Guadeloupe: Guide to Buying Costs and Procedures

Country Rating » Star Rating Icon

In Depth

Global Statistics

House Prices

Regional Statistics

Home › Caribbean › Guadeloupe › Buying Guide

Last Updated: Sep 11, 2006

Transaction costs range from high to very high in Guadeloupe

How high are realtors’ and lawyers’ fees in Guadeloupe? What about other property purchase costs?

Transaction Costs
		Who Pays?
Registration Duty	4.89%	buyer
Notary’s Fees	1% (+19.6% VAT)	buyer
Mortgage Land-charge Registration Fee	0.55%	buyer
Land Registrar’s Fee	0.1%	buyer
Realtor’s Fee	1.5% - 4% 1.5% - 4%	buyer seller
Costs paid by buyer	8.236% – 10.736%
Costs paid by seller	1.5% – 4%
ROUNDTRIP TRANSACTION COSTS	9.736% – 14.736%
See Footnotes Source: Global Property Guide

How difficult is the property purchase process in Guadeloupe?

Once the parties have agreed on the price and what the sale relates to, the parties will be required to sign a preliminary agreement. The preliminary agreement usually takes the form of (in the North) an option (promesse unilatérale de vente), with a 5% to 10% penalty if the option is not exercised, usually secured by a deposit held by the notaire. There is a 7-day cooling-off period, within which the buyer can change his mind.

If a mortgage is being sought, the compromise de vente must contain a clause confirming that mortgage financing is being sought, then, if the mortgage is declined, the purchaser will not lose his deposit.

Once preliminary contracts have been exchanged, there are pre-completion searches: land registry searches, local authority searches, planning permission searches, etc. If the dwelling has been sold by a “property professional” or is less than ten years old, the seller has a statutory liability to all future owners within the ten year period for defects.

On completion, the purchaser and vendor sign the Acte authentique de vente at the Notaire’s office. The notaire will see that the account is settled, will accept his fee, and land registry fees, if they are not included in the notaire’s fees.

There is an additional 15.4% VAT on buildings less than five years old.

Footnotes to Transaction Costs Table

The round trip transaction costs include all costs of buying and then re-selling a property – lawyers’ fees, notaries’ fees, registration fees, taxes, agents’ fees, etc.

Currency
Guadeloupe use Euro. Exchange rate is at US$1=€0.79529 as of 21st July 2006.