I have a studio apartment in Berlin on reserve at the moment and planned to get a survey done. However, the agent told me that this wasn't normally done. The flat has been newly renovated and refurbished and the block was refurbished inc. electrics back in 1998.
Is a survey needed? What have others done?
Any input would be great!

thanks!

Hi,
There are different kinds of surveys that can be had. I have used the BHW in the past they have a standard charge of €550. The guy looks over the flat but can't really determine structural soundness.They do have access to more detailed data and can give you a much better picture of the true market value of the flat. This gave me the famous warm fuzzy feeling. It also helps in conversations with agents. i.e. I have a survey completed and now I'm offering 5% less for the flat. Sometimes the survey has not show the flat is incorrectly priced.
regards,
Martin

when I clicked on the thread, I thought you were buying a multi-million property - now I see you buy a studio ...

You want to have a survey done? For that?
No private buyer (sell, next to none) would do a survey for that.
Remember:
beauty is in the eye of the beholder.

I´d still do DD, like written confirmation that it´s not Erbbaurecht and a breakdown of the community charges from the Admin.
If there´s something fishy, you would most likely spot it there.

Enjoy your apartment!

Thank you both for the input! Its my first property purchase so I want to try and do the right thing!

Sorry, but I totally disagree.
The value of the flat is what the maximum buyer is prepared to pay.
Nothing else. That fixes the price.

If 5 people think a flat is worth 100K but the surveyor, for xyz reason thinks its only 80K - what will happen?
It will get sold for 100K.
And if the surveyor says it´s worth 120K and noone is prepared to pay for it - is it worth 120K? No, it´s not.

I agree with you that any flat is only worth what the buyer is prepared to pay but as a buyer I want to be sure that I am not paying more than the average market rate especially if I don't live in the city/country. The Gutachter compares the price of the flat to flats sold in that area over the last few years. If the price of your apartment varies signficantly you have a right to ask why.

mc d

I to have considered getting a survey for any intended property purchase in Berlin. Having spoken to a solicitor in Berlin I was advised that in Germany it is not normal practice to get a survey when buying residential property in Germany.

The solicitor with whom I spoke to was able to conduct what we call in the UK as conveyancing and would advise if any intended property purchase is priced above market value. Unlike the majority of German solicitors, this solicitor charges reasonable fees. They are offering a fixed fee of 599.00 Euros per unit. I would say that for this cost it would offer a lot of reassurance and piece of mind. I have already decided to employ them on any property purchase I make.

If you wish to have a detailed survey as what should be normal practise in the UK, you may wan to employ the services of an architect, as they to are able to offer the same service as a surveyor.

I do know of a surveying company in Germany called Der Hausinspektor that would conduct a detailed survey in Berlin for a fixed fee, who appear to be very reasonable and who I may consider using on any intended property purchase.