Berlin knows many estate agents. Few have known Berlin since 1995.

Nothing until the sale. The initial assessment is free and without obligation, and there are no upfront costs for the valuation, the documents or the brochure (the sales document). The commission is only earned once the purchase contract is concluded. When a flat or a single-family house is sold to a consumer, buyer and seller each pay us 3.57 per cent. It is calculated on the purchase price recorded by the notary. The 3.57 per cent already includes VAT. Together that makes 7.14 per cent.

The buyer and the seller, usually half each. Since 23 December 2020, the equal split under § 656c and § 656d BGB (German Civil Code) applies when an owner-occupied flat or a single-family house is sold to a consumer. If only the seller instructs the agent, they may pass on at most half of the commission to the buyer. This does not apply to multi-family buildings and commercial property.

There is no fixed timeframe. The asking price matters most, followed by location, condition and complete documents. If the energy performance certificate is missing, producing one takes from a few days to several weeks, depending on the type of certificate. Our pricing strategy calculator shows, as a model calculation, how much an asking price that starts too high prolongs the sale. We will tell you what to expect in the initial consultation.

Yes, as a rule. We must present it unprompted at the viewing at the latest. If it is already available when the listing goes live, the listing must contain the mandatory information under § 87 GModG (Building Modernisation Act, formerly GEG). This includes the type of certificate, the energy rating and the main energy source, in other words how the property is heated. Listed buildings, among others, are exempt. Missing information can lead to a fine of up to €10,000 under § 108 GModG.

Above all, the exact location decides. In Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf, a few streets can change the price considerably. Then there is the condition of the building fabric and the heating. A reliable figure is only possible for a specific address, and our initial assessment is free and without obligation. The Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf district page gives official figures on the housing stock, for example 801 completed flats (2025) according to the Statistical Office for Berlin-Brandenburg.

Milieuschutz (the rules for social preservation areas) protects the residents of a neighbourhood from displacement. As a rule, it does not prohibit a sale. You need approval above all if an apartment building is to be converted into owner-occupied flats (§ 250 BauGB, the German Federal Building Code, and in preservation areas also § 172 BauGB). Exception: if the conversion was approved only on condition that, for seven years, the flats are sold to tenants only, this obligation applies. The municipal right of first refusal, which would allow a district to buy the property itself, was restricted by the Federal Administrative Court in 2021. We check your property in advance.

Under § 566 BGB (German Civil Code), the tenancies pass to the buyer ("sale does not break a lease"). Buyers base their calculations on the rent roll, the condition, the backlog of repairs and the energy performance certificate. Only then does the multiplier become a price. The multiplier states how many years' rent the purchase price represents. The equal split of the commission does not apply here. We agree the amount and who pays it in advance in text form, meaning in writing or by email. On request, BBI, a brand since 1995, markets the property discreetly to registered investors.

As a rule, a current extract from the land register (Grundbuch), the energy performance certificate, the floor plan and the living space calculation. For owner-occupied flats you also need the declaration of division (Teilungserklärung) and the minutes of the last three owners' meetings, and for let properties the rent roll. Missing documents delay a sale, so we obtain the land register extract, declaration of division, minutes and living space calculation for you, with no upfront costs.

Off-market means that your property is first offered discreetly to registered, vetted prospective buyers, without a public listing and without a sign on the building. This protects your privacy. For high-end flats in particular, this approach is often more effective than a broad listing on the portals. We discuss in the initial consultation whether to market discreetly or publicly.

In our experience, these above all: an inflated asking price, incomplete documents and too little reach in a private sale. Also missing energy performance certificate details in the listing, which can be an administrative offence under § 87 GModG. The most expensive mistake is often an asking price that starts too high. A listing gets the most attention in its first weeks. A later price cut no longer reaches many prospective buyers.