Price bands you should expect in 2026
For a typical non-resident residential sale, the total representative fee lands somewhere between 0.3 and 1 percent of the sale price, with a practical floor around €1,200 and a ceiling that flattens once the sale passes €1.5M. That band is wider than it looks: on a €400,000 apartment, the difference between a well-priced flat mandate and a lazy percentage mandate is often €1,500, which is real money when your net proceeds are sitting in the notaire escrow waiting on one signature.
View data as table
| Sale price | Typical fee | Effective rate |
|---|---|---|
| €200,000 | €1,400 | 0.70% |
| €400,000 | €2,200 | 0.55% |
| €700,000 | €3,500 | 0.50% |
| €1,200,000 | €5,800 | 0.48% |
| €2,000,000 | €9,000 | 0.45% |
The four fee models explained
Every accredited firm uses one of four models, sometimes dressed up under a different label. Flat fee is the cleanest: one number, agreed at the start, independent of the sale price. Best below €400,000 and for straightforward files. Percentage of sale is the most common, usually 0.4 to 0.7 percent; it is convenient for the firm because it scales effortlessly, but it also means a €1M sale costs the firm no more work than a €400,000 sale while the fee doubles. Percentage of gain is rarer and aligns incentives better on low-margin sales; it is the model of choice for older inherited properties where the gain is small relative to the price. Hybrid combines a low flat floor with a reduced percentage above €1M, and is the emerging standard on the upper market.
What the fee actually pays for
In practice, your fee covers five things, in roughly this order of effort: verifying your cost basis and collecting the underlying proof, computing the taxable gain and the applicable social-charge rate, preparing and signing Form 2048-IMM with you, providing the financial guarantee that the French treasury actually requires under Article 244 bis A, and closing out the file with the notaire on deed day. Any serious firm can break this down for you in writing. If they cannot, the quote is marketing, not a mandate.
A worked example with real figures
A US couple is selling a Bordeaux townhouse for €680,000, bought in 2007 for €350,000 with €40,000 of documented renovations. Their taxable gain is roughly €170,000 after the 50 percent income-tax taper on a 17-year holding. Firm A quotes 0.65 percent of sale, giving €4,420. Firm B quotes a flat €2,900 plus a €450 translation line and a 0.5 percent hold-back of €3,400 released after six months. On paper Firm B is cheaper; in practice, Firm A is cheaper because the hold-back eats six months of cash flow for no service delivered, and the fee is not even tax-deductible against the gain on money that never leaves escrow. The lesson: compare all-in cash leaving your pocket on deed day, not headline quotes.
Pitfall to avoid
Do not confuse the representative fee with the notaire fee. The notaire fee (emoluments plus taxes) runs around 7 to 8 percent of the price on older property and is paid by the buyer in French custom, not the seller. Some marketing copy deliberately bundles the two to make the representative quote look small relative to the total closing costs. The representative fee is a separate line you pay as the seller, from your escrow; it should never be presented as a share of the notaire fee.
One pro-level tip
Ask for the fee to be structured as flat fee plus capped percentage, with the cap binding once the sale crosses your expected price. On a €700,000 target, a mandate reading "€1,800 flat, plus 0.3 percent of sale above €700,000, capped at €3,500 total" gives you predictability at your target and an automatic discount if the market disappoints. Firms rarely offer this format unprompted, and almost always accept it when asked, because it costs them nothing on the median file.
Key takeaways
- Expect a total fee between 0.3 and 1 percent of the sale price, floor €1,200, effective rate declining above €1M.
- Four fee models: flat, percent of sale, percent of gain, hybrid; hybrid is the emerging upper-market standard.
- Hidden costs live in translation lines, power-of-attorney fees, and escrow hold-backs; cap them at signature.
- The representative fee is deductible from the taxable gain, so a €3,000 fee truly costs about €2,200 after tax relief.
Frequently asked questions
Is the representative fee negotiable?
Yes, above roughly €500,000 of sale price the percentage margin is wide enough that firms will flex. Below that point the flat fees are already close to the floor, and pushing harder tends to surface shortcuts rather than real savings.
Is the fee deductible from my capital gain?
Yes. The representative fee is deductible from the taxable gain as a selling expense, provided you hold the paid invoice. That recovers roughly 19 percent of the fee through lower income-tax CGT, plus your applicable social-charge rate.
Who actually pays the fee on deed day?
The notaire pays the representative directly out of the seller escrow on the day of the deed. You never hand over cash; you authorise the notaire in writing to pay the representative from the proceeds.
What if the firm quotes me a very low flat fee?
A flat fee below €1,000 on a seven-figure sale is a red flag. Either the firm is sub-contracting the file to a third party (and your guarantee gets diluted) or add-ons will appear later for translation, power of attorney, and escrow hold-backs.