Your first 90 days as an agent in France

The first three months decide whether you stay in this job. Newcomers rarely struggle for lack of talent. More often they wait for leads, skip the routine, or lose a deal on a mandate that was never registered. Here is a simple plan.

Days 1 to 30: set up and learn

1. Your attestation first. Make sure the card holder has obtained your attestation d’habilitation from the CCI before you negotiate anything (CNACIM). As an agent commercial, check you are on the RSAC and that your own RCP insurance is active.
2. Your permit and status. If you are not an EU, EEA or Swiss citizen, confirm that your residence permit allows the status you work under (lesson 2).
3. Learn the agency’s documents. Its mandate models, the withdrawal form for off-premises mandates, the registre des mandats, the fee schedule and its client identification procedure (lesson 4).
4. Start your training hours. 14 hours a year, with ethics and non-discrimination modules over the three years (CCI Bretagne). Book them now, not in December.
5. Learn one patch. Walk it. Visit every listing your agency has there. Note schools, transport, building types and DPE classes.
6. Learn the numbers. Transfer taxes at 6.31% or 5.81% depending on the department, total buyer costs around 7% to 8% on a resale, the 10-day withdrawal period, local prices per m². Clients test you on these first.

Days 31 to 60: find people

Sellers are the business. A mandate brings buyers to you. Spend at least half your prospecting time on owners.

• Your sphere. Tell everyone you know what you do, with your card holder’s name.
• Owners selling alone. Owners who list privately are your best prospects. Offer a free valuation with real figures: signed-deed data from the notaires and estimates from MeilleursAgents.
• Partners. Notaires, mortgage brokers, accountants, builders, building managers and moving companies hear about sales first.
• Social media. Short videos of your patch, monthly market updates with named sources, and a few listings explained well. Show your fees the way the rules require (lesson 4).
• International buyers. On the Côte d’Azur and in prestige Paris, buyers from abroad matter. Clubs, schools and community groups in your languages are good places to be known.

Days 61 to 90: convert

• Ask for exclusivity, and explain honestly that its irrevocability is capped at three months (lesson 4).
• Qualify every buyer. Budget, loan or cash, timeline, main home, second home or investment. The answers decide the costs, the taxes and the questions to ask about the DPE.
• Check the DPE with every investor. A G home cannot be let on a new lease since 2025 (Hellio).
• Follow up within 24 hours after each viewing.
• Prepare the compromis file early: diagnostics, title, building documents.
• Aim for your first signed compromis that passes the 10-day period, not just viewings.

Know the pace

La Maison des Mandataires counted 47,000 network advisers at the end of 2025, against about 949,000 existing-home sales in a year (MesFraisNotaire). The same barometer counted about 640,000 transactions through an intermediary in 2025, of which networks handled 179,000. Competition is real, and not every sale goes through an agent. Set your first-year target modestly, plan your money for months without commission, and count your activity, not only your deals.

A daily routine

Time	Task
9:00 to 11:00	Prospecting: owner calls, private listings, partner messages
11:00 to 13:00	Valuations and viewings
14:00 to 15:00	Follow-ups and CRM updates
15:00 to 18:30	Viewings, content, market study
End of day	Plan tomorrow, log three wins and one lesson

Adapt the hours to your agency, but keep the prospecting block fixed. It is the first thing to disappear on a busy day, and the reason your pipeline dries up a month later.

Your tools

• A CRM with every contact, viewing and follow-up date.
• Your agency’s or network’s listing tools and portal accounts.
• A phone with WhatsApp and good photo and video quality.
• Templates: mandate, off-premises withdrawal form, buyer qualification sheet and a cost estimate with transfer taxes.
• A source list: notaires, INSEE, MeilleursAgents, the DGCCRF and your CCI for your market updates.
• A training log with every hour and certificate.

Five mistakes to avoid

1. Negotiating before your attestation is issued, or for a second agency.
2. Publishing without a signed, registered mandate, or without the fees shown TTC with who pays.
3. Taking money from a client as an agent commercial. Never a deposit, never cash.
4. Calling a deal done before the 10 days are over. The buyer can still withdraw without a reason.
5. Ignoring the DPE. An investor who cannot let the home will not refer you.

Keep your energy up

Rejection is part of every day, and independent income is uneven. Review your numbers every Friday, keep your training log current and keep learning your patch.

Find openings on CloserPass jobs and compare employers on agencies. Practise with mindset, sales and client training.

Rules change, so check the official source before you act. This lesson is general information.