If a newly married couple buys a property, the question of who is to be entered in the land register may appear to be completely irrelevant. But at the latest in the case of a divorce this entry becomes important. Lawyers generally recommend that both partners register as owners. But even in the case of joint registration, there are some things to consider so that the purchase of a house does not have devastating consequences.

Anyone who does not act prudently and with foresight when it comes to land registration can end up with nasty surprises. To illustrate this, we assume the following scenario: A young couple, recently married, decides to complete their happiness together by buying a house. The wife has just inherited a considerable sum from her grandparents, with which the home is largely financed. Her husband only makes a small contribution. Nevertheless, the two decide to be registered as owners in the land register in equal parts. At this point they vehemently rule out that they will ever divorce.
Twelve years later, however, the then unimaginable reality has become reality: The divorce is imminent. The wife intends to stay in the house together with her daughter and to take over the house. For this reason, her ex-partner is to be removed from the land register as the owner. But now the day of the land register entry catches up the wife, because although she paid clearly more with the purchase of the real estate, her still husband is entitled now 50 per cent of the house value.
To all abundance the appraiser, whom both assigned for the purpose of the determination of the current real estate value, determines then still that the value rose meanwhile. The value adjustment, which the woman must pay to her ex-partner, is accordingly high. At the latest now the wife regrets not having insisted on different ownership conditions when buying a house.
Since the pair did not lock like most married couples in Germany a marriage contract, the wife would have no advantages, if she could have been registered as a sole owner. The marriage as a joint gain would nevertheless have had the consequence that the wife would have had to pay her ex-partner a fifty per cent gain equalisation. A 2/3 land register entry would have been most favourable for her, as the shares actually paid would have been taken into account.
Because the wife must disburse her still-husband now however a so high sum, she cannot afford the maintenance costs for the house. A division of the real estate into two independent housing units, of which each retains one, is ruled out by the cut of the house as an alternative solution. The ex-partners also want to refrain from letting the property in order to avoid further disputes. Ultimately, the only option is to sell the house.
The real estate agent they hire quickly finds a suitable buyer and even manages to negotiate a price that is even higher than the appraiser’s estimate. The profit is divided between the two ex-partners. They draw up a sales contract with the new owner, which they notarize. Finally, when the land register is changed, they are registered as owners. The new buyer, a single mother of two almost adult children, is entered in the land register alone and does not have to fear losing the house in the event of a divorce.

You are not sure whether selling a house after the separation is the best solution for you? We will be happy to advise you on your options.

Photo: © lightsource-Depositphotos.com

Who doesn’t know it? First it is too cold. Then you turn the thermostat on the radiator, and after a few minutes you sweat and turn it down again. But soon it will be too cold again. Different rooms in a home need different room temperatures. These temperatures also differ depending on whether someone is at home or not and how many people are in the room. Smart heating technology ensures the optimum temperature and also helps to save money.

A smart heating system takes care of adjusting the radiators for us. If the residents are at home, it determines the optimum temperature. If everyone is away from home, it throttles the heat. Smart heating increases living comfort and saves resources at the same time. Smart radiator thermostats already pay off in a rented apartment. The installation of a smart heating control pays off even more.

The changeover from manual to automatic operation is not so difficult. The classic thermostats for radiators can easily be replaced with intelligent thermostats. Only the valves are changed. Anyone can do this themselves. Unscrew the old ones, screw on the new ones – that’s it. With the smart thermostats, you set the desired temperature and the units regulate the heat output themselves. Heating costs can already be reduced in this way. This is also practical in a rented apartment. The old thermostats can be reinstalled when you move out.

A smart heating control system for a house offers even greater savings potential. Experts recommend taking advantage of these opportunities when building a new house or modernising an existing one. What the installation of smart home technology costs more, it recovers from the heating costs. Energy costs can be reduced by up to 20 percent. Operation is also made easier, for example via a touchscreen directly on the heating system or via a smartphone app.

Smart heating systems can also be programmed. At certain times, the temperature can be lowered, for example when the residents are at work. On the other hand, it can raise the temperature again shortly before the planned return. The best way to solve this problem is to program each thermostat individually. Of course, this is quite costly – but ideal for price-conscious people. More expensive, but more comfortable, are centrally controlled heaters.

The savings potential can also be expanded. The heating can, for example, be coupled with roller shutters. These can then be closed at a certain time to prevent cooling.

But it is still important to pay attention to safety. If the heating system is connected to the Internet or telephone network, strong encryption and secure passwords are essential.

Are you looking for someone to sell your existing property? Contact us! We will be happy to advise you.

 

Photo: © BrianAJackson/Depositphotos.com

People are still moving unchecked into the cities. Living space is still becoming scarcer. And real estate prices are still rising. Clever minds like architects are pondering how to get a handle on the current situation. They have developed Tiny Houses – small houses. They are flexible, they save space and prices fall enormously.

“What goes on 100 square meters also goes on 20 square meters” – at least most of those who have bought a Tiny House say to themselves. And that is becoming more and more the case. Because Tiny Houses are trendy. In the USA there is even a whole movement. Since real estate prices are high and living space in cities is becoming increasingly scarce, people are looking for affordable housing alternatives. In addition, more and more people are living alone. In Germany, according to the last census, it was almost every second person. The trend is rising.

So it is not surprising that more and more people are interested in a Tiny House. And what you need to live is there: kitchen, bathroom, living room and bedroom. Even an extra sleeping level, a roof terrace or a veranda are possible. Every square centimetre is well thought out and used as efficiently as possible. The price per square metre is not much lower than that of an ordinary property, depending on the equipment. However, a Tiny House with 20 square meters is available for about 40,000 euros. The total price makes a difference. The operating costs are also extremely low. Tiny Houses are real energy savers due to the limited living space. Residents can also live almost self-sufficiently if the Tiny House, for example, is equipped with photovoltaic and rainwater collection systems as well as organic toilets.

A Tiny House is also suitable as a capital investment. For example, it can be used as a holiday home. Due to the low price, the Tiny House is paid off more quickly and thus earns a profit earlier. Another advantage is that Tiny Houses can also be mobile. Because like a caravan they can be placed on a trailer. This not only benefits holidaymakers but also commuters. Owners can take part of their home with them to work. Tiny Houses can be a replacement for the second home or the hotel. They can also be used as an office.

Saving money on construction, maintenance and resources means personal freedom for most Tiny House owners. Tiny Houses promise an independent and sustainable life. Not least because the financial burden for their own four walls remains low. That’s why more and more people are willing to do without the unnecessary and lead a minimalist life.

Are you considering reducing your size? Contact us! We will be happy to advise you.

Photo: © digidream

The floor plan is a matter of course in real estate marketing. The effect of an excellent floor plan is often underestimated. Because there are differences. Today, you can’t get very far with the architect’s drawing.

When looking for real estate, one usually looks first at the photos. But immediately afterwards, the interested party looks at the floor plan. Because he wants to know the dimensions, the scale and the section of the rooms that he has just seen in the photos. Do I only get to the bathroom through the bedroom as it appeared in the photo? Is the study really that big? Sometimes it is already planned in the mind where the sofa should be in the living room or the bed in the bedroom. The real estate seeker would like to know whether the selected wall is wide enough. This information can only be found in the floor plan.

Professional brokers no longer rely on black-and-white floor plans drawn by architects. Because they know that the imagination of the searcher must be addressed as much as possible in order to market successfully and achieve the best price. That’s why today’s floor plans are no longer only available in 2D, but increasingly also in 3D.

Real estate professionals have experienced that today emotions become more and more important to convince prospective buyers. 3D products and visualizations serve these needs. A 3D model, a visualization, a video animation or a virtual tour make it even easier for the prospective customer to imagine the apartment. A virtual tour also helps to separate real interested parties from each other. Because anyone who has already walked through the virtual apartment and doesn’t like it is eliminated before the viewing date. This saves owners time and effort.

With Virtual Reality, a real estate seeker can even furnish his apartment. Experts emphasize that the prospective buyer already builds up a closer bond to the property. This is how an idea emerges of what life in the new center of life could look like. This closer bond helps potential buyers to decide on a property more quickly. This can shorten the marketing time.

In the past, sellers relied on the imagination of potential buyers for their floor plans. The superfluous information of the building plan for the prospective buyer was removed. This made it readable and understandable for the layman in the first place. However, he had to imagine what the object actually looked like.

Nevertheless the ratio did not decrease beside the emotions. Both are equally decisive for real estate seekers. This is why the 2D floor plan in the exposé is still not out of fashion. The clear representation of the dimensions is still important. However, a 3D model or visualization is a decision-making aid.

Do you have any questions about creating the floor plan? Contact us without obligation. We will be happy to advise you.

Photo: © Storyblocks

Couples who divorce and own their own home are always faced with the question: What do we do with our property? Because there are many options. But which one is the right one? Because an exact answer depends on many factors: Does the couple have children? Would a partner like to stay in the property? How can couples decide that?

Real estate and legal experts make it clear: In principle, the ownership of the property must be distinguished from its use. In the case of separation and divorce, this is also regulated.

If two partners separate, one of them usually moves out. The other partner continues to live with the minor children in their own house or apartment. If the partner who is moving out wants to take one or all of the children with him to his new home, he must of course come to an agreement with the other.

If more than six months have elapsed since moving out, a return to the previous shared home is usually no longer legally enforceable. If none of the spouses wishes to move out in the event of separation, a court must decide who may use the shared property and who must move out. The judges base their decision on the welfare of the child. Because their goal is that the children can remain if possible in their used surrounding field, thus with the partner, who remains in the past dwelling.

If the husband moves out and the wife and the children stay in the same apartment – which is the most common case – she has to pay the separated partner a usage fee, i.e. rent. Unless the couple can agree that this housing value advantage is taken into account in the equalisation of gains.

This rent may initially be lower than the local rent. However, if the living conditions also survive the divorce, the man acquires the house and rents it out to his ex-wife, she then has to pay a regular rent.

The sale of the property does not have to be waited until the divorce, both can already sell the property in the separation year and divide the proceeds among themselves.

This reduces the time pressure when selling the property and has the advantage that in the event of a divorce there are funds available with which one partner can pay the other. This way should be gone however only if both are sure to get divorced and neither wants to remain in the real estate.

Are you facing a divorce and don’t know which of the options is the right one for your individual situation? Contact us now. We will be happy to advise you.

Photo: © vchalup