Sell · 8 June 2026

Selling in viager on the Basque Coast: the key steps

Selling in viager in Biarritz, Anglet, Bayonne or Saint-Jean-de-Luz follows a structured path: patrimonial valuation, choice of scheme, buyer screening, French notarial signature. Here are the steps in detail.

Step 1 — Initial discussion and valuation

The starting point is a confidential exchange, without commitment, to understand your situation: age, family setup, life project, financial constraints, patrimonial expectations. We then proceed with a valuation of the property at open-market value, based on Biarritz market references. This is the value used to derive all subsequent calculations.

Step 2 — Choosing the right scheme

Several formats exist, each fitting different objectives:

• Standard occupied viager — bouquet + life annuity, you stay in your home. The most common format.
• Occupied viager with no annuity — the entire discounted price (the occupied value) is paid at signature. Suited to an immediate need for capital.
• Free viager — you leave the property; the buyer may occupy or let it from signature. Smaller discount.
• Sale with deferred payment (vente à terme) — fixed-term sale (10, 15 or 20 years), more predictable than a life annuity.
• Bare ownership sale (nue-propriété) — you sell the bare ownership and keep the usufruct. Close to an occupied viager without annuity.

The choice depends on your age, wealth, family setup and priorities (regular income, immediate capital, transmission).

Step 3 — Calculating bouquet and annuity

Three variables drive the calculation: the open-market value of the property, your age (which sets the statistical life expectancy), and the desired split between bouquet and annuity. A higher bouquet means a lower annuity, and vice versa. We typically present three quantified scenarios so you can compare.

As a rough order of magnitude, for a property worth €500,000 open-market, sold in occupied viager by a 75-year-old seller, the bouquet may sit around €100,000 and the annuity around €1,300 per month — subject to the precise parameters.

Step 4 — Mandate and file preparation

Once the scheme is chosen, you sign an exclusive mandate with our administrative agent MyFactotum. The mandate authorises us to present your property to vetted buyers. In parallel we prepare the technical file: diagnostics, plans, photographs, cadastral references, condominium rules where relevant.

On the Basque Coast, confidentiality is a particular concern: patrimonial properties are often known locally, and we are careful not to publicly expose precise addresses.

Step 5 — Buyer screening

The most engaging step: we present your property to a limited number of investors pre-qualified for their financial stability and their ethics. A viager is a long relationship: the right buyer is not necessarily the highest bidder, it is the one with whom the relationship will remain healthy and predictable over ten, twenty or thirty years.

Step 6 — Promise, conditions precedent, notarial deed

The notarial path mirrors a standard sale: promise of sale, withdrawal period, conditions precedent, then the authentic deed. The viager specificity lies in dedicated clauses: annuity indexation, allocation of charges and works, resolutory clause in case of default, possible guarantor designation.

Our firm supports both the seller and the buyer through to signature, working with their respective notaries.

Step 7 — After the sale: annual follow-up

Support does not end at signature. We carry out an annual review: revaluation of the annuity, handling of disagreements, support in case of life changes (move out, early release).

Going further

• Why viager is gaining ground in Biarritz in 2026
• Viager taxation in France
• Investing in viager in Biarritz