Fixed duration
Unlike a French viager, the installment sale rests on a duration fixed at signing (often 10 to 20 years). The buyer knows precisely what they will pay and for how long; the seller knows exactly the amount and term of the payments.
The vente à terme is a powerful yet little-known French property mechanism: the seller transfers ownership against an upfront capital payment (the bouquet) and fixed monthly payments over a predetermined duration. No uncertainty on duration, no bank loan required from the buyer, and secured transmission for the seller's heirs.
The French installment sale (vente à terme) is a standard property sale whose price is paid in two stages: an initial capital payment (the bouquet) at signing of the notarial deed, then monthly instalments over a fixed duration — typically ten, fifteen or twenty years. The mechanism is governed by French civil law and benefits from time-tested legal protections.
Unlike a French viager, the installment sale rests on a duration fixed at signing (often 10 to 20 years). The buyer knows precisely what they will pay and for how long; the seller knows exactly the amount and term of the payments.
If the seller passes away before the term, remaining instalments are paid to the heirs — patrimonial transmission is secured. If the buyer defaults, a resolutive clause in the deed protects the seller.
Since the price is paid directly to the seller in instalments, the buyer needs no bank loan and pays no interest. A concrete alternative to classic mortgage financing.
Ma Vente à Terme is an initiative of the Capital Viagers network. We apply the same patrimonial rigour, the same ethical selection of counterparties and the same full notarial support that built the firm's reputation.
Book an appointment