Working in real estate in France is not as complex as one would expect, that is if you decide to work for an established agency. Setting up your own agency is a very different matter due to the firmly regulated industry whereby one would require the necessary competencies in order to obtain the license called the “carte professionelle“. The first most important rule is to ensure that the agency you want to work with have this license. This license should be displayed in the office, if you cannot see this, it is perfectly acceptable to ask to see it.
So once you have established that the agency is licensed you can begin to understand your working status within the agency. The most popular and rewarding option would be for you to work as an “agent commercial” where you would work on a commission-share basis. This is technically a self-employed sales negotiator. There are two self-employed options. The first is an “auto entrepreneur” which I recommend as a great start as you can register instantly, pay less tax and less administration burden. Once you have reached an income of 32,000€ however you would need to switch to the “entreprise individuelle”.
Of course speaking French is necessary however the fact that you speak english can be seen as an important factor for some estate agents in France. For example at Selection Habitat we deal with international buyers and sellers and as a result have a strong team of successful British staff. So when choosing an agency to work for, maybe consider working with an agency where your skills are valued and could stand out. Whether you have past real estate experience or not you will (certainly with the most dynamic of agencies!) receive formal training concerning all aspects so you do not need to worry about whether you have experience although a strong sales record certainly helps.
One thing to be aware of is that once you have made a sale it takes around 3 months for the sales process to be finalised and your commission paid, therefore it would be ideal if you had some savings to get through this initial period. However once you you have a few sales behind you this can be the most successful way of earning a very good living in France requiring little investment.
You could also consider working as a team with your partner which is in fact the way that I started Selection Habitat. My wife was in charge of our website and marketing and I was on the road looking for properties and taking clients on property visits. We also have a number of “agent commercials” who run gite businesses with their partners whilst gaining a complementary business working in real estate.
Jean-Stephane Vilain
Director of SELECTION HABITAT,
Specialist in character properties, SW and W France