A real estate project relies on a sequence of technical decisions that follow a precise order. Skipping a step or rushing through it undermines the entire chain, from financing to the signing at the notary’s office. The French market is emerging from a crisis phase marked in 2023-2024, with a drop in transactions in the existing market followed by a gradual restart. Credit conditions have eased, and the share of first-time buyers among purchasers is rising.
This context changes the way each step is prepared. Here are five concrete actions to take, in order, to secure your acquisition.
1. Check your borrowing profile in the current market context
Most guides start with “defining your budget.” Before even calculating a monthly payment, you need to understand where your profile stands in relation to current banking criteria. After the restrictive period of 2023-2024, banks have reopened the credit tap. The Laforêt network, for example, observes an increase in the proportion of first-time buyers among its purchasers between 2024 and 2025.
Specifically, this means that banks are actively seeking first-time buyer applications. If you are buying for the first time, your negotiating power on the rate is stronger than it was two years ago. Before searching for a property, request a feasibility certificate from your bank or a broker. This document gives you a realistic borrowing amount and strengthens your application with sellers.
To prepare your real estate project with Miss Link, this financial diagnostic step forms the foundation on which all subsequent steps rest.
2. Compile a complete financing file before visits
A solid financing file accelerates every subsequent step. Banks require a set of standardized documents to assess your creditworthiness. Preparing this file ahead of visits puts you in a strong position against a pressed seller.
The commonly requested documents include:
- The last three pay slips and the last two tax notices, which attest to the stability of your income
- The bank statements from the last three months, scrutinized for any incidents or spending habits incompatible with repayment
- Proof of personal contribution (savings account, gift, release of employee savings), which remains a key lever for obtaining a better rate
A complete file submitted from the first appointment reduces the bank’s response time by several weeks. Brokers report that incomplete files are the primary cause of delays in obtaining a loan offer.
3. Integrate the energy performance diagnosis (DPE) and energy regulations into your search criteria
The energy performance diagnosis (DPE) is no longer just an ancillary document. Since the Climate and Resilience Law, properties classified as G are gradually banned from rental, and F classes will follow. For a purchase intended for rental investment, ignoring this constraint exposes you to a property that is unexploitable in the short term.
Even for a primary residence, the DPE directly impacts the property’s value. A property classified as F or G is negotiated at a significant discount compared to an equivalent property classified as C or D. This discount can represent an opportunity if you incorporate the cost of energy renovation into your overall financing plan.
Request the DPE before each visit, not after. A seller who refuses to provide the diagnosis upfront often hides a poor classification. Filtering on this criterion from the outset saves you time on properties that would require work beyond your budget.
4. Calibrate your purchase offer based on actual market prices
Writing a purchase offer is not just about proposing an amount lower than the displayed price. In a market in the normalization phase, sellers adjust their expectations, but the gaps between displayed prices and actual sale prices vary greatly from one area to another.
To calibrate your offer, consult recent transaction data from the DVF (Demandes de Valeurs Foncières) database, which is freely accessible. This database lists completed sales, with the price per square meter by address. The average negotiation margin has increased since the 2023-2024 crisis, giving buyers an additional leverage.
Your written offer should mention the proposed price, the planned financing method (loan or cash), the desired completion timeline, and the suspensive conditions. A well-structured offer, accompanied by the feasibility certificate obtained in step 1, carries more weight than a verbal offer even at a higher amount.
5. Master the timeline between the preliminary sales agreement and the final deed at the notary’s office
The signing of the preliminary sales agreement triggers a period that generally lasts three months. This timeframe is not a dead time: several actions occur in parallel, and each can block the transaction if mismanaged.
During this phase, the bank finalizes the loan offer, the notary conducts urban planning and easement checks, and the buyer has a ten-day withdrawal period after signing. The suspensive conditions (obtaining the loan, absence of preemption by the municipality) protect the buyer, but they have strict deadlines.
- Follow up with your bank or broker weekly to track the progress of the loan offer, as exceeding the deadline for the suspensive condition can lead to the nullification of the agreement
- Check with the notary that the urban preemption right has been properly cleared, as some municipalities take several weeks to respond
- Anticipate notary fees (around 7 to 8% of the price in the existing market) in your initial financing plan, not at the last moment
The preliminary agreement legally binds both parties. Any negligence regarding deadlines or documents to be provided can delay the signing of the final deed, or even jeopardize the sale. Keeping an active follow-up on each deadline remains the best protection until the keys are handed over.