Many of my clients (and many sellers I meet) want to know how the value of French property is calculated. This is not, however, an easy question to answer because there is no one agreed method or set criteria for valuing property here and there are also different measures used in different regions. The old-fashioned method, still employed the majority of the time (alongside other factors), is to use the price per square metre calculation but while this may work relatively well in cities, it is much less applicable here in the countryside where properties are so varied and hence each region and each agent tends to use a mixture of calculations, comparisons and professional or local knowledge to come up with a value.

Some of the most important criteria used here in rural southwest France to value a property are:

Location

Is it a popular or thriving area or an area that is in demand?

Situation and environment

Quiet or on a road? Private or overlooked?

View

A property with a mountain view is worth more than one without; it can add between 5-20% per square metre

Access

Easy access to the motorway, to the airport, to Toulouse and to the ski resorts

Orientation

South or north facing? A south-facing property is worth 3-5% more per square metre than a north facing house

Attractiveness

All my agents tell me that a photo on their website of a classic, pretty, French, stone house with blue shutters will get more views than all the other properties together

Number of rooms

Particularly a good number of bedrooms and bathrooms and some sort of guest accommodation

Internal layout

Big living spaces and eat-in kitchens add value as does a good flow whereas bedrooms where you have to walk through one to get to another will decrease value

External layout

Does the kitchen lead to a great, outside terrace? Are there nice external seating areas? Mature trees? Easy to maintain but pretty garden? Nice views

Swimming pool

These are very much in demand in southwest France and add between 5-20% to the value of the property

Quality of construction

Is it a well-built, solid, stone house?

Quality of renovation

Has it been renovated professionally or had the dodgy DIY treatment?

Condition

Of the roof, woodwork, floors, kitchen, bathrooms

Outbuildings

These add value if there is possibility of converting them to accommodation but reduce value if they need lots of work and money spending on them and are not very useable

Quantity and quality of land

There is a set price per metre for agricultural land which will be added to the property. However, there is then a premium for certain criteria pertaining to the land, for example, if it is flat, if there is woodland, if it is fenced, if there is water and if the land is attached to the property (in France often a house is sold with land that is not necessarily adjacent to the house)

Demand

If it is the type and style of property in demand, the price will be more. For example, in this region, a Maison de Maître is generally worth more than a farmhouse of a similar size and condition but an isolated mountain barn in its own land is worth more than a small village house even if the barn needs renovation. And a house in a village that has a bakery or shop, or school will be worth more than a very similar house in a village with no facilities

Energy ratings

These have only recently started to influence the value of a property in line with the increase in energy prices so it is still early days to say by what percentage a good energy score will affect the value of a house but certainly, a low energy score influences a buyer’s decision as to whether they can afford a property in terms of potential bills or the work required to improve the energy score

Presentation and maintenance

A well presented, well maintained and clean house will generally be given a higher valuation than an almost identical house that is dirty and unloved because the agent knows that buyers often cannot see through the mess nor see future potential so will need to price it lower in order to attract interest and widen the pool of possible buyers

Therefore, as with so many things, there is no definitive answer as to how much a property is really worth, nor is there any clear science behind a valuation. There are many criteria that an agent will take into account when assessing and valuing a property but often it will simply come down to experience and knowledge of the market and gut feeling which means that two agents might come up with very different estimations.

Having said that, it is rare to see a house that is wildly over or under priced – unless it is being sold privately which is a whole other matter; we all think our house is worth more than it really is! And measures used in other countries – such as having spent X on the renovation, so you add this number to what you bought if for plus some – just does not work in rural France.

As ever, the most important criteria you should use as a buyer when viewing a French property is whether you feel the house is worth the price for you and whether it offers good value to you in terms of what you are looking to get back from it in quality of life. Luckily, I see hundreds of houses each year so I can generally tell as soon as I walk into a house if the price is right – which is not to say that an over-priced house won’t sell, as the value to each person is different and you can’t always put a number on that.

If you have questions or need help with your French property search, please get in touch: nadia@foothillsoffrance.com