Sell Privately or with an Agent? An Honest Comparison

What a Private Seller Has to Do Themselves

1. Determine the market value – without access to the actual sale prices of comparable properties.
2. Obtain the documents – land register extract (Grundbuchauszug), cadastral map (Flurkarte), energy performance certificate (Energieausweis), floor plans, living area calculation, and for flats the declaration of division (Teilungserklärung) and minutes of owners' meetings.
3. Create photos and a property brochure – including the mandatory information from the energy performance certificate in every advertisement.
4. Advertise and respond to enquiries – often dozens of emails and calls per week, including in the evenings.
5. Conduct viewings – and recognise who is serious and financially able to buy.
6. Negotiate – with emotional distance from your own property.
7. Prepare the notary appointment – supply key data, check the draft.
8. Organise the handover – record, meter readings, keys.

Realistically, a private sale takes 80 to 150 hours of work.

The Most Common Mistakes in a Private Sale

Asking price too high. The most common and most expensive mistake. The property sits online for months, its price is reduced again and again, and it soon comes to be seen as a "shelf warmer". In the end, the sale price is often below what could have been achieved at the outset with a realistic price.

Unvetted buyers. A buyer commits, the notary appointment is arranged – and then the financing falls through. Weeks are lost, and other interested parties have dropped out.

Missing mandatory information. Anyone who forgets the energy ratings in the listing risks a fine. Anyone who conceals known defects is liable despite an exclusion of warranty.

Emotional negotiations. Criticism of your own house hurts. Owners find it hard to keep their distance – and that costs money in the negotiation.

What a Good Agent Provides

• A realistic valuation based on real sale prices
• Professional photos, floor plans and a meaningful property brochure
• Access to registered buyers – often the property is sold before it is publicly listed
• Credit check before every viewing
• Objective negotiation backed by experience
• Coordination of notary, bank and handover

The Cost Calculation

For a detached house at €350,000, the seller's commission (3.57%) is around €12,500. Whether this is worthwhile depends on how much more – or less – you achieve without an agent. A sale price just 4% too low, or three additional months of vacancy with ongoing costs, already wipes out the difference.

When a Private Sale Can Make Sense

• The buyer is already known (tenant, neighbour, family member).
• You know the market well and have time.
• The property is in high demand and easy to sell – e.g. a modern flat in a prime location in Bayreuth.

Even then, we recommend at least an independent valuation so that you do not sell too cheaply.

How to Recognise a Good Agent

Ask for references in your area, the average marketing period, the valuation method and how interested parties are vetted. You can find a detailed list in the guide 12 questions for your estate agent.

Private Sale and Agent: A Direct Comparison

Worked Example: What Is Left at the End

What matters is not the commission but your net proceeds – that is, what arrives in your account after all costs. An example with a detached house in Bayreuth that could go two ways:

The example has deliberately been chosen to be realistic, not flattering: there are also private sales that go well. But the core point remains: an excessive starting price and a long marketing period almost always cost more than the commission. What prices in your location really look like is shown by a free valuation.

If You Sell Privately: The Checklist

You have decided on a private sale? Then these steps will help you avoid typical mistakes:

1. Secure the price: Obtain at least one independent assessment and check the standard land value (Bodenrichtwert) in BORIS Bayern. See Determining property value.
2. Commission the energy performance certificate before listing – and include the mandatory information in every advertisement.
3. Put together a document folder: Land register extract, cadastral map, floor plans, living area calculation, evidence of modernisation. The complete list can be found in the Seller's checklist.
4. Disclose defects in writing. A list of known defects countersigned by the buyer protects you later.
5. Make viewings safe: Appointments only after a call-back, ask to see ID, put away valuables and documents, never be alone in the house with several strangers.
6. Ask for proof of financing before you agree to a notary appointment.
7. Involve the notary early: The notary (Notar) drafts the contract neutrally for both parties. Check the due date, handover date and exclusion of liability.
8. Prepare a handover record with meter readings and number of keys.

Intermediate Solutions: An Agent for Individual Steps

Between "doing everything yourself" and "handing everything over", there are middle ways:

• Valuation only: You sell yourself, but you know the realistic price.
• Property brochure and photos: Professional presentation at a fixed price, marketing by you. More under Property brochure creation.
• Energy performance certificate: Quick and legally compliant, see Energy performance certificate.
• Support up to the notary: You have already found the buyer; we check creditworthiness and the draft contract and organise the handover – see Notary preparation.

When We Ourselves Advise Against an Agent

Honesty is one of our principles. If your neighbour has wanted to buy your house for years, both sides agree on the price and the financing is in place, you do not need an agent for the marketing. In that case, a valuation as a plausibility check and a good notary are often enough. For sales within the family, too, an agent is usually unnecessary – here it is more about tax and structuring, see Gifting a property.

Selling to Acquaintances: What Is Still Necessary

Even if buyer and seller know each other, these points should be taken care of:

• Determine the value independently – a "friendship price" can be treated for tax purposes as a partial gift and cause trouble with co-heirs or the tax office
• Present the energy performance certificate
• Address defects openly and record them in writing
• Have the buyer's financing confirmed
• Involve the notary early and read the draft thoroughly
• Carry out the handover with a record

Especially among acquaintances, unspoken expectations lead to disputes later. A clear contract and a comprehensible valuation protect the relationship.

Marketing Yourself: Channels at a Glance

An agent combines these channels with a database of registered buyers – that is the most important difference. Many buyers do not search actively on portals at all, but wait for offers from their agent.

Organising Viewings

Private sellers underestimate the effort involved in viewings. A few proven rules:

1. Phone in advance: Who is coming, what are they looking for, how is the financing planned?
2. Bundle appointments: Several individual appointments on one afternoon instead of spread across the week.
3. Send the brochure in advance: That way, only interested parties who know the key data will come.
4. Answer honestly, do not persuade: Buyers appreciate openness.
5. Follow up: After two days, briefly ask what their impression was.
6. Do not agree to anything verbally: Only accept an offer after proof of financing.

More tips on presentation: Preparing a property for sale.