How do I Find an Apartment to Buy From an Owner in Berlin?
During the 20 years following the fall of the Berlin Wall in 1989, Berlin changed radically to become one of the most vibrant cities in Europe. As of August 2010, real estate prices in Germany were lower than those in many countries in western Europe. This is partly because Germans are less keen to own property than in other countries. In a 2007 article in the newspaper "The Sunday Times," Kieran Falconer stated that only 40 percent of Germans are owner occupiers; in another article, Greg Hurst gives the figure for owner occupation in England as 70 percent.
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Instructions
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Visit real estate websites to increase your understanding of the property market in Berlin (see Resources). ProVenture Property gives examples of house prices in Berlin as well as information about different areas of the city. The Global Property Guide traces house prices over a five-year period. This site gives an overview of the German property market. Prime Location provides details of real estate agents throughout the world.
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Read Berlin newspapers. Der Tagesspiegel, Berliner Morgenpost and Berliner Zeitung have advertisements (Kleinanzeigen) for real estate (Immobielien). Newspaper advertisements include abbreviations such as Zi for Zimmer (room). The website Expatica.com is in English, and although it covers all of Germany, you can limit your search to Berlin.
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Reply to newspaper advertisements. Place your own advertisement in local newspapers. Use the sources in step 2.
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References
- Times Online: Double Deutsche: Falling House Prices and Steady Rents Are Luring Investors
- Times Online: "Home ownership slips into reverse for the first time in half a century"; Greg Hurst, 2007
- German Property for Sale: ProVenture Property
- Global Property Guide: Germany's Housing Market Registers Price Growth in April 2010
- Prime Location: International Real Estate Agents
Resources
- Photo Credit Berlin image by Berlin V from Fotolia.com
