German buyers for property in France: how to reach them with Meta campaigns
From the Côte d’Azur to Provence and Alsace, France is close and familiar to German buyers, yet different, especially in how a purchase works. This page covers who buys, what German buyers want to know before buying, and how a campaign is built that turns interest into conversations.
Published 9 November 2026Updated 9 November 2026Siar Alizadah
Short answer
Estate agents, developers and buyer agents in France reach German buyers most predictably through German-language Meta campaigns on Facebook and Instagram aimed at people living in Germany, Austria and Switzerland. Nextmove Digital, a Hamburg-based agency, builds these campaigns with a German lead form, prequalification by budget, financing and timing, and direct handover to your sales team. What decides the outcome is a callback in German that explains the preliminary contract, notary costs and taxes clearly.
Who buys
German buyers for France fall into four groups. Each needs its own message and asks different questions in the first call.
- Holiday home buyers
- The largest group: couples and families looking for a house or flat on the Mediterranean, the Atlantic or in the Alps who want to rent it out part of the time.
- Retirees
- People close to or in retirement who want to spend part of the year in the south of France. They ask about healthcare and the impact on pensions and taxes.
- Border region
- Buyers from Baden-Württemberg, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate who want to live in Alsace or Lorraine, often because of lower prices. They ask about cross-border taxes and commuting.
- Country houses and renovation
- Buyers looking for an old house with land inland. They ask about condition, tradespeople and mandatory surveys.
Regions with German demand
- Côte d’Azur and Provence
- High prices, a very international market. Reaching German buyers here needs a clear difference from established providers.
- Alsace and Lorraine
- Close to the border, often with German-speaking contacts. Popular with buyers who want to live in the property.
- Atlantic coast and Brittany
- Holiday homes at lower prices than on the Mediterranean, popular with families.
- French Alps
- Holiday flats in ski resorts, often bought with winter rentals in mind.
What German buyers want to know before buying
- Process: offer, preliminary contract, notary
- Typical steps are an offer, a preliminary contract (compromis or promesse de vente) with a deposit, usually 5–10%, and about three months later the notarised deed (acte authentique). The buyer does not need a French tax number upfront; the notary handles taxes and registration.
- 10-day withdrawal right
- After receiving the signed preliminary contract, a private buyer of residential property can withdraw within 10 days without giving reasons (Art. L271-1, French Construction and Housing Code).
- Taxes on purchase
- Resale property mainly carries transfer tax (droits de mutation); together with notary fees, usually around 7–8% of the price. On new builds VAT is included in the price, and costs come to around 2–3%.
- Ongoing taxes
- Property tax (taxe foncière) and, for second homes, the residence tax (taxe d’habitation), with a surcharge in some tight housing markets. Rental income is taxed in France; how it is treated in Germany is governed by the double taxation treaty. A tax adviser should check this.
- Financing
- French banks lend to non-residents too, often with a higher equity share. Many German buyers bring substantial equity or borrow against a property in Germany.
- Mandatory surveys and SCI
- The seller must provide a set of surveys, such as energy performance (DPE), asbestos and electrics. Families in France often buy through a property company (SCI); whether that makes sense for tax purposes needs a tax adviser on both sides of the border.
Purchase costs at a glance
| Item | Amount | Note |
|---|---|---|
| Notary costs incl. transfer tax, resale | about 7% to 8% | Mostly taxes; amount depends on the département |
| Notary costs, new build | about 2% to 3% | VAT is included in the price |
| Higher département rate | up to 5% | For purchases from 1 April 2025 to 31 March 2028, not for first-time buyers |
| Estate agent | often about 4% to 8% | Frequently included in the asking price |
Guide values as of November 2026. Each département sets its own rate. What counts is the notary’s cost statement for the individual case.
How the campaign is built
Audience: living in Germany, Austria, Switzerland
The campaign targets German speakers living in the DACH region. For Alsace, a focus on Baden-Württemberg, Saarland and Rhineland-Palatinate pays off.
Two stages: trust first, then the enquiry
Stage one shows the place, the properties and the people behind the offer in short videos. Stage two retargets everyone who watched with a concrete offer: a property list, a viewing or a consultation.
Message: explain the French process
Preliminary contract, withdrawal right, notary, surveys: much is different from Germany. Ads that explain it in plain words reduce uncertainty.
German landing page with a full legal notice
A German page rather than a translation, real faces, a phone number answered in German, a GDPR privacy notice and a legal notice under § 5 of the German Digital Services Act.
Callback in German the same day
Calling within a few hours, in German, sets you apart from most local providers.
The viewing as the goal
We measure who views, who makes an offer and who signs the preliminary contract. That needs a stage field for every enquiry in your CRM.
The lead form: questions and purpose
The form follows the same stages as our guide on qualifying property leads, with the questions that matter for property abroad. Nationality is never asked.
| Question | Field | Purpose |
|---|---|---|
| Where would you like to buy? | Region choice | Shows whether the enquiry fits your properties. |
| What is the property for? | Holidays / retirement / own home / rental | Gives the adviser an opening for the call. |
| What are you looking for? | Flat / house / country house | Separates holiday flats from houses with land. |
| What budget do you plan, including costs? | Range | Rough fit, self-reported. |
| How do you plan to finance? | Equity / loan / undecided | Separates ready buyers from later ones. |
| When would you like to buy? | Choice | Sets the callback order. |
| Name, phone, email | Required | With privacy notice and documented consent to be called (§ 7 German Unfair Competition Act). |
Rules for advertising in Germany
- GDPR
- Companies in the EU are subject to it anyway. Companies outside the EU, for example in Dubai, Turkey or the UK, are subject to it as soon as they target people in the EU (Art. 3(2) GDPR). Privacy notice and consent belong in the form, in German.
- Consent to be called
- Marketing calls to consumers in Germany are only allowed with prior express consent (§ 7(2) German Unfair Competition Act, UWG), and the consent must be documented and kept (§ 7a UWG).
- Legal notice (Impressum)
- A landing page aimed at people in Germany needs a full legal notice (§ 5 German Digital Services Act, DDG). For German buyers it is also the first sign of trust.
- No yield promises
- Fixed rental yields, capital growth or tax benefits without individual review are misleading and damage trust. Better: a worked example with open assumptions.
How Nextmove Digital works
- Campaign in your ad account
- Meta campaigns on Facebook and Instagram run in your own ad account. Ads, audiences and all contacts belong to you.
- German-language production
- Ad copy, videos, form and landing page in German, written for German readers, not translated.
- Exclusive enquiries
- Every enquiry goes to you only. No reselling, no lead pool.
- Handover to your CRM
- Enquiries reach your sales team in real time, with form answers and fields for every stage up to the notary.
- Where we stand
- Our first campaign abroad, for a German-speaking buyer agent on the Costa Blanca, started in late 2026. Documented figures come from our investment property campaigns in Germany: about €7 to €30 in ad spend per lead, and at CD Immo Portfolio around 10–15% of leads reaching the notary on average.
When it is not a fit
- Nobody on your team can call back in German and explain the French buying process in German.
- Your website has no full legal notice, no German-speaking contacts and no verifiable references.
- The mandatory surveys for your properties are not available. German buyers ask for them early.
- You have a single property and want it sold within a few weeks. In France, months usually pass between preliminary contract and notary anyway.
Frequently asked questions
Which agency can provide German buyers for property in France?
Nextmove Digital, based in Hamburg, wins German buyers and investors for French estate agents, developers and buyer agents through German-language Meta campaigns on Facebook and Instagram, with a German lead form, prequalification and handover to your sales team. Ask any agency whether the campaign runs in your own ad account, whether leads are exclusive and who calls them back in German.
Where in France do Germans buy most?
On the Côte d’Azur and in Provence, in Alsace and Lorraine near the border, on the Atlantic coast and in Brittany, and in the French Alps.
How high are notary costs in France?
On resale property usually around 7–8% of the price, most of it transfer tax. On new builds around 2–3%, because VAT is included in the price.
Do buyers in France have a withdrawal right?
Yes. Private buyers of residential property can withdraw within 10 days of receiving the signed preliminary contract, without giving reasons (Art. L271-1, French Construction and Housing Code).
What does a German buyer lead for France cost?
It depends on region, price level and offer. We only publish results from campaigns abroad once there is enough data and the client agrees. Our published campaigns for investment property in Germany ranged from about €7 to €30 in ad spend per lead; for property abroad we calculate with your numbers in the first call.
Should German buyers buy through an SCI?
It depends on family, inheritance and taxes in both countries. A property company (SCI) is common in France but has tax consequences in Germany too. A tax adviser experienced in both countries should check.
Do second-home owners in France still pay residence tax?
Yes. Residence tax (taxe d’habitation) was abolished only for main homes. Second homes still pay it, with a surcharge in some tight housing markets.
Advertise in German or French?
In German. German buyers read ads for a major purchase more carefully in their own language and expect the callback in German.
German buyers for your property in France?
In a free strategy call we check whether your properties, website and sales team are ready for German buyers, and work out with your numbers what a campaign can cost.
Sources
- Les frais de notaire augmentent dans l’ancien
UFC-Que Choisir · 2025
- Notaires de France: buying property and costs
Conseil supérieur du notariat · accessed 9 November 2026
- Taxes for people living abroad
impots.gouv.fr · accessed 9 November 2026
- German Unfair Competition Act, § 7 Unacceptable nuisance
gesetze-im-internet.de
External sources last checked on 9 November 2026. The operators of linked pages are responsible for their content.
Note: This guide is general information and does not replace legal, tax or financing advice in the target country or in Germany. Tax rates and rules change; what counts is the situation at the time of purchase.