Overall, a notaire is a French public officer, and if you live in France, you’ll work with one for most of life’s big moments, from buying a house to getting married to working out inheritance legalities. When a legal contract is drawn up by a notaire, complete with a signature and seal, the document’s authenticity and legality are guaranteed.
A French notaire handles all sorts of legal procedures and documents, including drafting the contract and deed for the sale of a property, which is also referred to as conveyancing. Another legal responsibility of the notaire is to give you all of the information available on the nature of the real estate agreement you’ll be signing. The notaire should make sure that you understand what you’re signing.
However, the notaire’s job is not to guide you through the entire process, and they do not hold private consultations to discuss your specific property buying situation. That said, you can request a meeting with the notaire to go over general questions or just to familiarise yourself with them, as you’ll be in contact with them a lot when buying a French property.
Additionally, notaires have a lot of knowledge of the French property market, and as they’re involved in sales for a variety of local properties, they can offer in-depth advice to both buyers and sellers. If you’re looking for a French property, it can be a good idea to get in touch with a notaire to ask about the local real estate market, the pros and cons of the area, the history of a property you’re interested in, etc.
Also know that if the notaire does not speak your language, they can provide you with an interpreter, or you can of course find one yourself.