"Purchasing Real Estate with Unconventional Methods: Unveil Potential Savings of Up to 60% on Notary Costs"

"Purchasing Real Estate with Unconventional Methods: Unveil Potential Savings of Up to 60% on Notary Costs"

Say Bye to Sky-High Notary Fees: Vacation Home Swaps to the Rescue

Written by Christine Lejoux, Real Estate Manager Published on , last modified at

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Bob and Lucie, eager to welcome a new addition to their family, find themselves on the hunt for a larger apartment. With the latest departmental changes, notary fees have seen a harsh increase of 0.5 points, as authorized by the 2025 finance law. Let's break down the numbers: for a purchase of 300,000 euros, that's an additional 1,500 euros on their previously calculated notary fees.

But fret not! Frédéric Kopp, founder of Bea, a startup specializing in real estate swapping, comes to their aid. "Real estate swapping presents an alternative that might be less celebrated but incredibly advantageous as compared to traditional purchase and sale transactions," he asserts.

Real estate swapping is not some fresh concept, it's been around since the Napoleonic Civil Code of 1804. In agricultural circles, it has allowed for land to be homogenized, while amongst neighbors in co-ownership, it facilitated the exchange of maid's rooms, creation of additional floors, or swapping cellars to build duplexes.

Real Estate: Departments that lessen your notary fees despite the increases

Slashing Notary Fees with a Swap

At the heart of this lesser-known method lies its primary advantage: notary fees only represent 5% of the value of the cheapest property, 1% of the highest property's value, and approximately 6% of the difference between the two property values. The total notary fees, thus computed, are then shared between both owners, in proportion to the value of their respective properties.

Let's take Bob and Lucie's case, who eye their neighbors Alice and Pierre's apartment, valued at 400,000 euros. If they simply buy Alice and Pierre's apartment and vice versa, they'll foot 32,000 euros and 24,000 euros in notary fees, respectively. However, if they choose to exchange their properties instead, they will only be liable to pay 14,457 euros in notary fees, while Alice and Pierre have to shell out 10,843 euros. A staggering 54.82% reduction in fees for each couple.

Bea: Making Swaps a Breeze

Founded a year ago, Bea is geared towards expanding home swapping to various "life crossings" such as young parents seeking larger homes with gardens, retirees preferring city apartments, or owners of secondary residences yearning for a change.

Bea offers services such as verifying property valuations listed on its website, connecting owners, aiding during property visits, and facilitating the signing of the exchange agreement and final deed at the notary's office for a 3% commission on the value of each property. With over 1,200 properties listed on its site, Bea is on the brink of finalizing its first swap, with more deals in the works.

However, there's a catch: anyone with a pending loan on their property must settle it to enable a home swap.

So do not let the mounting notary fees pick your pockets dry. Consider embracing the property swap wave and savor the savings!

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now, you might wonder about the 1031 exchange, a process often associated with tax deferral and investment benefits in real estate transactions. However, this method primarily focuses on tax deferral and doesn't directly address reducing notary fees. Instead, it helps investors defer capital gains taxes by reinvesting sale proceeds into a new property, amplifying their buying power and portfolio flexibility. But a 1031 exchange can only be applied to investment properties and not personal use properties or primary residences.

1. In the wake of the increase in notary fees, Bob and Lucie, aiming for a larger apartment, are looking for alternatives to traditional property purchases.
2. Frédéric Kopp, founder of Bea, a real estate swapping startup, suggests that real estate swapping can be a less costly alternative.
3. Real estate swapping, originally introduced in the Napoleonic Civil Code of 1804, has been used for land homogenization in agricultural circles and for co-ownership exchanges among neighbors.
4. By swapping their apartments, Bob and Lucie could potentially save a substantial amount on notary fees compared to a traditional property sale.
5. Bea, a one-year-old company specializing in home swaps, offers services to facilitate property exchanges, charging a 3% commission on the value of each property.

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