General information, not legal or tax advice. Rules change and depend on your situation; have your own case checked by the notaire or an adviser in France (and in the country where you live).
Most French buyers start their search online, on a handful of large property portals. As a private seller you can reach them without an estate agent, but not on every portal: some accept private listings for free, some charge, and some only take listings from professionals. On top of that, French law sets out what every sale advertisement must show. This guide explains where you can list, what your ad must contain and how to deal with buyers when you live elsewhere.
1. Which portals accept private sellers?
| Portal | Private sellers? | Cost for a sale listing |
|---|---|---|
| Leboncoin | Yes | Free for your first three listings in the property-sales category within 12 months; from the fourth, posting is paid. |
| PAP | Yes, it is built for sales between private individuals | Paid packages; check the current offer on pap.fr. |
| SeLoger | Yes | Free for private sellers, according to SeLoger. |
| Bien'ici | We found no option for private sellers | Listings come from professionals. |
Conditions change, so check the portal's own terms before you publish. Listing on two or three portals at the same time is common; just make sure the price and description are the same everywhere.
2. Leboncoin
Leboncoin is France's general classifieds site, with a large property section. Private individuals can post sale listings. According to Leboncoin's help centre, the first three listings you post within 12 months in the property-sales category are free; from the fourth listing in that period, posting is charged. For a single home that means you can usually list for free.
Leboncoin is popular with local buyers and investors and attracts many enquiries. Expect questions by message and be ready to filter them.
3. PAP (De Particulier à Particulier)
As its name says, PAP is designed for selling between private individuals, without an agent. Publishing a sale listing is a paid service, with packages that include support tools. Prices and packages change, so check the current offer on pap.fr before you decide. PAP is well known among French buyers who specifically look for homes without agency fees.
4. SeLoger
For a long time SeLoger only showed listings from estate agents. Today it offers private sellers a free service to publish a sale listing, according to SeLoger's own guide. It asks for at least 2 and at most 8 photos, in good resolution (at least 1,280 by 720 pixels), as JPEG, PNG or HEIC files of up to 10 MB each. Choose your best eight photos carefully: that is all buyers will see.
5. Bien'ici
Bien'ici is a large portal with map-based search. At the time of writing we found no way for private sellers to publish a sale listing on it themselves; its listings come from agents and other professionals. If you want to appear there, it is only through a professional.
6. What your listing must show by law
These rules apply to every sale advertisement, from a private seller as much as from an agent:
- Energy and climate classes from the DPE, shown legibly and in colour on the A-to-G scales.
- For a home rated F or G, the words logement à consommation énergétique excessive.
- An estimate of the annual energy costs with the reference year of the prices used.
- For a home that needs an état des risques (a home in a listed risk zone): the sentence that information on the risks to which the property is exposed is available on the Géorisques website.
This means you need the DPE before you publish. See our guide to the documents you need.
7. Writing a listing that works
- Write in French. Most buyers search in French. Have your text checked by a native speaker; an awkward translation makes buyers cautious.
- Start with the essentials: type of home, living area, number of rooms and bedrooms, plot size, town or area, and the price.
- For an apartment, use the loi Carrez floor area that will appear in the contract, so the figures match later on.
- Describe honestly: heating, condition, works carried out and works needed. Surprises at the visit cost you time.
- Photos: daylight, tidy rooms, every main room and the outside. Show the view and the garden if you have them.
- Price: compare with similar homes nearby that are actually for sale, not with asking prices you remember from years ago.
8. Handling buyers from a distance
Selling a French home while living elsewhere is very possible, but plan the practical side:
- Visits: arrange for someone you trust nearby to show the home, or group visits into a few days when you are there. Remember to hand over the risk statement at the first visit.
- Filter enquiries: ask about the buyer's timing and financing before arranging a visit.
- Beware of scams: never pay a "fee" to a supposed buyer, do not send copies of your identity documents to people you have not met, and be wary of anyone who wants to buy without seeing the home or asks you to use an unusual payment route. The price is paid through the notaire.
- Next steps: once you have an offer, the notaire takes over. Read the sale process from compromis to deed and our guide on capital gains tax for non-residents.
9. Keeping your listing up to date
- Answer quickly. Buyers often contact several sellers at once; a reply within a day keeps you in the running.
- Prepare a short information pack with the floor plan, the DPE, the risk statement and, for an apartment, the main copropriété figures. Serious buyers ask for these early.
- Change the price everywhere at once. Different prices on different portals confuse buyers and make them wonder why.
- Mark the home as under offer, or take it offline, once the avant-contrat is signed. Keep the listing details until the deed in case the buyer withdraws during the 10-day period.
We help you prepare the text, photos and details for portals such as PAP, and guide you to the notaire. Create your free account and place your home, or read first about selling your house in France.
