Inherited apartment – sale, rent or own use?
Not only houses, but also condominiums are inherited more and more frequently. The inheritance of an apartment is more complex than is the case with houses due to various special features. Even as an apartment heir, you are well advised to choose experienced real estate agents.
In your emotionally and psychologically stressed situation as an heir, you do not have to deal with the difficulties of selling the apartment and obtaining documents. Real estate agents take over these tasks on your behalf and ensure that the apartment finds a new owner in a timely manner.
Inherited property – the best way to proceed
With the acceptance of the inheritance and the entry of the owner in the land register, you are the legal owner of the apartment. Do you rule out moving in yourself for personal reasons or with regard to the size and location of the apartment? Then you have the option of renting out the inherited apartment as an investment or deciding to sell it. The first step is to determine the market value, which will give you a concrete indication of the selling price and the actual value of the condominium. Only when you know the real value should you think about the further procedure.
In the case of apartments, in addition to the original documents for the sale, you must obtain the approval of the other owners. It is best to discuss the intention to sell or rent out the apartment at an owners’ meeting. As a rule, a solvent buyer will not be rejected, provided that his planned use of the apartment fits in with the community concept and the ideas of the other owners.
More information about inheritance:
Inheritance settlement
Properties inherited in community pose a particular difficulty when selling. Within the framework of a community of heirs, there are several owners in the land register. This circumstance has a detrimental effect on the interest of potential buyers and makes the sale process more difficult. There is a solution to simplify the settlement and at the same time provide for a clear guideline of all heirs with equal rights. The settlement of an estate refers to the dissolution of a community of heirs, which is carried out on the basis of clear contractual regulations and is not bound by any particular form. Everything you need to know about inheritance settlement.
Community of heirs
From practice it is known that a community of heirs rather rarely agree. But from the disagreement and open disputes in relation to a real estate inheritance arise losses that you can avoid with prudence. Avoid conflicts about the estate by consulting an estate agent and finding the best way with support. If the will does not provide otherwise, all co-heirs are equally entitled and obliged. This means that a sale is often the best solution and gives you the opportunity to divide the proceeds of the estate between all the co-heirs, thus avoiding the problem of an inheritance dispute. Learn more about the community of heirs.
Inheritance tax
For many heirs, grief, joy and sorrow are closely linked. When you inherit a house, this process is always linked to a painful, emotional loss. After some time, a slight joy spreads and you realize that you are a homeowner. At the same time comes the worry that the tax office will claim inheritance tax from you and you will only be able to pay this amount if you sell the house. You have an exemption amount, below which there is generally no inheritance tax. The amount of this allowance is based on your degree of relationship to the deceased. Spouses can inherit real estate tax-free up to 500,000 euros, children up to 400,000 euros. To ensure that you do not pay speculation tax, you should consider whether you would like to live in the inherited house yourself if it was acquired less than 10 years ago. Everything about inheritance tax.