Property hunter and notary: the two allies every buyer should have

In the popular image of a property purchase, there are two guiding figures. The property hunter, who finds the property. And the notary, who signs the deed. Between the two, an apparent void, as though the process came down to searching, finding, and then signing. In reality, the space between the find and the signing is vast and complex, and it is precisely there that the collaboration between hunter and notary makes the difference between a smooth transaction and an obstacle course.

At Home Select, we have been working with notaries since 2011. More than 1,200 transactions. This experience has convinced me of two things. First: every buyer should have their own notary, separate from the seller’s. Second: the quality of the coordination between the property hunter and the buyer’s notary largely determines how smooth the transaction will be.

Who does what in a property purchase: hunter or notary?

The property hunter assesses the market: they compare, view in advance, negotiate the price and read the general meeting minutes. The notary secures the law: they verify title, mortgages, easements and planning compliance, then draft the deeds. Both look at the same transaction, but not through the same lens.

The hunter looks at the market. They assess the property against comparables, analyse the state of the co-ownership, negotiate the price, and evaluate the neighbourhood’s potential. Their perspective is that of a property professional who knows prices, trends and the pitfalls of the Parisian market. When they say “this property is worth 720,000 euros, not 780,000,” it is a market judgement based on data.

The notary looks at the law. They verify that the seller truly owns the property, that there are no hidden mortgages or easements, that the property complies with planning regulations, and that the co-ownership is in order. Their perspective is that of a legal expert who secures the transfer of ownership. When they say “there is a clause to amend in the preliminary contract,” it is a legal judgement protecting the buyer.

These two perspectives are complementary by nature. A property hunter, however competent, is not a legal professional. They do not draft deeds, check for mortgages, or verify the planning compliance of an extension built twenty years ago. And a notary, however rigorous, is not a market expert. They do not negotiate prices, view properties in advance, or read general meeting minutes with the eye of a professional who has read thousands.

The buyer who benefits from both perspectives purchases with a level of security that neither could offer alone.

Why appoint your own notary as a buyer?

Because it costs nothing: when two notaries are involved in the same sale, they share the fees and the buyer does not pay a single cent more. And because the seller’s notary is chosen by the seller: a second notary reviews every clause of the preliminary contract with the buyer’s interests in mind.

This is a point I consistently insist on with Home Select clients, and one that surprises first-time buyers: the buyer has every interest in appointing their own notary, separate from the seller’s.

The first reason is financial, or rather, the absence of any financial reason not to. The notary fees do not change. When two notaries are involved in a transaction, they share the fees. The buyer does not pay a single cent more. It is a legal provision that surprises many people, but it is a fact: having your own notary is free.

The second reason is structural. The seller’s notary is chosen by the seller. Even though they are bound to impartiality as a public officer, their working habits and trust relationship lean towards the seller’s side. If a contentious point arises in drafting the preliminary contract, such as a suspensive condition clause, a completion deadline, or a specific guarantee, the seller’s notary will tend to propose wording that first protects their client. This is human, not dishonest, but it is a bias the buyer would do well to counterbalance.

The buyer’s notary reviews every clause with the buyer’s interests in mind. They check that the loan suspensive condition is worded protectively enough. They ensure deadlines are realistic. They verify that any reservations raised during the viewing are correctly incorporated. This review and adjustment work is invisible but decisive.

The third reason is relational. Having your own notary means having a dedicated legal contact throughout the process. Someone you can ask questions to without going through the seller’s agent. Someone who explains clauses in plain language. Someone who defends your interests if a difficulty arises between the preliminary contract and the final deed.

What does the property hunter send to the notary?

A structured file: the accepted offer, general meeting minutes, co-ownership rules, statement of charges, the energy rating and the technical surveys, plus the concerns flagged during the search. That organised handover saves the notary the days they would otherwise spend chasing documents one by one.

When one of our hunters at Home Select has found a property and the offer has been accepted, they do not simply hand over to the notary saying “over to you.” They send a structured file that speeds up and secures the notarial process.

This file includes the accepted purchase offer, which formalises the price and the conditions agreed between the parties. The co-ownership documents already gathered during the search phase: general meeting minutes, co-ownership rules, statement of charges, maintenance log if available. The energy rating and other technical surveys. Information about the context of the sale passed on by the agent (inheritance, separation, professional relocation) that may have legal implications.

The property hunter also flags specific concerns identified during the search. A lot modification that was never declared, spotted by comparing the cadastral plan with the current layout. Mixed residential-professional use practised by the seller without formal co-ownership authorisation. An ancillary space (cellar, parking) whose ownership is not clearly established in the co-ownership rules.

These early alerts allow the notary to target their checks instead of starting from scratch. The time saved is significant, and in a market where Parisian sellers sometimes accept offers conditional on rapid preliminary contract signing, time is a competitive factor.

The right reflex: hunter and notary from the start. At Home Select, we coordinate your search and your legal security at every step. Start your project

When does hunter-notary coordination really matter?

At three moments: the drafting of the preliminary contract, the roughly three-month period that separates it from the final deed, and the final signing itself. At each of these moments, the quality of coordination makes a tangible difference.

The first moment is the drafting of the preliminary contract. The preliminary contract is much more than a formality: it is the contract that binds both parties and defines the conditions of the sale. Its drafting deserves meticulous attention.

The property hunter contributes the negotiated elements to the preliminary contract: the price, of course, but also specific conditions. For example, if the negotiation resulted in a price reflecting a voted facade renovation, this information must be clearly stated in the preliminary contract to avoid any later dispute. If the offer included specific fixtures (fitted kitchen, bathroom furniture), these must be listed in the preliminary contract to be enforceable.

The notary, for their part, verifies and completes. They draft the suspensive clauses with precision, particularly the loan suspensive condition, which must be detailed enough to protect the buyer (amount borrowed, maximum rate, term) without being so restrictive that it provides too easy an exit. They incorporate planning clauses, check the property’s compliance with the co-ownership rules, and ensure all the seller’s legal obligations are met.

The second critical moment is the period between the preliminary contract and the final deed, approximately three months. During this time, the notary carries out in-depth checks: mortgage status, planning situation of the property, compliance of easements, purging the local authority’s pre-emption right. The hunter, meanwhile, stays alert. They follow the progress of the financing application with the broker, ensure that the suspensive condition deadlines are met, and act as the point of contact between the client and the various parties involved.

It is during this period that problems surface when they need to. A pre-emption right exercised by the local authority. An unpurged mortgage. A disagreement about the property’s condition at the time of key handover. The hunter and notary, working in concert, identify and resolve these issues before they become deadlocks.

The third moment is the signing of the final deed. At Home Select, a hunter systematically accompanies their client to the notary for the final signing. This is not symbolic. It is practical. The hunter ensures the deed correctly reflects the negotiated conditions. They check the annexes are complete. And they are there to answer the client’s questions on the property itself, which the notary, focused on the legal side, does not necessarily cover.

What can the notary spot that the hunter cannot?

Everything that belongs to the law rather than the market: an extension built without a permit or co-ownership authorisation, an unpurged mortgage, a right of occupation attached to the marital home in a divorcing couple. The property hunter is a property professional, not a lawyer. It happens that the notary detects legal problems the hunter had not identified, and that is precisely why the two roles are complementary.

One case I remember involved a property in the 5th arrondissement. Our hunter had analysed the property, viewed it, checked the co-ownership, and negotiated the price. Everything seemed in order. The offer had been accepted and the file sent to our client’s notary. Two weeks later, the notary called: the lot included an extension, a glazed veranda built fifteen years earlier, that had never received a building permit or co-ownership authorisation. This extension accounted for six square metres of the stated floor area.

The seller had built this veranda in good faith, with the informal agreement of the building manager at the time. But an informal agreement has no legal standing. Any co-owner could, at any time, demand the veranda’s demolition. And in the event of a claim (fire, water damage), the insurer could refuse coverage on the grounds of non-compliance.

The notary made the continuation of the transaction conditional on regularising the situation: either through a co-ownership vote retroactively authorising the extension, or through a price reduction reflecting the risk. The co-ownership voted for regularisation, the price was maintained, and the transaction concluded on a sound basis. Without the notary, this legal time bomb would have remained buried.

Another case involved a property being sold by a couple in the process of divorcing. Our hunter had identified the situation and confirmed that both spouses agreed on the sale. But the notary discovered that the property was the personal asset of one spouse, acquired before the marriage, and that the other spouse had a right of occupation linked to the marital home for as long as the divorce proceedings were not finalised. The sale required either the explicit agreement of both parties within the divorce proceedings, or waiting for the divorce judgement. The preliminary contract was adjusted accordingly, with an extended completion deadline.

These cases are not daily occurrences, but neither are they exceptional. Over 1,200 transactions, we have encountered dozens. Each time, the hunter-notary collaboration resolved the problem before it became a dispute.

How do you choose a notary for a Paris purchase?

By favouring a Parisian practice used to co-ownership, the City of Paris pre-emption right and listed or protected-zone buildings. For an expat buyer, experience with powers of attorney from abroad and foreign matrimonial regimes becomes the decisive criterion.

All notaries are competent: the training and regulation of the profession ensure this. But not all are equally at ease with Parisian property transactions and their specificities.

Paris has its particularities. The co-ownership regime is ubiquitous and complex. Old co-ownership rules sometimes contain archaic but still applicable clauses. The City of Paris pre-emption right applies in certain areas. Listed buildings or properties in protected zones add a layer of planning constraints. A notary accustomed to provincial transactions may be caught off guard by these specificities.

When a client asks us to recommend a notary, which happens frequently, especially for first-time buyers and expats, we refer them to Parisian practices with which we have a working history. This is not a commercial partnership: we receive no commission. It is a recommendation based on the experience of dozens of transactions conducted together, the responsiveness observed, and the quality of professional dialogue.

For expats in particular, the choice of notary is even more important. Questions of international taxation, foreign matrimonial regimes, and powers of attorney from abroad add layers of complexity that only a notary experienced in these situations can handle efficiently. Our international clients benefit from our network of notaries experienced in transactions with non-residents.

What does poor coordination between parties cost?

Time, essentially: a transaction that should have taken three months takes six, when it does not fall through entirely. The cost never appears on an invoice, but it is very real on the calendar and on the buyer’s nerves.

I will be direct: the transactions that go wrong are not those where the property is bad or the price too high. They are those where coordination between parties is lacking.

An agent who does not send documents on time. A broker who falls behind on the loan application. A notary who discovers a problem two days before the signing. A seller who changes their mind about a condition that was already accepted. Each of these situations is manageable individually. But when nobody coordinates the whole, delays accumulate, misunderstandings multiply, and a transaction that should have taken three months takes six, when it does not fall through entirely.

The property hunter plays the role of conductor in this coordination. They do not replace anyone, not the broker, not the notary, not the agent, but they ensure each party has the information they need, within the required timeframe. They follow up when follow-up is needed. They anticipate blockages. And they keep the client informed of progress, so the client is not in the dark during the three months between the preliminary contract and the final deed.

This coordination role is not glamorous. It does not make for great stories to tell. But it represents, by my estimate, around 30% of a property hunter’s added value, and it is probably the most underrated part of our profession.

Do you really need both a property hunter and a notary?

Yes, because they cover two distinct risks: the hunter checks the market, the notary checks the law. Since 2011, Home Select has supported more than 1,200 buyers this way, with an average 6% negotiated off the seller’s price.

Buying property in Paris is an act that commits considerable sums in a complex legal and technical environment. The property hunter brings market expertise: finding the right property, at the right price, within the right timeframe. The notary brings legal security: checking, drafting, and transferring ownership within the rules. Together, they cover the full spectrum of risks a buyer faces.

Having both means buying with your eyes open. The hunter has checked the market, the notary has checked the law. The price is fair, the transaction is secure. It is this double assurance that allows the client to sign the final deed with the peace of mind that a commitment of several hundred thousand euros deserves.

More than 1,200 transactions, coordinated with Parisian notaries, since 2011. The formula works.

Property hunter and notary: the winning pair for your purchase. At Home Select, we coordinate all parties so your acquisition is smooth and secure. Fees 100% success-based. Start your search