Property Search Fees
VDB IMMOBILIER NICE is a French real estate agency holding the professional licence (carte professionnelle) for real estate transactions, “Transactions sur immeubles et fonds de commerce”, No. CPI 0605 2026 000 000 144, issued by the Nice Côte d’Azur Chamber of Commerce and Industry (CCI Nice-Côte d’Azur). The agency does not hold any client funds.
The amounts below are maximum fees, all taxes included (in French: TTC, “toutes taxes comprises”). Lower fees may be agreed in the search mandate. All amounts are in euros.
How a property search works in France
In France, a real estate professional may only search for a property on a buyer’s behalf under a written search mandate (“mandat de recherche”), as required by Law No. 70-9 of 2 January 1970 (known as the “loi Hoguet”). The search starts once this mandate is signed. It describes the property you are looking for, the length of the assignment and the fees, within the limits of the scale below.
Under this mandate, VDB IMMOBILIER NICE will:
- look for properties matching your criteria (listings, other agencies, notaries, off-market search) and present them to you by dated email;
- arrange the viewings and accompany you;
- give you a reasoned opinion on the price and assist you in the negotiation until the final deed of sale;
- report to you in writing on its actions at least once a month.
VDB IMMOBILIER NICE never signs anything on your behalf and does not receive any funds.
Search fee scale
| Purchase price, excluding fees | Maximum fees, all taxes included | Example |
|---|---|---|
| Up to €50,000 inclusive | €4,990 | €40,000 → €4,990 |
| Over €50,000 up to €80,000 inclusive | €5,500 | €70,000 → €5,500 |
| Over €80,000 up to €200,000 inclusive | 5.90%, minimum €5,990 | €150,000 → €8,850 |
| Over €200,000 up to €250,000 inclusive | 4.99%, minimum €11,800 | €220,000 → €11,800 (minimum) |
| Over €250,000 up to €400,000 inclusive | 3.99%, minimum €12,475 | €300,000 → €12,475 (minimum) |
| Over €400,000 | 3.60%, minimum €15,960 | €600,000 → €21,600 |
NON-CUMULATIVE BANDS: THE FLAT FEE, OR THE RATE OF THE BAND, APPLIES TO THE WHOLE PURCHASE PRICE, SUBJECT TO THE MINIMUM SHOWN. FEES PAYABLE BY THE BUYER WHO SIGNED THE SEARCH MANDATE.
Basis of calculation
Basis of calculation: the purchase price stated in the deed of sale, excluding agency fees and acquisition costs (transfer duties, notary fees, guarantee and financing costs). Fees are due only for a property sold directly by its owner and presented by VDB IMMOBILIER NICE.
Payment terms
- Fees are paid on success only: no deposit, no advance payment, no administration fee.
- Nothing is due until the purchase has actually been completed and recorded in a single written document containing the commitment of the parties. Fees are paid when the final deed of sale (“acte authentique”) is signed before the notary.
- VDB IMMOBILIER NICE does not receive any funds: no deposit, no escrow, no payment of the price.
Property marketed by a partner agency
When the property is offered by an agency or another professional, you owe no search fee to VDB IMMOBILIER NICE.
VDB IMMOBILIER NICE may then be paid through a fee-sharing arrangement with the agency marketing the property, out of the fees set in that agency’s sale mandate. This arrangement is agreed in writing between the professionals before any offer is made, and you are informed of it before your offer.
If no fee-sharing agreement is reached, you and VDB IMMOBILIER NICE decide in writing, before the viewing, either that VDB IMMOBILIER NICE accompanies you without payment, or that the property is excluded from the mandate.
No extra cost and no double payment
- Sharing fees with the partner agency does not increase that agency’s fees and does not involve any extra cost for you.
- For a property for which VDB IMMOBILIER NICE itself holds the sale mandate, only the fees set in that sale mandate are due, by the party named in it; VDB IMMOBILIER NICE informs you of this before any viewing.
- VDB IMMOBILIER NICE is never paid twice for the same transaction.
Further information
- If you sign the search mandate as a consumer away from our business premises (for example at your home) or at a distance, you have a fourteen-day right of withdrawal (Articles L. 221-18 et seq. of the French Consumer Code).
- Consumer mediation: Société Médiation Professionnelle — www.mediateur-consommation-smp.fr — Alteritae, 5 rue Salvaing, 12000 Rodez, France. See Mediation and complaints on our Legal Information page.