Selling A Property

How Selling Real Estate Works

You want to sell a purchased property or gifted house to someone else? No problem. If you want to sell a property as a private individual, you will find the most important information and tips here. After all, anyone selling a property has to take various things into account with regard to taxes, interest, deadlines and a few other things.

There are a few adjustments you can make to ensure that your sale goes as smoothly as possible but is still lucrative. We have summarized what these are for you. You can find the most important articles here and more information below.

Are you a real estate agents? Then you should take a look at Urbyo X. Because as a real estate agent, we don't have to explain your business to you.

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Preparation
Timing
Documents
Legalities
Pricing
With or without an agent?
Selling With Urbyo
FAQ

Preparing To Sell Your House Or Apartment

If you have decided to sell your property, you will of course need to make a few preparations. First of all, it also depends on whether you are planning to sell a house, apartment or plot of land. Because there are of course differences.

Basically, during the preparation phase, you take care of compiling the documents that buyers need. Then you calculate the asking price and take care of where and how you want to advertise the property. You can also hire an estate agent to do this for you. But that costs money. The easiest way for you to sell your property is directly via the Urbyo marketplace. This is because you can sell your rented property or offer a vacant property on our marketplace. We even calculate the expected cash flow and potential profits for buyers and organize the financing for them so you reach a deal asap.

Take a Look at the Urbyo Marketplace

Here you will find pre-checked properties. You can also calculate your return on investment for various financing scenarios.

The Right Time To Sell Your Property

When is the right time to sell your property naturally depends on various factors such as your situation, your plans, your goals and the situation on the real estate market.

When To Sell Your Property Quickly

Selling your property quickly can make sense, for example, if you need new equity and the value of your property has increased. This is because you may then be able to use the new equity for further real estate investments. This doesn't always work out exactly in terms of timing and sometimes you still need interim financing - but this is often the case.

When To Opt For Buy & Hold

However, depending on how long you have already owned the property, it may also make sense to hold on to it for the time being. If you financed your property when you bought it and the loan has not yet been paid off, you may have to pay a prepayment penalty when you sell.

You should also remember that you may be subject to speculation tax when you sell your property. This is the case if you resell your property at a profit within the first ten years of selling it. So think carefully about how long you have been holding the property and whether it makes sense to wait a little longer and sell it tax-free after the ten years.

Sell The Property Or Rent It Out?

If you decide to keep it, you can of course simply continue to rent it out. Once the ten years have expired, you can go back to selling the property without having to pay speculation tax. As you can see, it all depends on your situation and your plans.

Refinancing: How it Works & Options

Do you own a property and need money for renovations, modernization or other financial bottlenecks? One way to free up capital without having to sell the property is to take out a follow-up loan. We explain exactly how this works, when it makes sense and what you should look out for.

The § 6b reserve: tax deferral on property sales

The sale of a property often results in high profits that have to be taxed accordingly. The § 6b reserve, also known as the reinvestment reserve, offers an opportunity to temporarily reduce the tax burden. But what exactly is behind it and for whom is this regulation relevant?

Speculation tax

Do you want to resell a recently purchased property? Hold on! Before you do that, you might want to look into a thing called speculation tax. Read more about it in this article.

Documents for the property sale

If you are selling a property, you should have all the documents you need. Some documents are mandatory - others you will most likely be asked for by potential buyers. You must always have these documents to hand:

Floor plan of the property
Energy certificate
Declaration of division and minutes of the owners' meetings (when selling a condominium)

These are the documents that must be available. If, for example, you do not present an energy performance certificate at the latest at the viewing, you may be fined. However, if you have the first interested parties, they will often ask for further documents. These include

Construction documents such as building plans, building description and building permit
Parcel map
Land register extract

The more detailed and better prepared the documents for your property sale are, the better your chances of selling. It often helps to simply remember your purchase and think about which documents you paid attention to when buying a property. Otherwise, just listen to our podcast episode on the topic. 👇

Finding the documents is of course a bit of work. Simply preparing them is also a lot of work. The good thing is: if you sell via our marketplace, we will support you. 🙌

Your Rights & Obligations When Selling A Property

If you want to sell your property, there are a few legal matters that you should be aware of beforehand. Important at this point: If you need specific advice, be sure to seek legal advice. However, it certainly doesn't hurt to get some information beforehand. So let's move on to your rights and obligations when selling your property.

Rights

When you sell your property, you have these rights:

You may exercise a right of first refusal
If your buyer does not adhere to agreed conditions such as punctual payment, you may withdraw from the purchase contract

Obligations

On the other hand, you also have a few obligations when selling a property. But this is also logical. After all, selling a property means transferring a great deal of value to another person. As the seller, you must therefore observe these obligations:

After signing the notarized purchase contract and receiving payment, you must transfer ownership
Before the sale, you must provide information about any defects or encumbrances in the property
You must submit all relevant documents and the energy certificate for the property
Depending on the contractual provisions, you may be liable for defects in the property

Pricing When Selling Real Estate: Property Valuation

As you can imagine, the asking price is particularly important when selling a property. Because only if it's realistic will you get offers and, ultimately, a sale. Your potential buyer is naturally interested in a good deal. But you also have a desired price in mind when selling your property.

You should therefore assess your property realistically and not sell it below its value. If you want to know how to value real estate, we recommend our German podcast episode on real estate valuation.

But it's even easier for you. Because when you advertise your property on the Urbyo marketplace, our experts will provide you with a free market value assessment.

Pros & Cons Of Selling Your Property Alone Vs. With An Agent

If you want to sell your property, you can hire a real estate agent to handle the sale. Of course, selling a property without an agent has advantages and disadvantages.

Pros without agent

Advantages Without An Agent

Lower costs
Greater scope for negotiation because there are no estate agent costs
You are more flexible because you have control over the sales process and price negotiations
Direct communication with prospective buyers without coordination with estate agents

Cons without agents

Cons Without An Agent

You bear the costs of marketing your property
Selling a property without an estate agent often takes longer
Possibly less legal certainty when selling
Estate agents often achieve better prices

However, if you decide to sell the property via the Urbyo marketplace, there are fewer disadvantages to worry about. For example, you don't have to take care of the marketing. We take care of that.

Sell Your Property Privately Or Through Urbyo?

You've now got some information at your fingertips if you're thinking about selling your property. Ultimately, it's like buying a property: there's no such thing as THE perfect time, just the right deal. If you pay attention to a few things and achieve a price that you are happy with, then nothing stands in the way of the sale.

This is particularly easy with Urbyo. We don't just take care of the market assessment of your property so that you don't sell below value — we ensure the right marketing on our marketplace and advise you on every step of the property sale. We also provide you with prospective buyers who can provide you with quick financing commitments.

Does it make sense to sell a property now?

As demand for existing properties remains high due to rising construction prices, it may well make sense to sell a property in 2025. However, there is of course no general answer to this question. It depends on your situation - i.e. your strategy and your goals - as well as on your property and what you want to use the capital you have gained for. In principle, however, there is still demand for real estate as an investment or as a home, even in the current situation.

How do I sell my property privately?

You can sell your property privately or with an estate agent. If you sell privately, you will of course save the costs of an estate agent, but you will have to take care of the listing yourself. But that's where we come in with our Urbyo marketplace. You can advertise your property there and we will take care of creating the ad. You'll also find lots of pre-approved buyers who benefit from quick financing commitments.

Where do I best sell my property?

That's up to you, of course. You can sell real estate with an estate agent or consider selling your property privately. However, this naturally involves a certain amount of effort. This is where the Urbyo marketplace can be exciting for you when selling your property. This is because we take care of the marketing and listing for you and offer the property to potential buyers who have been pre-checked and can impress with quick financing commitments.

How can I calculate the speculation tax on my property?

What is the notary's job when I buy a property?

The first step is the draft of the purchase agreement. You'll need it to obtain financing in most cases. At this stage, notaries are impartial advisors who can inform you about various wording options in the contract.

Once everything is right for you, the seller, and the bank, you'll have a meeting with the notary. The notary reads the purchase agreement word for word. After the signing, the notary handles the next steps, such as the priority notice of conveyance, registration of the land charge in the land register, etc. You can find all the details in this overview.

Can I avoid paying speculation tax?

What is the speculation tax on real estate?

How do I negotiate the asking price?

First, you need to gather objective facts about the property. These include:

How long the property has been listed online
What prices other properties in the same area are being sold for
Whether the minutes from the most recent owners' meetings say that repairs or modernization work were planned for the near future
Whether there is any other work pending on the property, such as the replacement of the windows

Time is of the essence when negotiating. The quicker you can get approved for financing from a bank, the better your chances are of getting selected by the seller and being able to talk down the price. Have a look at our real estat price negotiating tips.

When might I need interim financing?

There are different reasons that you might need interim financing. The most common situation is when you sell a property to finance a new one. In this case, you'll likely receive the money from the sale after you've paid the purchase price for the new property, so you'll have to bridge this time by taking out interim financing. We have summarized further reasons under "When you need interim financing for your property."

Should I sell my buy-to-let property or continue to receive rent?

What are the obligations of the seller to cooperate?

Do buyer and seller have to go to the same notary office?

Who will provide the draft purchase contract: Buyer:in or Seller:in?

The buyer usually pays the notary - therefore he may also choose the notary. With the completed purchase contract questionnaire, the buyer can easily and quickly have a notary appointment created at a notary's office of his choice.

Important: the seller and broker should always be on CC here in the notary's emails to know the current status. The contact details and e-mail addresses of all parties are on the purchase agreement questionnaire.

When do I get the keys to my new property?

In most cases, the keys to a newly purchased property are handed over once the purchase price has been paid in full. The handover is specified in your purchase agreement. Should the seller agree to hand over the keys before payment of the purchase price, you'll need to make sure this is included in writing in the agreement.

If you plan to rent out your apartment or a purchased house, either you or a representative of yours will have to hand over the keys at the start and end of the lease period.

When do I have to pay the real estate agent's commission?

What do I need to look out for in a purchase agreement?

Who prepares the purchase agreement?

A professional – usually the notary – should prepare your real estate purchase agreement. The notary, who serves as a neutral third party to the agreement, bears witness that the buyer and the seller understand their rights and obligations. Before the deal is signed, the notary explains every issue and what it means for you and the seller. If you have any doubts, you can always bring in a specialist attorney or a second notary.

What real estate can be marketed through Urbyo?

Free services? How does Urbyo earn money then?