About | Independent French Property Advisors for International Buyers | French Property Focus
Sunflower fields in the French countryside
About French Property Focus

Independent expert advice for international buyers purchasing property in France.

Not just international buyers who got lucky buying property in France. Professional experience, deep cultural context, and a genuine commitment to your interests.

Our Story and Our Credentials

Yes, we bought property in France many years ago. But that is not why you should work with us.

Like many of our clients, we went through the process of buying property in France as international buyers. We navigated the system, made our purchase successfully, and came out the other side with a deep appreciation for just how different the French property market really is.

But we want to be clear about something: our experience as buyers is not the foundation of our expertise. It is the starting point of our story.

You don't know what you don't know. That is the single biggest risk for international buyers in France. Our job is to make sure you know what you need to know, before it costs you.

What gives us the right to call ourselves experts is what came after: nearly 5 years of professional real estate experience in France, working with a traditional international agency, supporting hundreds of international buyers across a wide range of property types, regions, budgets and nationalities. We have seen what goes wrong. We know where the risks hide. And we understand the system in a way that no amount of personal buying experience alone can replicate.

Vera and Stephen, founders of French Property Focus
Why Our Background Matters

What sets us apart from other advisors claiming French property expertise

There is a significant difference between personal experience and professional expertise. Here is how we see it.

Not just: "We bought in France, so we know the process"

Personal buying experience gives you one data point. It tells you what happened in your specific purchase, in your specific region, at your specific price point, in a specific year. It does not give you the breadth to advise others confidently across hundreds of different situations.

But rather: 5 years of professional real estate experience in France

Working with a traditional international agency in France, supporting hundreds of international buyers across multiple regions, property types and budgets from €100,000 to over €2 million, and nationalities including US, UK, Belgian, Dutch, Australian, Canadian and South African buyers.

Not just: "We speak English and we live in France"

Finding someone who speaks English and lives in France is not hard. What is genuinely rare is finding someone who combines that with a deep professional understanding of what US and UK buyers expect, where those expectations differ from French market norms, and how to bridge that gap effectively.

But rather: 40+ years of combined consulting and advisory experience across the UK and US

Before French property, our professional backgrounds were in corporate finance and consulting in the UK and US. We understand how buyers from these markets think, what they expect from an advisory relationship, and what surprises them most about the French system. That cultural context and professional framework is what makes our advice genuinely useful rather than just well-meaning.

Not just: Someone who moved to France and works with international buyers

Many expats move to France and offer property services to international buyers. Living in France is a starting point, not a differentiator.

But also: Genuine integration into French community and civic life

Our team brings fluency in the French language and, uniquely, direct experience of French civic life through elected membership of the local town council for several years. That level of integration into the French community goes well beyond what most international advisors can claim, giving us access to local knowledge, relationships and cultural understanding that simply cannot be learned from the outside.

Our Credentials at a Glance

The experience behind the advice

5 years of professional real estate experience in France

Working with a traditional international agency in France, supporting international buyers professionally, not just as buyers ourselves.

Hundreds of international buyers supported

Across multiple regions, property types and nationalities, from first-time buyers to experienced investors.

40+ years combined consulting and advisory experience

Corporate finance and consulting backgrounds across the UK and US, brought to bear on French property.

International buyers ourselves

We went through the process personally. We know what it feels like from the other side of the table.

€100,000 to €2 million+ range of purchases

Experience across the full spectrum, from village houses to chateaux, from renovation projects to turnkey properties.

Deep cultural context across three markets

Understanding the US, UK and French property systems from the inside, not just in translation.

What This Means For You

Getting the right advice in France is about more than finding someone who speaks English

Most international buyers assume that if they can find an English-speaking agent or advisor in France, they will be fine. In our experience, that assumption is one of the most common sources of costly surprises.

The differences between the French property market and the US or UK markets go well beyond language. They are structural, cultural and legal. Things that are standard practice in the US, such as buyer representation, a centralised listing database, and standardised transaction documentation, simply do not exist in France in the same form. And things that are unusual in the US, such as the notaire's role, the diagnostic system, and the private sale market, can catch international buyers completely off guard.

We help you navigate those differences. Not by telling you what to do, but by making sure you understand what you are looking at, what questions to ask, and what risks to assess before you commit. The decision is always yours. Our job is to make sure you are making it with the full picture in front of you.

Protecting your investment

We help you identify risks before they become problems, from diagnostic reports to structural issues to title complications that only become visible when you know where to look.

Asking the right questions

Experience across hundreds of transactions means we know exactly what to ask, what is missing from the information you have been given, and what the answers actually mean.

Making confident decisions

Not pressured decisions. Not rushed decisions. Confident decisions, based on a clear understanding of what you are buying, what it costs, and what comes next.

What Clients Say
"

We have chatted with many people in France, but they don't come close to your level of integrity, knowledge, service and expertise.

Judy and Dave
"

Your advice has been so helpful, more than anybody else we have spoken to. It really helped us make the right decision for us.

Lisa
"

Thank you for the very informative material. It even answers questions that we did not know to ask.

Ann and Ali
"

It really has been very reassuring to know that we are more knowledgeable about the French market.

Hugh

Ready to work with a team that truly understands your position?

Book a free scoping call and tell us where you are in your French property journey. We reply personally to every enquiry, usually within 24 hours.

Book a Free Scoping Call