An American client living in New York asks whether foreigners can buy an apartment in Paris. What do you answer?

1. Only with a French residence permit
2. Only through a French company
3. Yes: France puts no restriction on foreigners buying property, and no residence permit is needed
4. Only new-build property

A buyer has just signed a compromis de vente for a flat he will live in. How long does he have to change his mind?

1. 24 hours
2. 30 days
3. 10 days, counted from the day after the registered letter is first presented
4. No time: the compromis is final

On day 8 of his withdrawal period, a buyer says he wants out but has no good reason. What do you tell him?

1. He can withdraw by registered letter, with no reason and no penalty
2. He loses his deposit
3. He must pay the agency fee
4. It is too late after 7 days

A property dealer buys a flat as a professional and asks for the 10-day withdrawal period. What is the point to check?

1. Everyone gets 10 days, whatever the property
2. Professionals get 30 days
3. Only foreign buyers get the period
4. The right protects non-professional buyers of residential property, so his status matters

Who must draw up the final deed of sale for a property in France?

1. The agent, in a private contract
2. A notaire, in an acte authentique
3. The buyer's bank
4. The town hall

A seller signed a 3-month exclusive mandate with renewal. In month 5 he wants to end it. What is accurate?

1. He is locked in for 12 months
2. The irrevocable part of the exclusivity is capped at 3 months, so he can end it under the mandate's termination terms
3. He must pay the full fee to leave
4. He cannot leave until a buyer is found

A competitor's mandate makes the seller pay a fee even if no sale takes place. What does the DGCCRF say?

1. It is legal if the seller signs
2. It is legal in exclusive mandates
3. It is legal below 1,000 €
4. Charging a fee without an actual sale is an illicit clause

A seller living in Dubai sells his Nice flat for 400,000 € after 10 years. What should you flag for the notaire?

1. He will need a fiscal representative: he lives outside the EEA, the price is above 150,000 € and he held it under 30 years
2. Nothing: non-residents pay no tax on French gains
3. Only the IFI
4. That he must move back to France

A client buys a second home in Bordeaux and asks about yearly local taxes. What do you mention?

1. Second homes pay no local tax
2. Bordeaux charges 5%
3. Bordeaux applies the maximum 60% surtax on taxe d'habitation for second homes
4. Only Paris has such a surtax

An investor falls for a cheap flat with a G-rated DPE and wants to let it to a long-term tenant. What do you tell him?

1. G is fine for tenants under 30
2. The ban only applies in Paris
3. G-rated homes cannot be let under a new lease since 1 January 2025, so works are needed first
4. The DPE does not matter for rentals

A seller's flat has electric heating and an F-rated DPE from 2024. What should you suggest before setting the price?

1. Download an updated certificate from ADEME, since the electricity coefficient changed on 1 January 2026
2. Nothing, the DPE cannot change
3. Hide the DPE from buyers
4. Order works before any discussion

A buyer wants to let his future Paris main residence on short-term platforms. What do you warn him about?

1. There are no rules on short lets
2. He can let it 365 days
3. Only hotels need a registration number
4. Mayors can cap main-residence short lets at 90 days a year, and a registration number is required in almost all communes

A client asks you how to organise the inheritance of the flat for his children. What do you do?

1. Give him a firm legal plan yourself
2. Explain that it is outside your role and refer him to a notaire or a lawyer
3. Tell him it does not matter
4. Ask the seller's notaire to advise him for free

A British buyer compares a resale flat in Antibes with one in Paris. What is true about transfer taxes in 2026?

1. Both are at 10%
2. Alpes-Maritimes stayed at 5.81%, while Paris is in the group at about 6.32%
3. Paris is cheaper than Antibes
4. There are no transfer taxes on resale

A young couple buying their first home in Lyon (Rhône) ask about transfer taxes. What do you tell them?

1. First-time buyers pay nothing
2. They pay double
3. First-time buyers pay 2%
4. Eligible first-time buyers pay 5.81% instead of about 6.32% in departments that voted the rise; the notaire confirms eligibility

You are an agent commercial. A buyer wants to hand you a cash deposit to 'hold the flat'. What do you do?

1. Refuse: as an agent commercial you cannot receive or hold client funds
2. Take it and keep a receipt
3. Take it if he insists
4. Put it in your personal account until the compromis

An off-plan buyer offers to pay 50% now, before the foundations are finished, in return for a better price. What do you remind everyone?

1. Any schedule is fine if both agree in writing
2. He can pay 100% upfront
3. The legal VEFA schedule caps calls at 35% at foundations, 70% at hors d'eau and 95% at completion
4. Caps apply only to houses

A resale flat in Alpes-Maritimes costs 340,000 €. Total buyer costs come to about 7.19% of the price. What should the buyer budget for costs, in EUR?

A buyer asks what mortgage rate he can expect in October 2026. What is a fair answer?

1. Around 3.66% on average over 20 years, 3.00% to 3.25% for the best profiles, and rising; a broker will confirm
2. Under 1%
3. About 7%
4. Rates are fixed by the State at 2%

A Belgian seller, a French resident for 5 years before moving back to Brussels, sells a Lyon flat. What exemption might apply?

1. No tax at all on any gain
2. An exemption only after 5 years abroad
3. The main residence exemption, whatever the date of sale
4. A one-off exemption on up to 150,000 € of gain for EEA nationals who were French residents for at least 2 years