About Us

What is Ar-Gêr?

Ar-gêr Immobilier SARL is an independent, fully registered and bonded estate agency in compliance with French regulations. All good guides to buying in France will tell you that this is most important for your security and peace of mind. We are licenced to operate as an estate agency by the Prefecture at Quimper (principle town and centre of administration for Finistère). The company is registered with the Chambre de Commerce at Morlaix.

Who are we?

We have both French and English staff and we are therefore perfectly placed to offer our services to UK and French property hunters. Our French staff are from the area, and their in-depth local knowledge and breadth of contacts allow us to offer properties that others would not. This is especially important in helping enquirers with specific property searches…we have properties that the owners do not want ‘overtly’ marketed. The company is owned and operated by Steve and Wendy Chadwick.

What can we do for you?

A lot, really! As well as finding your perfect house or property.

The British element of Ar-Gêr have been through ‘the process’ and are established here with children in school and much experience of adapting to the administration and ways of everyday life. We will willingly point you in the right direction, make introductions for you and help where we can. We can’t offer to take your children to school, but we may be able to introduce you to the headmaster. We aim to keep building the ‘general information’ area of the site to include notes on local schools, health facilities, where to register for health care, travel, accommodation, learning French, events and such like - even where to buy your DIY materials. If you have a question, please do ask us.

How do we arrange to visit properties?

That is our job and we will accompany all visits. We can help you to arrange your journey over and where to stay. Travel links to the area are excellent and you have options to come by ferry to Roscoff (our nearest port, 30 minutes away), St Malo, Cherbourg and Caen Ouistreham.

There are low-cost flights to Brest which is 50 minutes or so from here. Flights link to Birmingham, Southampton, Exeter and Luton.

Is buying a house and being in France complicated?

There is a lot of ‘fear’ of French administration, and in our experience this is completely unfounded. It can be long-winded, but it is very thorough and 99% of the time officials are well informed, helpful and often charming. Again we can point you in the right direction.

This applies also to the buying process. It is highly regulated and ‘official’ but extremely simple in principle. It protects both the seller and the buyer, and you have no fear of either ‘gazumping’; -or the huge uncertainties that accompany the UK system. Once the ‘compromis de vente’ is signed by both parties you can rest assured that the house is yours. The ‘Notaire’ acts for both parties checking the right of the seller to sell, handling all monies, transferring the title and paying the taxes due on the sale. Notaire’s fees are fixed by law, and these will be indicated to you ahead of signing the compromis.