On a resale (older) chalet, budget roughly 7-8% of the price in acquisition costs: the notaire's own fee (émoluments) is only about 1%, the bulk being transfer taxes (droits de mutation) of around 5.8%. On a new-build or off-plan (VEFA) property the total is far lower, around 2-3%, because VAT is already in the price and transfer taxes are much reduced. Agency commission is normally paid by the seller in France, so it is usually already inside the displayed price. These are directional ranges — ask the notaire for a precise, itemised quote for your exact property and département before you commit.
Resale: the ~7-8% 'frais de notaire'
The costs everyone calls frais de notaire are mostly not the notaire's fee at all. On a resale property the largest slice is droits de mutation — transfer taxes collected for the département and commune — at roughly 5.8% of the price. The notaire's own regulated fee (émoluments) is only around 1%, plus disbursements and registration. Together they land in the 7-8% range for a standard second-hand chalet.
| Cost item (resale) | Rate | On a EUR 3,000,000 chalet |
|---|---|---|
| Transfer taxes (droits de mutation) | ~5.8% | ~EUR 174,000 |
| Notaire fee (émoluments) | ~1% | ~EUR 30,000 |
| Disbursements & registration | ~0.5-1% | ~EUR 15,000-30,000 |
| Total (directional) | ~7-8% | ~EUR 210,000-240,000 |
Directional model. Rates vary slightly by département and property — confirm the exact figures with the notaire for your specific purchase.
New-build / VEFA: only ~2-3%
Buy new or off-plan (vente en l'état futur d'achèvement, VEFA) and the picture changes sharply. New-build carries reduced transfer duties, and the 20% VAT is already baked into the headline price rather than added on top, so total acquisition costs fall to roughly 2-3%. On an expensive chalet that gap — 7-8% versus 2-3% — is a very large sum, and it is one reason buyers weigh new developments against resale.
Note the VAT nuance: it is included, not avoided. A separate question is whether you can reclaim that 20% VAT under the para-hôtelier regime, which is covered in our VAT-reclaim question and depends on renting the property with hotel-type services.
Agency fees and the fine print
In France, agency commission is typically borne by the seller and therefore already sits inside the advertised price (a listing may be marked FAI — frais d'agence inclus). As a buyer you usually do not pay a separate agency fee on top, though the exact arrangement should always be checked in the mandate and the preliminary contract.
Because the totals shift with resale versus new-build, the département, and how commission is allocated, treat the 7-8% and 2-3% figures as planning ranges and get an itemised, property-specific estimate from the notaire before you sign the compromis.
Sources
Primary and expert sources behind this answer:
- notaires.fr — Conseil supérieur du notariat (buying costs, capital gains, succession) ↗
- service-public.fr — French public-service portal (residence, buying costs) ↗
This page is general information, not legal or tax advice. French property tax, inheritance and residency rules are complex and change frequently; every figure and rule here must be confirmed with a French notaire, a tax adviser (fiscaliste) or a lawyer for your specific situation before you act.
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