Sell your house in Berlin

Selling a house in Berlin: how it differs from selling a flat

An owner-occupied flat is separate ownership (Sondereigentum) combined with a co-ownership share in the plot. Much of it is governed by the declaration of division (Teilungserklärung), and you get the documents on the owners' association from the property manager. With a house, you gather the documents on the plot and the building yourself. With a flat, the land only plays a proportionate role; with a house, it counts in full. Owner-occupied flats have their own page: Sell your flat in Berlin.

The guide Agent's commission in Berlin shows how the commission on a detached house is split and what you are left with afterwards.

Plot and standard land value

With houses and villas, the plot is often worth more than the building on it. The standard land value (Bodenrichtwert) and the question of what may be built there therefore belong at the start of any pricing consideration.

The standard land value (Bodenrichtwert) is an average location value for undeveloped land in euros per square metre of plot area. In Berlin, the Berlin valuation committee (Gutachterausschuss) determines it every year as of 1 January, and you can look it up free of charge in BORIS Berlin. It applies to a notional plot with the typical features of the zone; it does not take into account shape, size, contamination or third-party rights. What may be built is governed by the development plan (Bebauungsplan) and the building regulations. The standard land value does not give rise to any entitlement to a building permit.

According to the preliminary report of the Berlin valuation committee (Gutachterausschuss) of 21 April 2026, the top value in Berlin for one- and two-family houses as of 1 January 2026 is €2,700 per square metre, in Grunewald, Dahlem and the Hansaviertel. Across Berlin, these land values fell by around 5 per cent, the Senate Department reported on 31 July 2026. Top values show the upper limit; only BORIS gives the value for your zone. Add the printout to your sales documents. The guide Standard land value in Berlin explains how to look it up and read it. If you are selling the plot without the house or only part of it, the guide Selling a plot in Berlin will help.

How the value of a house is determined

For owner-occupied one- and two-family houses, the cost value (Sachwert) often counts. The calculation is based on what the buildings would cost to build new, less age-related depreciation; the land value is then added. Because buyers do not simply pay the construction costs, the result is adjusted to the market with a market adjustment factor (Sachwertfaktor).

In Berlin, the market adjustment factor (Sachwertfaktor) for one- and two-family houses averaged 1.06, evaluated from 2,952 sales in the years 2022 to 2024 (market adjustment factors 2025 of the Berlin valuation committee, the Gutachterausschuss). It falls as the cost value rises: in several former boroughs, including Zehlendorf, Steglitz and Spandau, it is 0.90 at a provisional cost value of 700,000 euros. A factor below 1 means that buyers paid less than the calculated cost value. This table does not apply to villas and country houses.

For houses from the 1950s to the 1970s, the condition of the heating, windows and insulation now also helps determine the price. Proof of modernisation work, with the year it was done, therefore belongs with the documents.

If the house is let and has several flats, the income is what counts. The property yield rates (Liegenschaftszinssätze) that the Berlin valuation committee (Gutachterausschuss) publishes for this apply only to properties with at least four rental units, and expressly not to one- to three-family houses. How buyers calculate a multi-family building is explained on the page Sell an apartment building. The guide Valuation: comparison, income and cost value explains the methods with Berlin key figures.

Documents for selling a house in Berlin

Buyers, banks and notaries almost always ask for the same papers. For a house, many of them come from the land registry and the district offices:

• Land register extract, as current as possible: from the land registry, simple printout 10 euros, official printout 20 euros (GNotKG schedule of costs).
• Cadastral map (Flurkarte), i.e. the extract from the real estate cadastre: from the district surveying office, 16 euros per sheet.
• Information from the register of building encumbrances (Baulastenverzeichnis) kept by the building authority. A building encumbrance, such as a setback area or a right of way in favour of a neighbour, is not recorded in the land register. The certificate confirming that no building encumbrance is registered costs 17 euros.
• Building file with the building permit, approved plans and inspections, from the district's building files archive. For inspection, the archive requires a land register extract no more than six weeks old.
• Floor plans and living space calculation; state which method was used to determine the floor area.
• Energy performance certificate: present it at the viewing at the latest and hand it over after the purchase contract (§ 80 para. 4 GModG, Building Modernisation Act). If it already exists when an advert appears, its mandatory details belong in the advert (§ 87 GModG). Details in the guide Energy performance certificate and mandatory information.
• Information from the contaminated land register (Bodenbelastungskataster) at the district environmental office (Umweltamt). Owners or their authorised representatives can apply for it; the fee is 5 to 500 euros and the processing period four weeks. An entry is an indication, not a finding. More in the guide Contaminated land register Berlin.
• Property tax assessment and proof of modernisation work, for example showing the year the heating or roof was installed.
• If the house is let: all tenancy agreements with addenda and proof of the deposit.

Start with the documents that take longest, such as the building file and the certificate of inheritance; building files often have to be retrieved from the archive first. Obtain the land register extract and the cadastral map last so that they are still current at the notary appointment. With your written power of attorney, your estate agent can also request documents for you. A checklist with the issuing office and costs is in the guide Documents for selling a property.

Inherited a house: first the succession, then the sale

Heirs can only sell once they have proven their right of inheritance. To the land registry, this is done with a certificate of inheritance (Erbschein) or a European Certificate of Succession; with a notarial will, with the will and the record of its opening (§ 35 GBO, Land Register Code). Transferring the property into the heirs' names is free of charge if the application is received within two years of the death.

If there are several heirs, the house belongs to them jointly, and they can only decide on a sale together (§ 2040 BGB, German Civil Code). Even an heir with only a small share can hold up the sale. The guide Property in a community of heirs describes the ways out of the community and why a partition auction (Teilungsversteigerung) usually yields less than a joint sale. A valuation with the calculation disclosed gives all heirs the same basis.

Clarify tax questions relating to the sale with a tax adviser; the basics are covered in the article Ten-year holding period for property.

Vacancy, demolition and new build

Berlin's ban on the misuse of residential space (Zweckentfremdungsverbot) also applies to houses; according to the Senate Department, the law does not distinguish between flats and privately owned houses. If a house stands empty for more than three months until it is sold, you must report this to the district office (Bezirksamt) and need a permit.

Demolishing residential space also requires a permit. Since 30 July 2026, there has been a relaxation for one- and two-family houses if residential space of at least the same size is newly built there within a reasonable period. What this means for buyers with plans for a new build is explained in the guide Ban on the misuse of residential space (Zweckentfremdungsverbot) when selling. The social preservation map shows whether a plot is in a social preservation area (Milieuschutz), where dismantling and alterations additionally require a permit.