Updated on April 8, 2026: Find the most recent data on land prices on our Land Price Observatory (2020-2025 DVF data) which presents average and median prices, as well as transaction ranges for your region and each department.
The sale of a farm is a major step in a farmer's life. Above all, it is a process that generates a lot of stress for a seller.
An overview of all the important elements and answers to the most frequent questions for transferring a farm: When should you put it up for sale, how to prepare your operation, finding a buyer, selling assets or company shares, leasing or selling land, ...
This is a question we are asked very often. While the agricultural economic climate can influence the sale price and the speed of the transaction, it is extremely difficult to define a "good time" to put your agricultural business up for sale.
The economic situation can indeed reverse between the time of listing and the start of negotiations with a buyer. If the climate is favorable, the temptation may be strong to overvalue certain assets, which will drive away potential buyers.
Our years of experience in supporting sellers have taught us that the right time to sell is when the seller is truly ready to sell. This is for several reasons.
Selling out of opportunism ("I'll sell if I find a buyer at the right price") is often a poor strategy. An asking price that is too high can scare off buyers and give a negative image of the farm. This image will stick to the farm for a long time because the agricultural community is quite small and information travels fast. It will then be difficult to change this image even if the price returns to market level.
Putting it up for sale too early is also a bad strategy. This approach often has the opposite effect of the intended goal:
By starting too early, you risk eventually selling later and at a lower price than hoped.
When the seller is not truly ready to sell, negotiations are usually very difficult even in the presence of a serious buyer. However, negotiation is an integral part of the sale: Refusing any negotiation is, in reality, refusing the sale.
A seller must therefore accept the future end of their agricultural activity and project themselves into their future new life at the time of listing. This is not always easy; for example, in a couple or a company, the parties are not necessarily ready at the same time, which can generate strong tensions.
To successfully navigate your transfer project, thorough preparation is necessary.
Here is a quick list of questions to ask yourself regarding the main points to study:
How long does it take to sell a farm? This is one of the questions all sellers ask themselves.
The minimum duration will be around 6 months between the time the property is listed and the moment the final sale can be signed.
Indeed, the 1st step is to find a candidate and then reach an agreement with that buyer, while ensuring the feasibility of the project's financing. It is difficult to expect less than a month for this, with an average duration of 6 to 8 months that can take up to a year or more.
In fact, it often takes 2 months to obtain a financing agreement after the application is submitted, which requires the prior completion of an economic study (2 to 3 months lead time).
Next, a sales agreement (compromis de vente) must be drafted and signed. Allow at least 1 month for this phase, with an average duration of 2 months.
We then enter the administrative procedures of the sale. The notary must notify the SAFER of the sale project, which has a 2-month period to make its decision. An application for authorization to operate (autorisation d’exploiter) under structural regulations must also be filed. This procedure takes at least 4 months but can be extended depending on the time needed to inform landowners. Not to mention the risk of a 2-month extension of the deadline. Therefore, expect at least 4 months of delay with an average of 6 months.
Finally, the notary must draft the final deed, obtain the release of funds in exchange for guarantees, and set the sale appointments. This process can be covered by the other delays or take an additional 2 months.
If the buyer is seeking start-up grants (aides à l’installation), the time required for the validation of the Professional Personal Project (PPP) and the Business Plan (PE) is at least 1 year. The impact on the sale duration will depend on the candidate's progress in these preliminary steps prior to their purchase project.
In summary, here are the timelines you can expect for the completion of a farm sale:
|
Stages |
Min. Duration |
Avg. Duration |
Max. Duration |
|
Finding a buyer |
1 month |
3-6 months |
18 months |
|
Obtaining financing |
1 month |
3 months |
3 months |
|
Signing sales agreement |
1 month |
2 months |
6 months |
|
Admin procedures |
4 months |
6 months |
8 months |
|
Signing final deed |
Included |
1 month |
2 months |
|
Total duration |
6 months |
15 to 18 months |
36 months |
These are, of course, estimates, as every project is unique.
It should also be noted that in some situations, selling company shares can significantly speed up certain timelines.
In summary, given the average timeframes to complete a sale, you should make your transfer project public between 12 and 18 months before the optimal date.
We dedicate several specific articles to valuation methods, which we invite you to consult for more in-depth information.
Synthetically, here are some key points.
Several valuation methods exist:
Recourse to one method rather than another is decided on a case-by-case basis.
If your farm can be sold with each element separately, the asset-based method will be favored. While this seems fairly simple for land, the house, equipment, etc., it will be much harder to determine the market value of a standalone agricultural building, especially if it contains highly specialized installations that aren't usable for a different project.
Conversely, if an element-by-element sale isn't feasible, the profitability value will be preferred. Experts in charge of a valuation most often use both asset-based and economic valuations and then perform a global valuation by weighting the two methods.
The listing price may differ from the valuation, either by the seller's choice or to maintain a negotiation margin. This should be low and not exceed 10%. Beyond that, the asking price risks driving away motivated buyers.
To set the price of your agricultural land, rely on actual transaction data. Our land price observatory presents DVF statistics over the last 5 years, by region and department. This will allow you to position your property within a credible market range, between the P10 and P90 of your department.
When transferring your farm, you can perfectly well consider selling or leasing all or part of the operation, whether it's the land, the residential house, or the agricultural buildings.
This is a complex question with advantages and disadvantages for each situation.
Advantages of leasing:
Disadvantages of leasing:
Advantages of leasing:
Disadvantages of leasing:
Advantages of leasing the farmhouse:
Disadvantages of leasing:
We invite you to read our full article on these two alternatives.
Finding the buyer who will take over your farm is not always easy. First of all, keep in mind that most transfers occur within a local framework, through your network or via relationships:
In addition to registering with the Installation Starting Directory (Répertoire Départ Installation) after filling out the DICAA form, you can also contact agencies specialized in agricultural farm transactions, post an ad on a portal like www.ma-propriéte.fr, ...
We dedicate a specific article to this because it is a broad subject. The tax payable upon your cessation of activity will, of course, depend on your personal situation.
There are many factors to consider, including:
We advise you to contact your accounting firm to know your exact situation and see how it's possible to modify the terms of your transfer to reduce income tax when you stop your activity.
Here is the list of diagnostics to be carried out for the sale of a residential house:
|
Diagnostic |
Type of Property |
Validity Period |
|
Carrez Law |
Co-owned property (condominium) |
Unlimited in the absence of work |
|
DPE (Energy) |
Closed, covered, and heated property |
10 years except if work done |
|
Lead |
Property built before January 1, 1949 |
1 year or unlimited if lead is absent |
|
Termites |
Property located in a declared risk zone |
6 months |
|
ERP/ERNMT |
Property located in a declared risk zone |
6 months |
|
Asbestos |
Building permit issued before July 1, 1997 |
Unlimited if absent |
The DPE (Energy Performance Certificate) is the only diagnostic that is mandatory at the time of listing (real estate advertisements); the other diagnostics must be carried out at the latest before the signature of the final deed of sale.
However, we advise you to perform them all at once. On one hand, you may obtain a more advantageous overall rate. On the other hand, you can provide clear information to your buyer and avoid the risk of later renegotiation.
As part of the sale of your agricultural property, you will likely be required to provide or perform other diagnostics, particularly those that are mandatory within the framework of your professional activity.
This includes:
Furthermore, other checks or verifications may be requested to secure both parties:
While these checks involve costs and take time, they help eliminate the risk of seller liability in the event of an accident following the transfer.
This is the essential phase in the sales process because it represents the irrevocable commitment of both the seller and the buyer to complete the sale under the agreed conditions.
The deed will naturally contain suspensive conditions, whether they are legal (obtaining financing), administrative (obtaining the authorization to operate), or purely contractual (signing of leases by landowners, etc.).
This contract must be drafted by a specialist who knows how to integrate all the specific clauses related to a farm operation (transfer of Payment Entitlements/DPB, employment contracts, administrative authorizations, checks, and diagnostics, etc.).
While obtaining bank financing is generally subject to a legal suspensive condition, we strongly advise you to obtain financing agreements from banks before signing this contract.
Indeed, in the event of a financing failure after the signing of the agreement, you will have lost many months and engaged in administrative procedures or discussions with landowners. You may also have missed out on another financable buyer during this period.
If you conduct your agricultural activity within a company framework (EARL, GAEC, SCEA, etc.), you will face the question of whether to sell the shares of your company or the company's assets.
It is generally more complex to proceed with a transfer of social shares (or stocks) of a company than to proceed with an asset sale.
Indeed, it is necessary to determine the exact value of all assets and all liabilities of the company on the day of the transfer. A provisional value is usually defined. Then, based on the balance sheet on the day of the sale, a final valuation is performed with a final payment adjustment.
You must also take into account the risk weighing on the property and the company's commitments through an Asset and Liability Guarantee (GAP)—a key element to negotiate.
Finally, the taxation for the seller can be very different depending on whether shares or assets are sold.
One last point: while using companies was frequent in the past, particularly to avoid the SAFER's right of pre-emption, the implementation of the Sempastous Law has significantly challenged these practices.
While there are no general rules, you should avoid imposing the terms of the transfer on a buyer (for whom the situation is often unfavorable) and instead choose the solution that will be most beneficial for both the seller and the buyer.
It is a long journey between the decision to sell and the final sale. Many of the choices to be made are complex and require high-quality support, whether from your accounting firm or a firm specialized in agricultural transfers.
To go further, we offer a set of more specialized articles that will, we hope, meet your needs.
