A real estate agent in Dijon who speaks your language.

Contents

1. Who I am
2. The languages I work in
3. What I can find or sell for you
4. Buying in France as a foreigner: the steps
5. Buying from abroad
6. Selling to international buyers
7. Why Dijon and Burgundy
8. Guides for international buyers
9. Frequently asked questions

Buying or selling a home in France from another country raises the same three questions: who can I trust, how does it work, and can I do it from abroad? Here are clear answers, and the way I work with international clients.

Who I am

My name is Shawez Ali. I am a real estate agent (agent commercial en immobilier) working with the GRAVELIN IMMO agency, 30 rue Bannelier, 21000 Dijon, a few steps from Les Halles. Mandates are signed in the agency's name, under its professional licence, and I am your single point of contact from the first call to the final signing. More about me and my team (in French).

Every property I take on gets the same service, from a studio to a château: a photographer, a videographer, an edited film and virtual home staging, plus drone footage for houses. The films are published on the GRAVELIN IMMO YouTube channel, opened more than ten years ago. For a buyer who lives abroad, it means you can shortlist properties seriously before you travel.

The languages I work in

I work in English and French every day. I also speak Hindi, Urdu and Punjabi fluently, Persian (Farsi) very well, and good Greek and Arabic. You can call me, send a voice note or write to me on WhatsApp in the language you prefer.

▶Play · 52 s, with sound

A townhouse I filmed in Beaune, presented in English: same building, two completely different lives. Also on Instagram and YouTube.

What I can find or sell for you

• Apartments and houses in Dijon and its suburbs: the properties for sale (in French).
• Homes in the wine villages of the Côte de Nuits and around Beaune: Gevrey-Chambertin, Nuits-Saint-Georges, Beaune and the villages around them.
• Châteaux, mansions (maisons de maître) and estates in Burgundy: châteaux and prestige homes.
• Businesses and commercial property: restaurants, hotels and shops, businesses for sale, and offices, retail units and buildings, commercial property.
• Letting: I find the tenant, prepare the lease and do the check-in inventory, then you keep the management. Letting in Dijon (in French).

Buying in France as a foreigner: the steps

There is no restriction on foreigners buying property in France: the process and the costs are the same whatever your nationality or your country of residence.

1. The offer. After your visit, you make a written offer (offre d'achat). Once the seller accepts it, the price is agreed.
2. The preliminary contract (compromis de vente). It sets the price, the timetable and the conditions, for example obtaining your mortgage. A deposit is usually paid at this stage, often up to 10% of the price. The seller provides the mandatory surveys (diagnostics: energy rating, asbestos, lead, electrics and so on).
3. The 10-day cooling-off period. For a home, a private buyer can withdraw within 10 days after receiving the signed contract, without giving a reason, and gets the deposit back.
4. The notaire. A notaire is a public officer: he checks the title, the planning situation and the financing, and prepares the deed.
5. The final deed (acte authentique). It is usually signed two to three months after the compromis. You receive the keys the same day.

Buying costs. On top of the price, the buyer pays the notaire's costs, which are mostly taxes: roughly 7 to 8% of the price for an existing property, much less for a new build. The agency fee is shown in every listing. Details in French property buying costs. Official information, in French, is on notaires.fr.

Buying from abroad

You do not have to fly in for every step. You watch the film of the property, then I can show it to you live on a WhatsApp video call and answer your questions on the spot. The compromis can often be signed electronically, and if you cannot travel for the final signing, the notaire can arrange for you to sign through a power of attorney. I keep you informed in writing at every step. How buying from abroad works.

Selling to international buyers

Whether you own a property in Dijon or in Burgundy, or you live abroad and want to sell, I handle everything on site: the valuation, the film, the visits, the negotiation and the follow-up with the notaire. Your property is presented with the same care whatever its price, and I can talk to buyers in their own language. The valuation is complimentary and without commitment: request a valuation (form in French, I answer in English).

Why Dijon and Burgundy

Dijon, the historic capital of the Dukes of Burgundy, is about an hour and a half from Paris by TGV. Its historic centre, the town of Beaune and the vineyards of the Côte de Nuits and the Côte de Beaune are part of the Climats of Burgundy, a UNESCO World Heritage site since 2015. Beaune and its Hospices are about forty minutes from Dijon by car. Real sale prices, town by town, are on the price pages (in French), based on the official DVF data of notarised sales.

Guides for international buyers

• Buying a house in Beaune and the wine villages
• Buying a château in Burgundy: what to check first
• French property buying costs, explained simply
• Buying in France from abroad
• Living in Dijon: a guide for newcomers
• Investing in rental property in Dijon

All the guides for international buyers: the buying steps, the tax, the villages, daily life, and guides for buyers from the UK, the US, Benelux, South Asia and the Middle East.

Frequently asked questions