Usable space, living space and floor space: what is the difference?

Let’s start very simply. You will encounter these values in exposés, in advertisements, in every real estate search. That’s why it’s important to know the difference.

3 Surfaces you will often encounter:

1. Footprint
2. Useful area
3. Living space

The order is chosen specially. Because as you can see here, you come from the 1) floor space to the 2) usable space to the final 3) living space.

Tip. At the end of the article you will also find extra infographics, for clarification

Since there is still a simple “formula” for calculation on the Internet, here in quite simply explained.

Simply expressed as a “formula”:

• Floor area = usable area + circulation area (such as staircase) + functional area (such as boiler room)
• Usable area = Usable area (living area – basement – attic – …)
• Living space = living space (living room + bedroom + …)

Calculate step by step

Let’s look at the process again step by step:

Footprint: Step 1 + Definition

That is, the 1) floor area includes the entire usable area, as well as corridors and staircases (circulation area), and garbage or boiler room (functional area).

This includes all floor areas:

• Living space
• Attic, basement, garages and balconies
• Staircase, corridors, … (so-called traffic area)
• Garbage room, boiler room, … (so-called functional area)

This does not include:

• Plot

Calculate:

Floor area = usable area + circulation area (such as staircase) + functional area (such as boiler room)

Infographic:

Example: All built-up areas, covered areas and upper floors.

Usable area: Step 2 + Definition

After the floor area, consider the 2) usable area, that is, what can really be used in the house or apartment building (for condominiums).

These include, for example:

• Attic
• Basement
• Garages
• Storage rooms (outside the living space)
• Balconies

This no longer includes:

• Staircase, corridors, … (so-called traffic area)
• Garbage room, boiler room, … (so-called functional area)

Calculate:

Usable area = Usable area (living space, basement, attic, …)

Infographic:

Example: Staircase is part of the usable space.

Living space: step 3 + definition

Only then you come to the 3) living space. The living space then indicates the actual habitable space of the property.

Typically only includes:

• Living rooms (bedroom, kitchen, bathroom, living room, etc.)
• Balconies, loggias, terraces and roof gardens are counted at 25%, at most at 50% (§4 WoFlV)

Calculate:

Living space = living space (living room + bedroom + …)

Now you know the difference.

Infographic:

Example: Living room of a condominium.

Summary: Technical terms as infographics

Once again quickly summarized, the areas, simplified summary with infographic.

1. Total area (use + traffic + function)
   1. Traffic area (staircase, corridors in the house)
   2. Functional area (boiler room, garbage room, etc.)
2. Usable area (everything except traffic area / functional area)
3. Living space (usable space that is not occupied, example: cellar)

Total area / floor space in the house

Use + traffic + function give the total area.

Usable area in the house

Everything except traffic area / functional area results in the usable area.

Living space in the house

Usable space that is not occupied, example: basement, is called living space.

“Sell half of the apartment”

Sell quickly, get money quickly, that’s what more and more want, who find at an advanced age that their own 4-walls are getting too big. Whether 3-room apartment, 4-room apartment or even comfortable 5-room and more.

Those who want quick money for the condominium, more and more often looking for “partial sale apartment”. Because one hears of many advantages: Fast, uncomplicated, no credit check. That’s true, but there is also a disadvantage, the user fee, which you pay monthly afterwards.

Quickly sell 10-50% shares of an apartment

The different sellers buy apartment shares between 20% – 50%. If the market value of your condominium is in the 7-digit range, you can sometimes sell “only” 10% of the apartment.

• Up to 1 million value = 10-50
• Over 1 million value = 10-50

Here schematically shown with 20% sold share, a 3-room apartment:

Partial sale condominium: what is it?

First, let’s start with the definition of the partial sale of an apartment.

What is the partial sale of an apartment?

As described at the beginning, you sell apartment shares between 20% – 50%. You sell the shares to a financial company. This makes you a condominium owners’ association consisting of two parties. In return you get the proportional purchase price quickly transferred, independent of banks / loans.

Fast money, sounds great or?

Whether selling in Berlin, Hamburg, Munich, Cologne or even “smaller” cities, there are advantages to paying the purchase price quickly without any credit check (compare credit at the bank). But there are also disadvantages: The user fee and likewise with the total sale.

Usage fee = rent for your apartment

After partial sale = you have to pay usage fee

The finance company becomes the partial owner of your apartment. However, you remain the sole user of the apartment. Therefore, from now on, you pay a monthly usage fee, quasi “rent” for the part of your condominium that no longer belongs to you.

Depending on the provider, this usage fee is approximately ~ 3% p.a. (per year). A simple, quick calculation of the usage fee.

• Usage fee (ETW): 3% p.a.

Formula usage fee (depending on the provider) per month:

• Monthly usage fee = 3% * purchase price (share) / 12
• = 3% * 100.000 / 12

With this you pay 250 euros per month.

User fee at 100.000 Euro = 250 Euro / month

As always, depending on the provider. All providers can be found here in the partial purchase apartment: comparison.

This is how the financial company refinances itself.

Disadvantage? User fee vs. credit

Uncomplicated and fast money for the condo, this is a really tempting offer. That is why you should take a second look at the various partial purchase offers for apartment.

Those who resort to the really simple sales offer, quickly get money. But for this, you pay – as learned – the monthly user fee. Many use the offer because you think, I can not get a real estate loan, especially at an older age.

At the same time, a real estate loan is much cheaper! Especially at the current interest rates. Currently you pay here only 1% p.a., instead of 3% or more, as with the partial sale.

Comparison partial sale / credit:

• Partial sale / month = 250 euros
• Mortgage loan / month = 85 euros

So remember, simply put:

Real estate loans are (currently) 66% cheaper!

So it’s worth talking to your local bank and maybe 2 or 3 alternatives.

Partial sale of real estate: advantages, disadvantages, tax & Co.

Read more about partial sale here – A look at costs of use, advantages, disadvantages, the total sale, the calculated increase in value under inflation and a comparison, what is “cheaper”: partial purchase or the alternative real estate loan, more specifically the mortgage loan? In addition taxes, sale from community of heirs, divorce and much more. My recommendations for sellers!

• Partial sale property
• Partial sale provider comparison

Land sale Berlin: Learn the procedure

There are various factors that influence the value of a plot of land, depending on whether it is a meadow or forest plot, agricultural land, raw building land, land awaiting construction or building land. On the one hand, of course, the intended use of the land, the possibilities of building on it and, of course, one of the central value factors: the location of your land. Regardless of whether it is a building plot, land for construction, forest land or agricultural land in the Berlin area, the same questions always arise for sellers and property owners!

This is where our guide or guidebook comes in, which brings the sale of land, including the valuation of the land, piece by piece closer.

The right time: credit pressure, old age, inheritance

As different as the reasons are, the process of selling real estate is always relatively the same. Broadly speaking, it involves 3 phases: 1) the preparation for the sale of the property, 2) the marketing phase and 3) the completion of the sale.

Reasons for selling a property are many and varied. As mentioned above, it can be a sudden inheritance and confronting a property that may not even be in your immediate area. Even if it is right next door, what do you do with that property? Apart from inheritance, there are of course many other reasons, for example financial pressure due to existing loans, as well as old age.

Either way: Timing is key so there is no pressure to sell. Ideally, you inform yourself now because you want to sell in 3 or 4 months. If you need to sell sooner, it is advisable to approach domestic investors, foreign investors, institutions, construction companies directly through experts in off market trading. More on this later.

Advantage Berlin: Hype of the city

Berlin attracts investors like no other city in Europe. Berlin is located in the middle of the many countries that are part of the European Union. Berlin is also relatively central in Germany and is easily accessible from cities like Munich, Hamburg and Cologne, by car, train and plane. As the capital city, it is not only interesting for tourists and business, the country’s major politics are also at home here. You see: Many, different target groups!

This in turn supports the sale. Sell in districts such as Schöneberg and Wannsee or in trendy neighbourhoods such as Kreuzberg, Friedrichshain and classy districts such as Grunewald and Weißensee.

Sale in 3 phases: Preparation, marketing and closing of the sale

You may have already read about these 3 phases, with their individual steps, in our guide to selling property.

This additional guide to selling land in Berlin is specifically for those selling their first property. In addition to the phases, we also take a look at the property valuation (location, layout, size, development, etc.), the general and more specific documents and records needed for the sale and … but let’s start at step 1:

The preparation of the sale

Prepare land sale: Planning and strategy

The preparation phase is concerned with strategic planning, as with the sale of an apartment or house. The preparation phase is crucial for the success of the sale, here it is about the right timing, the selection of the right broker (for the right target group, as mentioned above), important documents and records for the sale, from which ultimately the offer price (land value) is calculated. No matter whether building plot, forest, field or acre.

Berlin is a sought-after place. At the same time, as a (first-time) seller, you can make an extremely large number of mistakes that ultimately cost you a lot of money. A loss of only 15% on a property worth 5,000,000 euros can result in a loss of 750,000 euros. And we are not even talking about properties in Berlin Mitte. You can achieve such prices in Berlin Pankow, for example.

But back to step 1 in the preparation:

1. Set time schedule
2. Make an appointment with a real estate agent
3. Collect documents
4. Prepare property
5. Determinequotation price
6. Create exposé

Timing and broker selection

First of all there is the time planning. For the sale of a property you should calculate with at least 3 months, from the first thought to the notary appointment and transfer of the purchase price. Of course, it can go faster (the mentioned, direct and discreet investor approach in the off market area), but we want to give a general overview here!

At least 3 months time, until the sale, does not mean that it is also sold after three months. Here, above all, the decision for the right real estate agent plays a role, as well as the valuation of the property. If the valuation is set too high, you will lose interested parties for your property offer – even in Berlin!

Generally speaking, selling under time pressure is never a good option.

Real estate prices in this country are relatively high and stable in almost all locations, after all, it is one of the strongest real estate markets in the world. Berlin in particular has been experiencing a boom for a long time. Square meter prices in Berlin are rising, even though the city government is fighting against it. Measures against “speculators” (investors) are, for example, the Mietpreisbremse (albeit recently overturned), ordinances on renovation and modernization, conversion of rental housing to condominiums, etc.

Berlin: Price development (comparison)

The goal of most investors: to develop land. That means: the more residential units, the more buildable floor space, the better. This is also evident when looking at the price being asked for a square metre of condominiums in Berlin.

The development of asking prices for condominiums in Berlin, from 2012 to the 1st quarter of 2021 are enormous. Here is an insight into the average price, in euros per square metre.

• 2012 (Q1): 1,671 Euro / m²
• 2015 (Q1): 2.321 Euro / m² (+ 38.9%)
• 2017 (Q1): 3.154 Euro / m² (+ 35.9%)
• 2019 (Q1): 3,897 euros / m² (+ 23.5%)
• 2021 (Q1): 4,781 Euro / m² (+ 22.6%)

From 1st quarter 2012 to 1st quarter 2021, a total increase of + 168.1 %.

Sell land privately?

From my experience without expertise through previous sales, a real experiment and venture, where many mistakes can arise in the sale of property. Often it is then recommended to accept the help of the real estate lawyer, because he knows better with the tax savings in the sale of real estate, finances & Co.

If you’re interested in the dangers that can happen from selling property privately, here’s our list of the typical, 15 mistakes when selling real estate. Condo, house, apartment building, land:

• Mistakes in the sale of real estate

So let’s summarize briefly: If you sell off market to well connected brokers, it can be very quick, sometimes under 30 days to transaction, thanks to targeting investors in the internal network. When selling via real estate portals, it’s more like 3 months and a lot of communication with private individuals, plus credit checks, etc.

After scheduling and choosing a good real estate agent, move on to the documents and paperwork they will need for the property sale.

Documents and records for the sale of land

The documents are prepared early, because they also serve for the valuation of the property, we will come to that in a moment.

Reading Tip: Selling Property: Documents

As a rule, before you sell a property, you need the following documents:

1. Cadastral map or real estate map from the cadastral office
2. Development plan
3. Land register extract Land registry
4. Land use plan
5. Preliminary building application
6. Information on building encumbrances
7. Development proofs
8. Notice of land tax

Prepare the land? Shouldn’t the next step be the property valuation and the offer price? No, because by no beauty corrections the price can be corrected often still a little upward. No picture has been taken yet, no exposé and no investor has been approached.

Increase in value before property valuation

Here is a small example from practice: When I speak with my investors, these are usually larger companies, institutions or family offices. Accordingly, a person is quickly sent from somewhere in the country, who quickly makes an overview of the property, live on site. Just like that, quickly by car, a few meters on foot.

For the exposé, for the valuation but also for such spontaneous viewings, it is worth taking a look at ways in which you can still increase the value of your property. From simple “beauty corrections” to preparatory measures for further development.

In our example from practice it was about a property from Berlin. Who knows Berlin knows that empty properties, without security measures, are quickly littered. If even apartment buildings in Berlin are occupied, then no properties are safe.

It’s just little things, but just as an increase in the value of the property, through small beauty corrections or renovations is achievable, can also optimize properties before the property photos, before the valuation, before the first visits. Thus the value can be increased with the property sale, in which you for reorganization work a craftsman, or for small rebuilding measures an architect in Berlin to rate pull. It is not about 5%, 10% increase in value, but even an increase in value of 1%, 2%, makes a property of 1 million market value already a significant proportion, which you can pocket as a seller profitable for themselves.

Offer price: Determine property value (valuation)

The valuation of a plot of land is subject to various factors, just like the valuation of any property. The following factors, among others, are decisive for the valuation of land.

First, as with any property, is location.

Location, location, location … also for Berlin properties

This is also about the development and transport links. The next factor in land valuation is the size of the plot. But size is not everything, the layout also plays a role. In addition to size and layout, there is of course also the development, soil condition, standard ground value, as well as possible contaminated sites and third-party rights.

Exact details should always be discussed and worked out in cooperation with your advisor (broker).

In addition to the location and size, of course, it becomes much more specific: Are we talking about building land, are we talking about soil samples, are we talking about forest land, then also climatic changes, to agricultural land and so on. The land valuation is therefore not as easy to summarize as the apartment valuation or the house valuation.

Value factors: checklist

The factors are important for the evaluation:

• Location of the property
• Size and cut
• Development of the area
• Soil composition
• Degree of development or buildability
• Legacy
• Third-party rights
• Ground value

Property types

In addition, depending on the property, still value factors in the area of the development. Depending on which possibilities are available for the construction.

• Forest or meadow land; if necessary, no construction is allowed
• Land awaiting construction; may be built on in the foreseeable future
• Undeveloped land; land not yet developed
• Building land; development possible within the framework of the development plan

Preparation for the sale of land – Conclusion

Here is a summary of the individual steps. A simple checklist, consisting of 6 key points, which will bring you closer to the process of selling a property.

1. Timing
2. Broker appointment
3. Documents
4. Prepare property
5. Offer price
6. Exposé

When it comes to property valuation, there are a number of factors that come into play. The complexity of each individual property valuation, we can not convey in this general guide, but we can give you this tip, ask yourself the following questions:

• What type of land are you selling? Is it a building plot, a forest plot, agricultural land,…
• How big is your property?
• What type of use is intended for your property?
• How can your plot be built on? This means building footprint (BGF) and house type and / or apartment type
• What are the transport links to the location of your property?

Berlin: Real estate in the capital

Capital, university city, historical stronghold and as an international location an attractive place to live for families, couples, singles and students. Accordingly, Berlin faces a continuously growing population due to immigration.

Berlin real estate market: overview

Berlin offers everything from fashion, art, finance, start-ups, and the list goes on. There is hardly a person who would not find their passion in this city of 3.75 million. This is also evident in the sprawl of the city and the different districts. For this reason it is often described as’ many cities in one’. A walk through Berlin-Mitte is very different from Kreuzberg and Prenzlauer Berg is not often confused with Zehlendorf.

• Real Estate Berlin

Living in Berlin: Popular residential areas

We present the most beautiful districts of the German capital and tell you where you can buy the best, highest quality and most exclusive properties to set up your new home, or which districts are best suited to invest in a property as an investment. Here we present the most popular residential areas – from upscale Grunewald to charming Schmargendorf and quiet Dahlem to historic Charlottenburg. Back to overview: Living in Berlin.

• Grunewald
• Charlottenburg
• Zoo
• Dahlem
• Schmargendorf
• Prenzlauer Berg
• Kreuzberg
• Kurfürstendamm

Selling real estate in Berlin: house, apartment and land

As an international location, Berlin is an attractive place to live for people from all over the world. While the district of Wilmersdorf in Charlottenburg convinces with its well-kept green spaces, the residential areas of Prenzlauer Berg and Weißensee in Berlin-Pankow inspire with their unbeatable prices and central location. You want to sell your apartment, your apartment building or your property in the world metropolis Berlin? With our free guides and tips on the topics of real estate sales and property valuation, you are well prepared. Back to overview: Selling real estate in Berlin.

• Pankow
• Charlottenburg
• Wilmersdorf
• Friedrichshain-Kreuzberg
• Prenzlauer Berg
• Kreuzberg
• Wannsee
• Steglitz
• Schöneberg

Real estate agent: Real estate marketing today

In this short guide to our work, you will get to know the different areas of work and property types in which our Family Office is active for you.

You want to sell? Here you will find our purchase profile.

Advantages: Reach and reputation – For developers

Reach and network – The big advantage, we not only have regional partners for individual cities, but are also internationally networked. Two birds, one stone: regional and international contacts. A must, especially in major cities such as Munich, Hamburg and Berlin, because here people and investors are interested in properties worldwide, not just in their own district.

In this way, we also reach an international audience for you, as you will see in a moment in terms of reach, people (investors and buyers) from the USA, but also from Asia. This increases the sales opportunities in metropolitan areas and of course the sales price.

Calculation: Interested parties and development

Visitors and interested parties – We also give you an insight into our media data, as a real estate portal. Already knew? Annually, we have a lot of visitors to our pages and thus potential buyers, on our website. Essen not 1,000, not 10,000, not 100,000, currently would reach over a quarter of a million people a year.

255,372 + people / year, in German-speaking countries alone

Status: 02/2021, Google Analytics (lukinski.de)

Increase of 7.61 % / month

Developers with larger properties, estates and facilities also have another unbeatable advantage: our in-house property magazine with over 1 million readers a year. So we can present real estate, in the year over 1.25 million people.

• Reach, Luknski.de: ~ 250,000 / year
• Reach, Fivmagazine.de: ~ 1 million / year

Reach broker + magazine:

1.25 million people / year, in German-speaking countries alone

More about this in a moment, in the article about selling real estate (apartment, houses, villas and quarters). Here is a small overview of our portfolio.

Sell condominiums

With all the housing styles and types, construction companies and developers can get creative. Have you given an old building a completely new function? For example, a parking garage that you converted into fancy condos. Instead of thousands of square feet of space, you now have 54 chic condos in the planning stages or already under construction. The next step: marketing the units.

Profit maximization for each ETW unit

No matter how creative your work as a developer has been, good ideas can be marketed just as well with the right concepts! Of course, the better the location, the “easier” the sale. For example, with 54 ETW units, +7,000 euros more profit / unit will quickly play a role if you manage to increase the demand side. Classic business economics: more demand, less supply, higher prices. In the calculation example 54 x 7,000 euros extra.

This is exactly why experienced construction companies and developers work with real estate agents. The only question is: with which real estate agent?

How do we reach prospective buyers?

It’s not just the work in our free guides, as well as see right here, on the subject of buying a home or even selling a home. These are initial, relatively superficial / simple guides or even explanations for those buying your first property. However, it goes much, much deeper.

We inform our readers on the subject of taxes, finances and much more special. Not only hard facts, so legal and laws, also news and innovations, e.g. the new brokerage law, which came into force at the beginning of 2021 in Germany. At the same time, news from the USA, for example, on taxes in the USA when buying, but also tax relief in the USA. Just as in Germany. Our focus: Germany and USA. This is how we reach solvent people with a real interest in buying.

Strategy: Reputation and quality instead of “advertising

This way we reach future buyers long before they call up a concrete real estate listing! Through this good reputation (brand image) of our real estate portal, we create a very different brand image, than the competition. We have helped again and again, free of charge. Who will our visitors remember, if they then want to buy an apartment or a house?

Instead of placing ads, like many others, we have our own community, in agency speak: “Qualitative, organic traffic”.

We get additional reputation through our luxury properties. Everything really has to be right here! When the price per square meter is no longer 1000 euros, but 10,000 or 20,000 euros. Such luxury properties can also be found everywhere in Germany, for example in Berlin-Grunewald but also in Düsseldorf, Munich and Hamburg-Ottensen.

Take a look at an example of how we write free, simple guides for our visitors. You don’t just read this one guide, you click through each topic and article step by step, day by day. This is how we build our reputation, brand awareness, so we can find solid, solvent buyers for you.

• Buy apartments
• Sell apartments

So we now reach over 255,000 people a year, with a current increase of 7.61% a month. A good investment.

Do you have any questions? Get in touch with our contact persons now:

• Contact

Housing types:

• Old apartment
• Apartment
• Attic apartment
• Granny flat
• Apartment
• Loft
• Maisonette
• Penthouse
• Basement apartment
• Terrace apartment

For sale itself, more later in our realtor brochure: New building!

Sell houses

Construction companies also have a lot of leeway when it comes to the different types of houses.

You want to sell several houses to the man or woman? As you have just seen in the example of condominiums, we do not simply list real estate listings. We give our visitors a comprehensive insight into the topic of buying real estate, renting real estate, selling real estate and real estate as an investment.

Buyer types and target groups

The market for house sales is also, broad as in any other area of real estate. From the simple tenant who is likely to stay for a few years, to the family who will probably spend their whole life here, to the capital investor who wants to rent out one or more houses.

Real estate search begins on Google

Most real estate searchers today start their research on Google. Especially in Germany, the number of users is extremely high.

Google has a market share of over 90% here.

Did you already know that? That is, almost every Internet user begins his search with Google. Only a small part searches content with networks the T-Online, GMX or even alternative search engines like Duck Duck Gogo, Bing or Yahoo. That’s why real estate agents today need to be able to do more than just sell properties. Marketing is a big aspect nowadays, a single exposé is not enough anymore.

This is exactly why we have created “Lukinski”, a real estate platform for property developers that works on one thing above all:

Reputation with customers and buyers through quality.

In order to reach prospective buyers not only at the moment of the real estate search, but perhaps a few days or even weeks before, we write a lot of guides on the subject of real estate search, real estate research up to the subject of tax structuring for real estate owners.

Why? Trust is everything. Especially when we get into the realm of villas and luxury real estate. Ahead, here’s a sneak peek of what our simple, first time real estate beginner guides look like:

• Buying houses
• Sell houses

House types in a list:

• Buy a house
• Farm
• Bungalow
• Semi-detached house
• Single-family house
• Half-timbered house
• Holiday home / weekend house
• Prefabricated house
• Wooden house
• Country house
• Massive house
• Apartment house
• Terraced house
• Beach house
• Villa
• Low-energy house
• Zero Energy House & Passive House

Villas and luxury real estate

Those who invest in luxury real estate no longer pay “only” 2,000 euros per square meter, but easily 10,000, 20,000 euros or even more. This means that the value of the property quickly rises to 10 million, 20 million or even 50 million.

Owners of such exclusive properties are usually very successful people themselves who want to implement their ideas. Some take the opportunity to live in the villa themselves for another year or two and then sell it, others sell directly after construction begins. Large architectural firms, such as Graft in Berlin, realise the ideas of their clients.

Active or Off Market Real Estate

Now comes the big sticking point! Especially with luxury properties and people who may even still be prominent themselves. Such properties need a very special network, so they become, in the special term, off market properties.

A big villa from the star architect is something everyone would love to see, maybe even take a few photos with their phone. But do they want such people for a viewing?

This is where our work as a luxury broker comes into play, because in such special cases, the property is not seen online. The property is only presented to internal investors, so there will never be any data, photos or videos in a public area.

At the same time, the reach still helps us to find buyers for such luxury properties. As described, with our own network, which reaches a quarter of a million people and as an additional reach kicker our real estate magazine, with which we can reach another (x4) million people. So we can also present such, special off market luxury properties indirectly. E.g. by reporting about luxury real estate in Kitzbühel and additionally making reference to our off market real estate offers. Interested parties and buyers can then contact us as real estate agents and we will check their creditworthiness in advance. Only then, only the very first information will be published.

Should I hire a luxury broker real estate service is very important especially for wealthy people. Because time is worth more than money.

Of course we inform our visitors not only in the area of condominium buy and sell, as well as houses buy and sell, also villas and apartment buildings are a big topic with us.

Sell villas

• Buy a villa
• Sell villa

Do you have any questions? Get in touch with our contact persons now:

• Contact

Real Estate Portal: Apartment, House & Apartment Building

Advantages – this small, very first brochure our new building project customers receive in the very first step. Since you have already dealt with the matter “marketing” in great detail, otherwise you would not be at this point in the article, we would like to present our new construction brochure to you once. Here we summarize our range, the possibilities, in shortest form.

1. Page 1 with example advertisement (villa)
2. Facts & Figures: Media data and readers
3. Buyers seek quality: Real Estate Portal
4. Domain Rating: Comparison with a market leader

Brochure: Page 1 with example advertisement (villa)

On the very first page you will find directly an example real estate listing. This villa is currently under construction in Los Angeles, Beverly Hills, to be found in Lukinski Home. Our real estate portal is optimized for all kinds of devices. From smartphones, older generations and newer generations, to tablets, notebooks, desktops and of course 4k monitors, which are built into every modern condo.

New construction: project partners and developers

Facts & Figures: Media data and readers

As seen at the beginning:

255.372 visitors per year, +7,61 % increase / month

With our German-language site alone, we reach over 250,000 people a year. That’s 250,000 potential buyers and prospects for your real estate. With a monthly increase of over 7%, we are aiming for over one million visitors per year in the next few years. As you will see in the following slides, we already have 33% of organic traffic (number of visitors), from one of the market leaders in Germany.

Buyers seek quality: Real Estate Portal

Most start their search on Google.

90+% search on Google

Why do we put our focus, with the real estate portal Lukinski, on search engines and algorithms like Google? The Internet is the future, the saying actually belongs to the year 2010, but it is still as present today as it was then.

Speaking of which, did you know? To date, only about 40% of humanity has access to the Internet. If we look at the situation very simply, there is still an enormous potential for increase. However, we are not only talking about “poorer” countries, which are increasingly gaining access to the Internet through mobile devices, for example; older target groups are also among these “yet to be tapped” groups.

More and more are switching from the classic newspaper and starting their real estate research on the Internet.

Domain Rating: Comparison with a market leader

A direct comparison with one of the leading real estate portals in Germany shows that we have already achieved 33% of organic traffic. This within two years! In the here accessible version of our “Brochure: New Construction”, we can’t tell you about this real estate portal, but we can show you the official evaluation and analysis, which was created with one of the leading search engine optimization software (Xovi).

How does the domain (website) comparison work? The software checks all available keywords and their placement in the Google search engine. The more keywords, the better the ranking, the higher the rating of the domain. This creates a uniform value that can be easily compared with other domains.

Advantages of our real estate agency

These values are an extremely strong argument when it comes to the advantages of our real estate agency. Currently, we are the newest real estate portal that exists in Germany. In 2021 we have (now) reached 33% of the organic traffic of one of the market leaders. In a few days, we’ll be adding English and Chinese to those, so we can reach additional real estate investors, in the US and in Asia. Why?

Germany is the strongest real estate market in the whole of Europe.

Strong returns can be achieved here, especially in metropolitan areas such as Berlin, Munich and Hamburg. A strong playground, for real estate investors.

Contact & Real Estate Agent

Do you have any questions? Get in touch with our contact persons now:

• Contact

Exclusive! Own real estate magazine

In addition, over 1 million people a year

No other real estate agent or real estate portal offers him this advantage. With our real estate magazine, we have built a real benchmark. We report on news in the real estate market, give tips for buying apartments, houses and apartment buildings, write about furnishings, interior design styles and brands that real estate owners need to know. And through our real estate magazine, we can draw on an additional reach of more than one million readers in the year, in German-speaking countries alone.

• Real Estate Magazine

This means that we can also handle extremely large and exclusive real estate projects, from quarters to high-rise buildings, with over 100 residential units.

Decisions before your Purchase

If you would like to buy an apartment, you have the choice of different objects. You can invest in an expensive apartment in an advantageous downtown location to rent it on the free housing market or to move in yourself and live in an attractive and popular residential area. Alternatively, you can opt for an apartment that is located on the outskirts of a city or in the countryside. There are also multi-family houses there, where the apartments are sometimes offered at very reasonable prices. If you are looking for a form of housing that is cheap in terms of monthly costs and if you cannot invest a high purchase price, this option is a very good choice for you.

Purchase Apartments Before Completion

As an alternative to buying an apartment that is already ready for occupancy or rented, you can purchase apartments before the house is built for the purpose of rental or for your own use. When the construction project becomes known, contact the developer to reserve the property of your choice. This is possible if the apartments are to be sold individually to different owners after completion of the construction project. Other construction projects are commissioned by a developer. In most cases, the purpose of the developer is to rent out the apartments himself. It will not be possible to buy the apartments individually.

Rental or Personal Use

Having acquired an apartment, you are free to do with it what you will. This may be renting it out, or using it as a residence. Of course, renting is a smart investment, given that it gives you the chance to pay off your mortgage from the rent you receive from tenants. There is of course also the downside of the time it takes to invest in the property. This may be a time investment beforehand, such as in the form of renovation, or in repairs, given that you do not have a property manager.

Real Estate as Capital Investment: Special

1. Part: Classical or exotic investment – Which real estate is suitable as capital investment?
2. Part: Real estate as capital investment – What do I have to pay attention to?

Purchase of an Apartment in Need of Renovation

The purchase of apartment buildings which are in need of renovation is becoming increasingly popular. There are advantages and disadvantages associated with the renovation of apartments, which you should know before you make the purchase. The disadvantage is that you cannot use the apartment immediately after the purchase. You have to make further investments.

Investment Despite Need for Renovation

The advantages outweigh this disadvantage, however, so that many investors consciously decide to buy an apartment in need of renovation. You have the opportunity to design the apartment as you imagine it in the course of a renovation.

You can integrate new windows and doors and change the room layout. The laying of pipes and electrical lines is much easier when an apartment is renovated. If you already live in the apartment, it is more complicated and costly to adapt the structure of the electrical system or piping to your ideas.

Design the ceilings, walls and floors exactly the way you want them. An object in need of renovation is usually available at a reasonable price.

However, please make sure that there are no conditions imposed by the monument protection authorities for this object. Otherwise, it is important that you consider whether you are prepared to meet these conditions before you buy. Often the editions are connected with a medium or high financial expenditure. You will have to pay this in addition to the purchase price of the apartment and the costs of the renovation.

Purchase of Modern Apartments Without the Need for Renovation

Very popular on the market are apartments that have no need for renovation and are equipped with modern facilities. You buy such an apartment for a higher purchase price. The apartments are ready for immediate occupancy. They have a positive energetic balance and can also be retrofitted to a certain extent according to the individual ideas of the new owner.

Old Building or Apartment in a Modern New Building

Before buying, consider whether you would prefer a old building flat or an apartment in a new building. Both types of living differ from each other. Old buildings are characterized by high rooms and large windows. The rooms are very spacious. Many buyers find this an advantage. However, you should also consider the heating costs for these apartments. These are much higher than in modern apartments, where the room height is usually lower, due to the room height and the resulting larger volume.

In modern apartments the rooms are often smaller. Apartments in an old building also have a special charm, which many potential buyers love very much. It is a very individual decision and also a decision of individual taste whether they prefer an old building apartment or an apartment in a newer building. If you decide on an old building, it is important that the building has already undergone an energetic renovation. This measure can reduce heating costs quite significantly.

Purchase of a Rented Apartment

With the decision to buy a rented apartment, you take over the rental contract in its current form. You do not have the right to make changes to this contract. Rent increases are only permitted within the framework of the legal regulations.

If you are planning a renovation of the apartment, you are obliged to agree this with the landlord. You may not demand that the tenant leave the apartment for the period of the renovation. However, you have the option of providing the tenant with a replacement apartment. You will have to pay for the costs.

Furthermore, it is important to know that you can only terminate the rental agreement if you register your own needs or if the tenant persistently breaches obligations under the rental agreement. This includes repeated non-payment of rent, but also taking in another resident without you having been informed.

Cancellation of Own Use

If the landlord behaves in such a way, as it is given in the lease, only the own need notice remains to you. You can only give this notice if you really intend to live in the apartment yourself. Sometimes you even have to prove this. Before buying a rented out apartment, you should be sure that you do not want to live in the apartment yourself or that your claim for personal use will be upheld by a court. Every tenant has the right not to accept a notice of termination for own use at first and to demand a review by a court. In this case your move into the apartment would be delayed. Of course you have the possibility to contact the tenant before the planned sale. Inform him/her about the planned personal use so that he/she can prepare for it. In many cases the tenants are willing to move out and you can settle the matter amicably.

Demand for Living space

The size of average apartments in Germany is between 30 and 150 m². The apartments have one to five rooms. They are equipped with a private bathroom and a kitchen. If you buy an apartment on the current housing market, you will hardly get offers without your own bathroom. Even a coal heating system is only available very sporadically. The preferred types of heating for apartments in apartment buildings are gas, district heating or heating oil.

Before you decide to buy an apartment, it is important that you determine your real housing needs. In doing so, you should not only start from the current situation. Try to imagine how you want to live in a few years. Most buyers who buy their own home make an investment for life. And so you should know if they want to enlarge their family in the future, if they need a study after finishing a professional training or if they want to set up a guest room for friends or family members.

Unlike the purchase of a single-family home, buying your own apartment offers you only limited possibilities for expanding your living space. You can only share very large rooms. An extension, as it is possible in many single-family homes with a large garden, cannot be realized in an apartment. For this reason, it is recommended that you choose a property that offers one or two rooms more than you currently need. If the purchase price is right, you will also be very well prepared for future life situations after buying the apartment.

On average, apartments in Germany have two to four rooms. The three-room apartment is particularly popular. It is considered an ideal form of living for singles, for single people with children and for couples who do not have children. The average size of the three-room apartment is about 80 m².
Apartments with one room are rather unsuitable for purchase, as they offer only limited possibilities for individual development. Very large apartments with more than five rooms are rare and are often only offered in larger cities. They are located in old city villas and are often very expensive.

Community of Owners

As the owner of an apartment in an apartment building, you become part of a community of owners. The community of owners makes decisions regarding matters that affect all owners. These include the design of the facade, the renovation of the roof, but also the installation of a TV system and the design of the garden.

The majority of the owners’ association has a quorum. This means that you may have to accept decisions that you would have made differently yourself.

As an owner in a multi-family house, you build up reserves for possible renovations. You also participate in the insurance that has to be paid for the building. Property tax is also paid proportionately. These reserves are paid into an account on a monthly basis and are similar to the service charge payments that a tenant has to make. As the owner of the apartment, you are obliged to pay these benefits.

Conclusion: Buying an Apartment

Buying your own apartment is considered very lucrative, especially in larger cities. If you are interested in buying an apartment, Lukinski can be your partner for the purchase. We have specialized in this region and offer you not only a professional purchase transaction, but also a very good knowledge of the market. Get in touch with us by phone to clarify any questions that may arise. We would be happy to arrange a personal appointment with you and present various properties to you.