyone else. We also have two things others don’t have, courtesy of our sister company Pebbles Rentals. Of our 150 plus owners, many are on the lookout to buy their second, third, or even fourth property. We also have all of our guests who have expressed an interest at some point in buying on the French Riviera. We have had over 50,000 bookings in our time at Pebbles Rentals – that makes for a lot of leads. We’ll make sure everyone we know, knows about your property.

Worldwide print advertising

Let’s face it, domestic buyers take their time, and weigh up prices, looking for a bargain. Foreign buyers are more cash rich, time poor, especially if they come out to view for a long weekend,

eager to return home with a slice of the French Riviera along with their suntan. That’s why we not only advertise

We have dedicated marketing resources spreading the word

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in domestic publications but we also regularly advertise worldwide in air-fl ight magazines and UK newspapers.

Our Structure and Our Team

Across Pebbles (including both rentals, and sales and all offi ces in the UK and France) our

team now exceeds 40 busy bees. That’s a lot of people marketing us, the French Riviera and our properties. Our business model enables us to have dedicated marketing resources, working on nothing but marketing, and a largely colony spreading the word, each and every day.

The Pebbles Guide

You may have seen our little book – our very own 140+ page publication. It’s widely circulated across Nice and

the French Riviera. All of our rental guests are given a copy, and take them home and share with friends and family. People from all over the world contact us and ask for a copy, and we off er to send a copy to all our new property enquirers. It stands to reason that from the 100,000 plus copies we’ve so far distributed, many who have read it eventually come and buy a property through us.

Our investment knowledge and experience

Many of our buyers are investment buyers. If they work with us, they know they are going to buy smart. Only

Pebbles can share such extensive knowledge on where to buy, what to buy, and how to reach full potential if buying to rent. In short – we have oodles more experience and knowledge than anyone else in Nice of the short term holiday rental market. All backed up by hard facts, not projections. Our position in the marketplace means more buyers come to us, which means we sell more property.

The secret ingredient

In addition to all of the above, we add our own special ingredient to the marketing mix. We would love to tell

you, but then, of course, we’d have to kill you.


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If you’ve already read this far, congratulations, it’s likely you’re well on the way to completing the successful sale of your property.

Here’s 8 reasons to trust Pebbles to help you sell:

A cut above

Every client is different so a specific strategy is made for your sale, with

relevant advice that you can trust from day one to sale completion. We aim to raise the bar in everything we do.

We are not afraid to challenge the status quo in order to find different ways to sell your property. With over 500 rooms and a range of services, we’ve been called ‘The Biggest Hotel in Nice’, several thousand guests every year find out about us and our one-stop-shop approach. Pebbles publishes a far reaching Riviera Guide, in circulation for over 5 years. Our tentacles are far reaching, and sellers like you benefit.

Smarter than your average agency

We provide an expert valuation of your property and make sure you’re selling

it at the right price.

Anyone can flatter to secure the opportunity to sell, anyone can undervalue to get a quick sale. We’ll work with you to find a price you agree on, depending on whether you want a quick sale or a high price – of course we’ll aim to achieve both at once!

English-run, French-speaking

French bureaucracy can be challenging and time consuming at

the best of times. Not speaking the language can be an added headache.

We’re known for being an English-run, French-speaking company with numerous international linguists, so nothing is lost in translation. We’re an agency that understands the system inside out and deals with everything for you.

An international approach tailored for non-doms

We know how daunting and sometimes frustrating it can be to put yourself in the hands of others. At Pebbles, we make it easy for you to keep your trust in us.

We’re used to handling sales from afar as our clients are based all over the world. We’ve been known to close a sale before we’ve even had the chance to shake hands or faire la bise.

Even if you are a seller living in Nice, knowing we have this approach opens up sales opportunities that are unrivalled by our competitors. Who else in Nice has dedicated offices and salaried sales staff in France and the UK, some doing nothing but marketing? Who else has at these offices over five fluent languages at their disposal to offer you, and potential buyers?

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8 reasons to sell with Pebbles


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Award-winning service

Ever since we received the 2012 Stelios Award for Entrepreneur of the

Year we’ve gone from strength to strength. This prestigious award gave us a higher profile and supplied us with the cash to grow our sales team.

Our sister holiday rentals company has similarly influential endorsements from Fodors, Frommers, Lonely Planet, Trip Advisor and all major UK broadsheet newspapers.

We have the advantage of providing a constant stream of turnkey properties; very attractive to investors. Our sales pipeline takes in prospects from a huge pool of previous holidaymakers, first-time buyers, investors, and developers. This is all thanks to our rental business. The two arms of the business work in perfect harmony, making the service complete in every way. Our thriving rental property portfolio attracts many foreign buyers seeking a second home and sound return on investment.

Registered, accredited & above board

Pebbles is a registered member of the FNAIM (National Federation of French

Estate Agents) and holder of the industry required Carte Professionelle since 2008.

It’s a legal requirement that every real estate company operating in France must carry a professional card and professional indemnity. This

card protects the Owner of a property in case of any negligence, problems or difficulties that may arise, and opens our company up to a large network of professionals.

Proven expertise

Our Directors have over 10 years of quality industry experience. We’re big

enough to influence, but small enough to provide superior attention unavailable elsewhere.

Managing Director Gayle is a seasoned negotiator. Before Pebbles, she was a commercial litigation solicitor, specialising in high-worth litigation claims. She knows how to negotiate and so does the sales team she manages.

The sales team includes salaried staff dedicated to marketing, not fitting it in around viewing and notaires’ appointments.

A seamless transition

Need assistance in organising renovation, selling furniture or getting

your belongings sent back to your home? We’ll take care of this.

We’ve held furniture auctions on behalf of vendors and we’ll take care of the transfer of the water, electric and any tech returns or insurance cancellations, which can be particularly stressful when selling from abroad.

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It is a real pleasure working with you. Your professionalism, attitude to problem solving, attention to client needs, your commercial skills have been recognised by my mother and me. You impressed so much.Gianluca Alfano, November 2013


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The implementation of the Loi Alur legislation has seen the French government joylessly piling on paperwork required for your property sale.

We strongly advise you gather this as soon as possible, even if the idea of selling is still far off on the horizon. We are required by law to have some of the documents before we can even begin to market the property; so the sooner you can get it together, the better.

A signed mandate

Once we have set a market price and agreed on terms, you will need to sign a mandate before we can legally

begin to market the property.

A piece of identification

You will need to provide ID; we recommend using the photograph page of your passport.

The title deeds

The bank does not hold these, even if you have a mortgage. They will have either been given to you

upon receipt of purchase, or held at your notaire’s office. In some circumstances there is a certificate of sale rather than the title deeds. We need these as they provide the following information:

a) The lot number, an internal number used by the land registry

b) The lot number of any cellar or parking space (almost always separate)

c) The original description of the property (if it has changed)

d) The last buyer and price (to calculate any CGT due, which might affect your sales strategy)

e) The building management company details.

f) Any mortgage that needs to be paid off at transfer of ownership (mortgage details are also registered at the Town Hall)

Can’t find the deeds? Don’t worry, it happens. We’ll help you get a copy from the town hall by filing an attestation.

Ready to sign the compromis? You’ll need the following 10 documents

Before we can market:

Before compromis can be signed:

As soon as possible:

Signed Mandate

Title deed

Owner’s passport photocopies

Building rules and regulations

Property management bills

Utility Bills (electric, water and gas)

Latest taxe foncière bill

The last 3 years of the SYNDIC AGM

Diagnostic report

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Latest taxe foncière bill

You will know by now that this is the equivalent of your council tax

bill. It’s needed to show a potential new owner what they can expect to pay annually. Whilst this is paid each October for the year ahead, at the point of completion, the buyer will give back any excess you have paid for that year. This does not apply for taxe habitation. The full amount of taxe habitation is paid by whoever owns the property in January of that year.

Can’t find the latest bill? A previous year may be accepted but if that’s also not possible, we can get a copy from the Trésor public.

The last 3 years of the syndic meeting notes

You will probably have come to know these now as the minutes of the Assemblée générale which the syndic have held for the co-owners of the building. Most meetings are held annually, so you’ll need three sets of minutes, but some buildings hold more than one meeting per year. If you don’t have a full set, the minutes can be requested from the syndic.

Syndics are infamous for their slow response time; so we should make a request as soon as you know you don’t have them in your possession. However, they are entitled to charge you (sometimes extortionately!) for any copies, so we do recommend you conduct a thorough search before making any requests.

Last 12 months of any electric, gas and water bills

You will most likely know the important role these bills play in French bureaucracy by now. Maybe you will have kept your latest bill but few of us tend to keep the last 12 months. Don’t worry though we can request copies!

You may pay for water as part of the charges paid to the syndic. How ever, if you pay for your water separately, we will need the latest bill.

We need these to organise the all-important diagnostics report….

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Diagnostic Report

This building survey report tells the future owner every thing they need

to know about the property in order to make the decision to buy it. So detailed is the report, that we have dedicated not one, but two whole pages to it! (see pages 12 and 13)

Current syndic charges and receipt of any current provisionary charges

You will have been sent a bill for these, make sure you have it ready.

Rules of the building (règlement de copropriété)

The règlement de copropriété (rules of the building) should have been handed to you when you bought. If you do not have them, we will need to request them from the syndic (this could take a while, and may cost you money, so do search).

You are now legally required to tell the owner about any outstanding payment due to the syndic, along with a summary of any unpaid charges by the syndic before the compromis can be signed. This is to ensure that a new owner knows what they are getting into before they agree to buy.

The building rules will also back up any increased sales price that might exist where the property is more valuable because it perhaps has outside space that the co-owners are allowed to use, or can be used commercially.

The property management bills (l’état descriptif de division (et ses actes modificateurs))

The last property management bill lets the buyer know all the monthly charges. If there’s a one off high bill, we can explain that discrepancy. Most bills are itemised anyway. If you cannot find the latest bill, then again, the syndic can be asked to fax, email or scan you a copy.

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My wife and I bought our apartment in Nice, overlooking the port, in 2009. We were living and working in the Middle East. It was important to us that we could

hand over everything to an agent, maintenance and upkeep as well as renting out the property. We met with both Gayle and Matt Roberts, and signed up with Nice Pebbles: they did a great job for us, and communication was easy, directly with their office or online.

I retired in 2014, and we thought about spending more time in Nice: but plans often change, and we instead decided to sell. We contacted the agent through whom we had bought the apartment, but were not happy with his response (basically he wanted us to take a loss on our investment). Gayle suggested that we talk to their sales division: as they knew the apartment better than anyone, she was confident that we would be pleased with their response.

Patrick & Breda Beckett

Meet our Sellers & Seamless SwitchesPebbles can work viewings around guests easily, something very few agencies can offer.

Turnkey property sales are seamless. Usually all the furniture is included right down to the knives and forks! As soon as both parties sign the compromis, usually the booking calendar can continue to take bookings as normal. Any revenue prior to completion belongs to the seller, and from completion onwards to the buyer.

Patrick and Breda rented their three bedroom 120m2 apartment overlooking the Port through Pebbles for six years. In mid 2014, Patrick and Breda decided to sell.

That was the understatement. The initial response at our first meeting with Nice Pebbles sales negotiators was very positive: they would be aiming to return us a profit. We signed up immediately, and within just two weeks we had accepted an offer.

Nice Pebbles handled all the documentation: our French is non-existent, and they dealt with our lawyer and accountant, as well as the purchasers. We were able to sign the papers from our home in Ireland and wait for the cash to come in on completion day. The service was exceptional, everything was handled for us.

The new owners were buying the property as a home, so Nice Pebbles also handled the emptying of the apartment, including a charity auction for some items in their office. Our special items were sent back to us in Ireland.

We highly recommend the sales division of Nice Pebbles (and, of course, also the rental division!).

Some owners take advantage of selling their rental apartments with bookings in place. We call these our Seamless Switches.

With Pebbles, this couldn’t be simpler. Like most things easy it’s a win-win for sellers, buyers and guests who can continue to book their favourite property. Some guests have stayed with us some 20 times, and properties with this goodwill are a high commodity to our prospective buyers. That’s why Pebbles now has a firm reputation as a one-stop shop for property investment in Nice.


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Carol Sanders

I first met Matt and Gayle in 2006. I bought two little places as investments. Gayle and Matt helped me with furniture for both and then rented them on their holiday portfolio.

At the time I was living in Dubai.

Rentals were a success and I enjoyed a good income. In 2011 I decided the time was right to sell the one bedroom, so asked Pebbles to take care of it for me. It was sold within 3 months. Still living overseas, and very busy, now with twin boys as well as my job, I was pleased to not have to come back for anything official. Pebbles took care of everything and sold to a buyer who wanted to carry on rentals short term. To me, this is win, win.

In 2014 I decided to cash in my chips. I was now living in Tanzania , and with two young boys, I didn’t think I’d get to the French Riviera much anymore. Again, Pebbles took care of the sale, and again they found a buyer who could step in as landlord.

James Blewman

Pebbles had safely and efficiently rented out my property in Nice for 8 years. So, when I decided to sell, it made sense to use them for that too. I must admit the

prospect of selling a property so far away was daunting, but I need not have worried. Pebbles Estate Agency made it very easy for me to know

Carol, a Life Coach and Hypnotherapist, joined Pebbles back in 2007. Her decision to sell in 2015 was based on the freedom to travel she found upon becoming self-employed.

James, is a high flying Director in a large corporation in Dubai. After some five years of strong rentals, James sold his two old town investment properties

what paperwork I needed to provide and how the process would work. They quickly found me an excellent buyer at a price I was happy with. I gave them Power of Attorney, which meant I did not even need to visit Nice within the process. I can honestly say, it was the easiest property sale I have ever experienced, stress free, thanks to Pebbles. Excellent service, couldn’t haven’t asked for more.

It’s expected that you will have downtime when you sell a rental. Not here. With both sales, I maximised on every level. No furniture issues, booking calendar right up to the day I signed. I know it helped my final sale price that we could show past earnings, and sell on the reputation of the rentals.

Prior to the sale of the second, a problem in the building arose. Matt worked through the issue with both me and the new owner, and I was very pleased to have him around.

I’ve enjoyed working with Matt, Gayle and their team immensely. They’re a great bunch. It comes across loud and clear that they care. They’ve got a cracking business. I’d always recommend them, and do.


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You can organise the diagnostics yourself if you prefer, or you can leave it to us. If we are to instruct a diagnostics company on your behalf (equivalent to a survey report in the UK) then we will need the following:

• The pages of the title deed that provide the property lot number & any shares in the building owned by you (e.g. cellar, parking space etc.)

• The last years’ electricity bills (EDF) for the energy rate report (DPE)

• If your apartment has collective heating, the diagnostic company may require at least 3 years syndic bills for the energy rating report

• If your apartment is gas heated, the previous 12 months’ gas bills will be needed for the gas report

The cost of the diagnostic report will depend upon the size of the property, and the number of reports required (out of those stated below).

The average cost for a full diagnostic report is around 350 €. It usually only takes one expert to conduct all the necessary tests and reports.

7 Reports, One Expert: Dealing up the Diagnostics

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As one of the very first owners affiliated with Nice Pebbles, I continue to be more than satisfied with all services and financial arrangements. I would not want to entrust my apartment to a less caring organization.Garry Breitstein November 2015

Size (Loi Carrez)

This is the most important certificate. The actual size of the surface area of a property is a detail often obsessed

over in France. It plays a key role in determining the price of a property, as price is measured in price per square meter. As apartments are renovated the configuration can change.

For this reason there must be a certificate less than six months old giving the official size, i.e. the minimum habitable surface area, done by an insured expert. If you sell the apartment and the apartment is re-measured and found to be lacking by 5% or more, the expert will be successfully sued for compensation.

If the expert is conservative it could cost you a lot of money, so if the surface area comes out different to that marked in your title deeds, and you haven’t made alterations, it can be worth querying or getting the property re-measured.


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Electricity/Gas

This is used to inform any potential new owner of the work required to bring any gas piping or electric wiring

up to the standard of the latest regulation; it shouldn’t have any effect on a sale. The regulations on gas and electricity change so often that nobody can keep up and very few properties get a clean bill of health. So don’t worry if this comes back with lots of “faults” – you are not obliged to make any updates or restorative work to the electricity or gas systems. Of course, a potential buyer may of course change their mind if a complete re-wiring or new piping is recommended.

Energy Efficiency Rating

We are all used to seeing these on white goods now, and in France it makes up part of the diagnostics to test for

emissions and energy efficiency. Property is given a rating from A to G. Rating of C or D is fairly standard in Nice.

Lead

Lead is commonly found in buildings erected before 1950,

particularly in the paint on wooden shutters. Since there is no expiry date on a lead certificate, if you have a certificate from when you bought the property, you can produce this and the price of the diagnostics will go down, sometimes as much as 100 euros.

Asbestos

This certificate is now all but obsolete but is still required by law, and any cellar will need to be checked (it’s the

only place in an apartment it is likely to exist). n.b. the expert will need a key to the cellar area to gain access!

Termites

It is generally very rare to find termites in an inner city apartment, however, you still cannot sell without a

certificate that proves your property is termite free.

Natural & Technological Risks

If you don’t remember from buying, at this point you will learn that Nice is genuinely situated in a forest fire area,

flood risk area, and earthquake zone. Not that any of us have ever noticed. Yet, your buyer needs to know. If all are personally there for the final signing, this is when you all give a resounding chuckle.

Hi Rebecca, many thanks for your prompt reply ,as with all our other dealings with Pebbles your back up is first class.Michael & Sheila Newing, November 2015


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Electronic signatures may already be legally binding in France, but we are yet to find a notaire in Nice who is happy to carry out the compromis or acte de vente by electronic signatures. So, for the foreseeable future, you can rule out being able to sign over your property electronically.

We’ve explained the best three ways for you to sign over your property below:

By Post

A copy of the compromis will be sent to you electronically to check you are happy with its contents. Since any alteration will need to be personally signed off by the relevant parties, it

is important to ensure you are happy with the document before the genuine article is dispatched to your address, especially if you live overseas. The buyer signs the compromis first. Once signed, it will make its way over to you by recorded delivery post, or courier. Once you have signed, the deal is done, and the cooling off period begins. You cannot deal with the acte de vente by post, but you can give Power of Attorney.

3 ways to sign: by post, in person, or by Power of Attorney

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I was very satisfied with the work undertaken by Nice Pebbles in the sale of my property. A serious buyer was found very quickly; the sale was completed without delay, and at the right price for all parties involved. The icing on the cake? It was a cash buyer. I think we were lucky with the sale, but luck doesn’t happen by chance, and Klaske did an excellent job.Mr Patrick Smacchia, October 2015

We can introduce you to a fantastic, efficient and most importantly, English speaking notaire.

In person

Even if the buyer has decided to sign by post or Power of Attorney, you can attend

the notaire’s office in person to sign the compromis, acte de vente or both.

By Power of Attorney (procuration)

This is the easiest and most popular way of signing, often employed by our

international clients. You can use a Power of Attorney to sign the compromis, acte de vente, or both. If you need a Power of Attorney for at least one of the signings, then it usually makes sense to hand over both. It can even help speed up the sales process. If you are not in Nice and want to sign a Power of Attorney, the notaire will prepare and send via email which needs to printed, signed and notarised by a notary in the country you are signing in. Then this is posted back to the notaire in Nice.

Once you have signed a Power of Attorney, you will be sent the necessary papers electronically and providing you are happy, the notaire’s office will sign on your behalf. Even domestic sellers are adopting this method, since signings in person can last hours! The Power of Attorney does not generally have an expiry date, so it will be valid for the duration of the sales process.


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The price

Make sure you both know and understand the diff erence between prix de vente (gross sale price) and prix net

vendeur (net sale price – the amount you will receive)

Any clause suspensive

If the buyer is relying on a mortgage, they will have a clause suspensive, allowing them to pull out of the

purchase if the application for a mortgage is rejected. Are you happy with this, and understand the mortgage application might cause a month or so of delay before the sale can move to completion? Worse, the sale could still fall through, even though the cooling off period is over. Make sure you are aware of the conditions of, and end date of any clause suspensive.

Any agreed price for furniture

It is quite normal to pay for furniture separately; the amount and itemised list can often be included in the

compromis. The amount paid for furniture can be deducted from any CGT calculation. Make sure the compromis accounts for this separation in order to lower any CGT liability.

Any invoices for improvement work

Remember that a notaire is a government tax collector, and they will be paying any CGT due, directly to the French

Tax offi ce upon the completion of the sale. You should ensure you forward any invoices you want to submit to lower your CGT liability in good time. You do not need to have this in place on the day of completion, but the sooner the better, especially if there is a debate on whether the improvement work was actually repair work, not value adding work. Ideally you will submit these to the notaire during the period between the compromis and acte de vente are signed.

The keys

On the day the acte de vente is signed, all keys must be delivered to the new owner. No excuses. If you are

overseas this can be problematic if you have left it until the last minute. We advise all our sales clients to get the keys (including post-box, cellar, garage etc.) over to us as soon as you know you no longer require access to the property. We can then take responsibility for their transferral to the buyer on completion of the sale.

5 important checks to make before you sign

ChecklistThe Price

Clause Suspensive

Price for Furniture

Improvement Work

The Keys

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Selling Property on the French Riviera

DEVELOPING YOUR STRATEGYSend us an email, give us a call, or drop by in person at the office so

we can discuss your priorities together; let us help develop the right sale strategy for you. Maintaining good lines of communication from the outset helps us lay strong foundations upon which to build your sale. The Pebbles team is

always willing to answer any queries about selling a property in Nice, or elsewhere on the French Riviera. Whether you’re looking for a quick sale, or in no rush at all, we can evaluate your aims and objectives in order to decide upon a simple, exclusive, or co-exclusive mandate. We’ll discuss the pros and cons of each with you once we have carried out an expert valuation.

SIGNING A MANDATEYou can either sign in person at the office, or electronically

using our secure software package, recognised by French law. Few other agencies work with electronic software; at Pebbles we make things as simple and efficient as possible.

GATHERING THE INITIAL PAPERWORKWorking together we’ll

obtain all the paperwork, detailed on pages 8 & 9. The sooner we know what we have filed, the sooner we can get started requesting documents from the syndic. We’ll continue this process right up until the moment the final papers are signed.

MARKETING YOUR PROPERTYOur website, external listing services, open house viewings, mailshots,

we’ll make sure everyone we know, knows. And if you have signed up with us exclusively, there’s the MLS Côte d’Azur Real Estate Network (see page 4 for more details).

OBTAINING THE DIAGNOSTICS REPORTIf we have the relevant pages of your

title deeds and utility information, we can take care of the diagnostics on your behalf. You will need to make these available as soon as possible from your decision to sell and will be available for all potential buyers to review.

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Et puis voilà!


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RECEIVING OFFERSOffers are usually given verbally, via us, and we pass them onto you as

they come in to be either accepted, rejected or a counter-offer made. We’ll get confirmation of the offer in writing, but remember, its not legally binding at this stage.

APPOINTING A NOTAIREWe have long lasting relationships with a number of English speaking

notaires who we recommend to all our clients. Remember, as a seller, you don’t pay notary fees again – you paid them when you bought, this time the bill is footed by the buyer.

SIGNING THE COMPROMIS Once the right offer has been made, we’ll work with the notaire

to get the compromis ready for signing. After both yourself and the buyer have signed the document, the ten-day cooling off period begins, providing the buyer has received notice of the required documentation detailed on pages 8 & 9. Once the cooling off period is over, neither party can pull out without losing their deposit.

CONSIDERING TAXESYou may be liable for Capital Gains Tax (CGT) and a fiscal representation

tax. We’ll discuss if there is any possibility of you lowering your liability, usually involving you locating any renovation or improvement work invoices you might be able to off-set.

SIGNING THE ACTE DE VENTE OR ACTE AUTHENTIQUEOn the expiration of the cooling off

period, the notaire will draw up the deeds of sale and arrange a date for the final signature. You will not be required to attend the signing in person if you have given Power of Attorney, as long as you have surrendered all relevant keys. The notaire will then finalise the paperwork and arrange for the funds to be transferred to your bank, or give you a cheque.

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10 Thanks for your help completing these final steps. It means a lot to have some-one reliable in charge of your affairs when you’re in another country.Una Walls, June 2015


BUY WITH US • RENT WITH US • SELL WITH US

www.nicepebblesproperties.com

Pebbles HQ: 1 Norfolk Street, Glossop, DerbyshirePebbles Sales: 37 rue de L'Hotel des Postes, NiceTel: +44 (0)161 471 1000 or +33 (0)4 89 05 06 60Email: [email protected]

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Pebbles Seller’s Guide

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Transcript of Pebbles Seller’s Guide