A guide to sales
Before moving ahead with selling your property, it’s essential to understand what to expect, plan the process that will be undertaken, and to ensure that a satisfactory outcome can be achieved.
1. Preparation
1.1 Planning and first steps
1.2 Gathering documents
1.3 Preparing the apartment
1.4 Identifying marketing price
1. Preparation
1.1 Planning and first steps
❯ We are always happy to consult with you and discuss what your needs and expectations are regarding the sale, and to cover the most important points. In particular, as a first step we should discuss:
Sale Price – understanding your expectations regarding sale price and giving an initial first estimate of the market value of your property based on basic information ahead of a more thorough assessment.
Timeline – it’s important to understand that the sales process in Germany is never able to happen overnight, even when both sides are ready and willing. It’s good to understand your expectations and to discuss what is realistic for your specific property.
Logistics – some aspects can add to the complexity of a sale and it’s important that you be prepared and aware in advance. Are you completing the sale from overseas, or will you be able to attend a notary appointment in person? Is the property currently tenanted or can the buyer move in themselves? Understanding key points is critical to ensuring things run smoothly for everyone.
1.2 Gathering documents
❯ Germany has an affinity for paperwork and bureaucracy, and property sales is absolutely not an exception. There are a number of documents which are critical for many points throughout the sales process be it for simply listing the apartment for sale, to ensuring the buyer can secure financing from their bank, to giving the notary necessary documents to execute the sale.
The most important of these include:
Energy Certificate
Floor Plan
Notarised Apartment Division (Teilungserklärung)
Land Plan (Flurkarte)
Land Register Entry
1.3 Preparing the apartment
❯ Ensuring that your apartment is ready to go on the market is key to ensuring a great final outcome. It’s important to take the time to think over presentation as well as address any outstanding renovation work that may be necessary.
We can talk you through the situation and advise as to what will be necessary. For any renovations that need to be completed, we do of course also have our own team who are ready to help with the execution of any necessary steps.
Once this is complete, it’s of course necessary to have high quality photos of your apartment ready for moving ahead with listing. Again, we have staff on hand that can take care of this and can appropriately balance between showing the positives of the apartment while also maintaining an honest representation.
1.4 Identifying marketing price
❯ Before moving ahead with the active marketing of your property, it’s essential to go beyond the initial assessment and look into further detail to establish the correct listing price for your property.
We will need to complete:
A specific evaluation of the exact location of the apartment
An evaluation of the quality and value of the internal aspects of the apartment
An evaluation of the quality and value of the building the apartment is in
An assessment of any outstanding maintenance issues in the apartment or building
An overview of other elements which may affect the market value
Further to this, we need to discuss with you your priorities and understand your motivations in terms of speed and ease of sale versus final price. We will discuss all aspects with you in full and ensure that expectations are always clear on both sides.
2. Marketing
2.1 Marketing strategy
❯ With more than 10 years of experience in the industry, we have extensive experience in the marketing of properties to ensure that an appropriate audience is reached.
In addition to developing and maintaining appropriate listings within major real estate portals, we conduct marketing both on our own website and internally. Our website has been built up over many years and thanks to careful attention to SEO enjoys excellent visibility and daily lead generation. Of course, we also work together daily with investors from around the globe who already hold properties with us and are always open to new opportunities. This gives us the ability to present properties directly to qualified and motivated investors interested to expand their portfolio.
2.2 First contact
Dealing with the first contact from interested buyers is a critical step in the process. While much work is created in handling a large number of incoming enquiries, it is absolutely true that first impressions count. Being able to follow-up and provide direct, professional, and multilingual assistance to all those interested parties is essential in ensuring that the best quality offers are reached in the shortest time possible.
We take care of:
Answering initial questions and clarifying details
Providing exposes and required documentation
Qualifying potential buyers and identifying serious enquiries
Scheduling viewings and moving the sales process forward
2.3 Viewings
Viewings can be the most time intensive aspect of selling an apartment and requires flexibility to be on-site, on demand. We have a team of professionals available to schedule viewings as needed and able to complete these in the language of choice for the buyer.
Having viewings conducted by experienced professionals not only provides security against any inaccurate representations, it also ensures that the communications with the buyer are handled with knowledge and authority. This also provides us with a further step for qualification of the potential buyers and an opportunity to better understand critical points that may arise in negotiations or to handle potential objections in advance.
2.4 Negotiations
Working closely together with you, we will be the bridge between you and the buyer for the final stages of the negotiation. Together with our assessment of the buyer, or buyers, and the offers which are presented, we will help you reach a decision and negotiate a final outcome with the buyer.
Having a central figure for handling the negotiations is key to ensuring an ideal outcome – whether that’s the highest price or the fastest turnaround. With extensive experience in sales we are in a position to evaluate the received proposals and advise you on your decision.
3. The Sale
3.1 Sales contract
When drawing up the sales contract, it’s important that all conditions and agreements you’ve reached with the buyer are duly recorded in the interest of all parties. In addition, all relevant and necessary documents must be made available for the purchase contract to be valid.
In Germany, the involvement of a notary in the creation and execution of a sales and purchase agreement for real estate is required by law.
Legal requirements for the content must be met to ensure a valid contract – from basics like the details of the apartment and purchase price, through to specific details from the official land registry.
We will help ensure that all relevant information and documentation is provided to the notary for the next steps in the process.
3.2 Notary
The decisive date when selling a property is the notary appointment. Only the notary has the power to actually authorise the transfer of ownership between you and the buyer. They also have the legal right to orchestrate all the individual steps that make it happen, in particular to oversee the financial mechanisms, methods and deadlines.
The process with the notary will cover the following steps which we will assist with as needed:
Schedule a notary appointment for both you and the buyer to sign the agreement (typically the buyer picks the notary)
Send all required documents to the notary to prepare the contract
Review the draft contract before the notary appointment
During the appointment: the notary reads aloud the entire contract (as required by law) and explains legal terms where necessary; Opportunity will be provided to clarify any questions
Minor amendments to the contract will be completed if necessary
A final version of the agreement will be signed by the buyer, seller, and the notary
From here, the notary takes over with all following steps to execute the sale
The notary will be in touch if your involvement is needed in any further step or to clarify questions that arise
Once all steps have been completed, funds are transferred as outlined in the contract.
3.3 Handover
Handing over to the new owner(s) is the final step in the entire sales process. Nevertheless, full attention from the seller is still required here. In addition to the completion of a handover protocol, all relevant documents relating to the property are also handed over.
A handover protocol should be used to cover all required points: from the number of keys handed over, to the meter readings, to all documents given to the buyer. This allows sellers to protect themselves from additional demands or other claims that may arise following the sale.
All important documents must be handed over to the new owner. These include construction drawings, the energy certificate, insurance documents as well as acceptance reports and warranty documents for technical systems.
3.4 After sales services
There’s always the chance for a loose end to arise following the completion of a sale, whether it’s a document that has been requested or understanding which figures are necessary to send to your accountant. We are glad to help ensure that you have a source of advice and assistance to the very end.