MOVING to France is, in very many ways, a joy. French bureaucracy, on the other hand, isn’t. They invented the word, so they probably feel they have a reputation to uphold.

Even buying a secondhand car means filling out numerous forms and registering the change of ownership with the local council, so I’m not looking forward to all the red tape that comes with entering the property market.

Estate agent and legal fees can add up to 20% to the cost of buying a house or flat, compared with about 10% in Spain and 5% in Britain.

Anyone considering buying a property abroad should therefore be sure to ask whether the asking price includes commission and legal fees and how much they will be charged on top if not.

That is why I am doing as much as possible to keep costs down by getting to know the locals. Pascal, who runs a bar and restaurant in the middle of the village where I am buying, knows pretty much everything about everyone who lives there.

Since discovering my plans, he has proved an invaluable source of phone numbers for people who are selling or thinking of selling in the area. And if I do go for one of these private sales, I will save 6% or more in agents’ fees.

I am torn between a lovely two-bed being sold privately by a friend of Pascal’s, and the property I previously had my eye on, which is for sale through a local agent. The fees could well be the deciding factor.

Notaire’s fees, on the other hand, are impossible to avoid. These generally add up to 10% to the cost of buying and comprise the various local and government taxes. These include the French version of stamp duty, the top 19.6% rate which makes even UK stamp duty seem reasonable – though those buying run-down buildings to renovate pay less than half that.

One difference between a notaire and a lawyer or conveyancer in Britain is that notaires represent the state, and it is not unusual for the vendor and purchaser to have the same notaire.

You should not be asked for any commission or fees before the end of the seven-day cool-ing-off period that follows the signing of the compromis de vente, or contract between the buyer and seller – and even then you should only pay a deposit.

Taking out a mortgage to finance your purchase will increase the amount you have to pay a notaire because of the extra work they will have to undertake.

A number of UK lenders offer mortgages for people wanting to buy overseas. Banks that will lend against overseas properties include Halifax and Woolwich, as well as Leeds building society.

The other option is to borrow from a bank in the country where you want to buy.

Requirements for taking out a mortgage in another country can be more stringent than those in Britain, even in these times of market turbulence.

In France, for example, the payments must not exceed 33% of the single or joint incomes of those buying – and the French banks do require proof of earnings from both the employed and self-employed, just as they do in Britain.

Most French lenders also require a large deposit of, say, 15% or more of the purchase price.

Interest rates are generally lower here than in the UK. One friend is paying a fixed rate of just 4.5% to his French bank.

Of course, if you are selling up in Britain for a lot more than you are paying in France, buying without a mortgage remains the first choice.

I’m certainly intending to buy outright with the proceeds from my house in London – though I’m hoping that sale goes through before the much-touted UK slowdown really takes hold.