Relocation or Job Change: Selling a Flat in Berlin
Your new job starts in three months in another city. Should your Berlin flat go – or should you keep and rent it out instead? And how do you sell a flat you no longer live in? This page answers the three key questions in this situation: selling or renting, when, and how to avoid double expenses.
Reihenfolge
Roadmap for moving house
- 1
Sell or rent out – decide now
This question must be answered before you move house, because it determines everything else. Below is an honest assessment.
- 2
Obtain market value and achievable rent simultaneously
We provide both: sales value with a detailed explanation and a realistic net rent according to the rent index (Mietspiegel) and rent control (Mietpreisbremse). Only with both figures can a decision be made.
- 3
Check the speculation tax period
Owner-occupied in the year of sale and the two preceding years? Then tax-free, even within ten years. If you rent out first and sell later, you lose this exemption – an often overlooked cost factor.
- 4
Start the sale while you still live there
Occupied flats photograph better and appear more vibrant to buyers. Six to eight weeks before moving house is the ideal time to start.
- 5
Coordinate the handover date with your move
In the purchase agreement, the handover is set for a date after you move out. Purchase price payment and handover coincide – no double expenses.
- 6
Leave the keys, we'll handle the rest without you
After you move out, we conduct remaining viewings, the handover, and change of registrations. You will already be in your new city.
Selling or renting: an honest assessment
Renting out sounds like passive income, but in Berlin it's a job: rent control (Mietpreisbremse) limits the rent, maintenance and service charges (Hausgeld) eat up 25–35% of the net rent, tenant changes and vacancies incur costs, and remote management from Munich costs nerves or an administration fee. The net yield for Berlin condominiums is often 1.5–2.5% – less than a call deposit account. Plus the risk: if you sell later with a tenant, you get 15–25% less. Selling is worthwhile if you need the capital elsewhere (new property at your destination), don't want the flat back, or don't fancy landlord duties. Renting out is worthwhile if you plan to return in two to three years, or see the flat as a long-term investment and accept the yield.
Selling after moving out: the empty flat
No problem, but with rules: Empty flats appear smaller and colder. We have them cleaned, possibly repainted, and staged with a few pieces of furniture or virtually. Heating on frost protection in winter, regular ventilation – we take care of this during viewings. And: service charges (Hausgeld) and property tax continue until handover, which is why the sale should not start only after moving out.
Avoid double expenses
The classic scenario: New flat bought at your destination, old one in Berlin not yet sold, two loan instalments running. Three ways to prevent this: start the sale before moving and agree on handover after moving out; negotiate bridging finance with the bank (they're familiar with it); or rent at your destination first and only buy after the Berlin sale. We coordinate the Berlin timeline with your bank.
Moving abroad?
Then power of attorney, apostille, and tax issues arise – see our page on selling from abroad. Anyone who has the sale notarised (Beurkundung) before moving abroad saves themselves this effort entirely.
Zeitplan
Timeline with 3 months until moving house
- 1 week
Phase 1
Week 1
Valuation, rental value, decision to sell/rent, instruction.
- 2 weeks
Phase 2
Week 2–3
Documents, photos in the occupied flat, exposé, start of marketing.
- 6 weeks
Phase 3
Week 3–9
Viewings (grouped, even without you), offers, financing checks, notary contract.
- 3 weeks
Phase 4
Week 9–12
Notarisation before moving house. Handover and payment 6–8 weeks later – after you move out.
Unsere Rolle
What we handle while you pack
Moving house is enough work. The sale shouldn't be a second project.
Sales and rental value
Both figures with detailed explanation, so that the decision is based on facts.
Timeline working backwards from your move
We plan so that the notarisation is before you move out and the handover is afterwards.
Grouped viewings
One to two appointments per week, at times when you are not at home anyway.
After you move out, everything is handled without your involvement.
Remaining viewings, cleaning, handover, meter readings, and re-registration with property management and utility providers.
Coordination with your bank
Mortgage discharge certificate, redemption, and, if applicable, bridging finance for your purchase at the destination.
Contact in the new city
Upon request, we can recommend colleagues at your destination for buying or renting a property.
Vermeiden
Typical mistakes
Move first, then sell
An empty flat means double costs and remote coordination. The sale should begin before you move.
“Just rent it out for now” – without a proper calculation
Anyone who rents out a property due to indecision will, in three years, have a tenant, a lower valuation, and will have lost their tax exemption.
Overpriced due to lack of time
Those who believe they have 'no time for negotiations' due to their move often set an excessively high price and then sell below market value months later.
Signing a purchase agreement at your destination before selling your Berlin property
Two mortgages without bridging finance – the most costly mistake in this situation.
Frequently asked questions
Moving & Changing Jobs
Sold before you leave.
Tell us your moving date. We will plan backwards from there – and provide a sales valuation and rental valuation for comparison.