The new Sextant website: a story of places and connections

Sextant’s story began in London in 2005, with a clear ambition: to help international buyers discover property in France. Between the country they called home and the French house they imagined owning, there was a connection to be made, an unfamiliar area to explain and practical guidance to provide.

Our British origins have shaped the way we work ever since. Over the years, that outlook has grown through our relationships with French, British, Belgian and Dutch clients, and with the local agents who make up our network across France. Our “Our Story” page traces the milestones along the way.

Throughout these twenty-one years, our websites have evolved too. Each version has reflected changing habits: browsing properties on a phone, exploring a home from abroad or sharing a shortlist with family. The tools have changed; the importance of places and people has remained.

It is against this background that we have created the new Sextant website, launched on 15 October 2026. The redesign brings together the experience of previous versions with new ways to search, explore and stay in touch. Available at sextantproperties.com and sextantfrance.fr, it features the houses and apartments offered by our network throughout France.

Giving your plans more room in the search

A property search rarely begins with every detail settled. You may already know the region, your budget or the number of bedrooms you need. Other priorities emerge as you browse and talk: a house where the family can gather, an apartment for a move to France, or a holiday home to return to each summer.

To support that process, the website introduces Emma, an AI-powered property search assistant. Alongside the usual filters, Emma allows you to describe your plans and refine your criteria when looking for suitable properties.

You can then save the homes that catch your eye and store your searches in a personal account. Signing up, including with your Google account, makes it easy to return to your shortlist. You can revisit a listing, compare it with another and pick up your search where you left off.

Step inside before travelling to France

Photographs offer a first impression. But understanding a property also means seeing how its spaces connect: the route from the entrance to the living room, the arrangement of the bedrooms, or how the house opens onto the garden.

Where available, virtual tours and videos make that first exploration possible. They give you time to look around, return to a detail and prepare questions for the agent.

For buyers living outside France, this can be particularly useful. Before arranging a journey, you can narrow down the properties you would like to see in person.

An in-person viewing remains essential. It allows you to experience the surroundings, assess the property’s condition and get a feel for the neighbourhood. You simply arrive with a better understanding of the home.

Finding your bearings in your own language

Our international experience has taught us that a property purchase is easier to prepare when information is available in a familiar language.

The new website is available in nine languages, with automatic translation of property listings. You can switch languages within the same listing without losing your place in the search.

This also makes it easier to involve family and friends. A property discovered in French can be shared with someone who would prefer to read about it in English or another available language.

For owners selling a property in France, this accessibility helps prospective buyers explore it from abroad. Depending on the home and its location, they may be planning a permanent move, a second home or an investment.

Viewing prices in a familiar currency

Financial reference points also differ from one country to another. British buyers often think in pounds sterling, while other international clients use US dollars when comparing their options.

The website therefore offers prices in euros, pounds sterling and US dollars, with conversions updated daily.

This makes it easier to put asking prices into perspective during the early stages of a search. The converted figures provide a guide in a familiar currency; the property’s sale price remains in euros.

Discovering an area through the people who know it

A listing introduces a property. An agent’s wider portfolio helps you understand the area around it.

We have retained dedicated websites for our local agents, giving them an important place within the new design. Our agents live in the areas where they work. They know the towns, villages and local geography, and bring that knowledge to the conversations they have with clients.

Each agent can personalise their website with their own introduction, photographs, panoramic image and social media links. These pages offer a view of both their area and their approach to property.

They feature homes currently for sale as well as properties they have sold. Across France, architectural styles, building materials and prices vary considerably. Exploring an agent’s portfolio provides a glimpse of that variety, while the sold properties illustrate their experience in the local market.

Available in French and English, these pages connect local knowledge with the international outlook that has been part of Sextant from the beginning.

Making conversation easier

After the first discovery come the questions. You may want clarification about a listing, more information about the village or help arranging a viewing. The contact details of the agent responsible for the property are easy to find.

WhatsApp buttons provide another way to start or continue the conversation. Already familiar to many of our international clients, messaging allows both sides to respond around their schedules, particularly when they are in different time zones.

Sharing buttons also make it straightforward to send a listing or an agent’s profile to anyone involved in your plans.

Understanding a property in its local market

The website also provides additional context on local property transactions. Where sufficient data is available, listings include information from DVF — France’s property transaction database.

These records shed light on completed sales in the surrounding area. They should be considered alongside the differences between individual properties, including size, location and condition.

An online valuation tool, available through the agents’ websites, also offers an initial indication of a home’s value. The agent can then refine that assessment using the property’s particular features and their knowledge of the local market.

From London in 2005 to the French communities where our agents work today, the thread remains the same: helping people understand a place and prepare their plans there. The new Sextant website continues that story.