If you buy a house in France, the sale must be completed through a Notaire.
I am not sure exactly how to describe a Notaire in comparison to the legal or official equivalent in other countries – not a; lawyer, solicitor, civil-servant or barrister – the Notaire is in fact the biggest tax collector in France and every property transaction will have a fixed tax and non-negotiable fee for a Notaire.
These fees are paid by the buyer and are rarely shown in the selling price of a property, so when you have found you dream home you have to allow another lump of cash to stomp up when you complete the sale.
The amount you will pay depends on the price and the age of the property – under five years and the taxes are signicantly lower.
I found this useful calculator which shows how much you will have to pay the Notaire in fees and taxes on the completion day.
The calculator also has provision for the fee which will be added if you are taking out a loan on the property.