Finding an estate agent in Berlin: what you should look for

This page comes from an estate agency; the points to check apply to every provider, including us. How BBI handles each point is stated in one sentence with a link to the evidence.

What to look for when choosing an estate agent

Licence under § 34c GewO and the competent authority

Anyone who brokers purchase contracts for plots, flats or commercial premises on a commercial basis needs a licence under § 34c para. 1 GewO (German Trade Regulation Act); in Berlin, it is granted by the district office (Bezirksamt) where the business has its seat. It is refused, among other reasons, if the applicant lacks reliability or their financial circumstances are not in order (§ 34c para. 2 GewO). There is no public register for estate agents like the one for insurance intermediaries (§ 11a GewO). However, the legal notice (Impressum) must state the competent supervisory authority (§ 5 para. 1 no. 3 DDG, German Digital Services Act).

How BBI does it: The legal notice (German) states the licence under § 34c para. 1 GewO and names the Bezirksamt Charlottenburg-Wilmersdorf von Berlin (district office) as the competent supervisory authority.

Commission and its split for flats and detached houses

Since 23 December 2020, an agency agreement for a flat or a detached house must be in text form; an email is sufficient (§ 656a BGB, German Civil Code). If a private individual buys, both sides pay the same amount if the agent acts for both; if only one side has instructed the agent, that side may pass on at most half (§§ 656b to 656d BGB). No law sets the amount, and the split does not apply to multi-family buildings, plots or commercial property either. The agent is only entitled to the commission once the purchase contract comes about as a result of their work; you only owe expenses if this has been agreed (§ 652 BGB).

How BBI does it: For a flat or detached house with a private buyer, the buyer and seller each pay 3.57 per cent of the notarised purchase price including VAT; the amount is set out in text form in advance, and there is no reimbursement of expenses and no out-of-pocket costs until the purchase contract.

A valuation with the calculation shown, not a bait price

A high price in the first meeting says nothing about what a buyer will pay. Ask what the figure is based on: notaries send every purchase contract for land to the Berlin valuation committee (Gutachterausschuss für Grundstückswerte in Berlin), which uses them to compile the purchase price collection and the standard land values (§§ 195, 196 BauGB, Federal Building Code), whereas portals only show what sellers are asking. A free assessment by an estate agent is not a market value report (Verkehrswertgutachten); such reports are prepared by valuation experts or the valuation committee.

How BBI does it: The initial assessment is free of charge and not tied to any instruction; after the viewing, you receive a price range with the calculation shown, based on purchase contracts from the neighbourhood and the standard land value (Bodenrichtwert), expressly without a market value report.

Marketing route: portal, search profiles or discreet

Your property can appear publicly on the major portals, go first to prospective buyers with a saved search profile, or be sold discreetly, without an advert and without a sign on the building. With a discreet sale, fewer people see the offer, but the neighbours notice little. Ask in which order the agent proceeds and how often you will hear about enquiries and offers.

How BBI does it: Properties go first to registered prospective buyers and only afterwards, if you wish, onto the portals; we initially present flat packages and portfolios as a teaser without the address, and the address and rent roll follow after a written confidentiality undertaking.

Checking reviews and references

With online reviews, look at their number and date and at whether the agent responds to criticism. If a business displays customer reviews itself, § 5b para. 3 UWG (Act against Unfair Competition) requires it to state whether and how it checks that they come from genuine customers. Ask for references from your district and for your type of property.

How BBI does it: The home page shows 4.6 out of 5 stars from 47 Google reviews, as of 28 September 2026, with the note that BBI does not check the authenticity of individual reviews and that Google filters what is displayed.

Term and termination of the agreement

With a sole agency agreement (Alleinauftrag), only one agent offers your property for the agreed period. Before signing, read how long the agreement runs, whether it extends and with what notice period and in what form you can terminate it.

How BBI does it: The standard sole agency agreement runs for eight months and then extends by one month at a time; it is terminated in writing with 14 days' notice to the end of the term, and the agreement provides for a report in text form at least every two weeks.

Local knowledge: districts, locations and data

Two flats in the same neighbourhood can differ widely in price, because the street, the side of the building and the floor often count for more than the district. Ask what data the agent uses to describe your location, such as standard land values, market reports from the valuation committee or their own sales, and whether they state the source and as-of date. Our social preservation map shows whether an address is in a social preservation area (Milieuschutz).

How BBI does it: The brand has existed since 1995, and the office at Kurfürstendamm 178-179 since January 2012; BBI is part of NAI apollo, has been a member of the IVD (German Real Estate Association) for over 20 years and publishes market data for all twelve districts with source and as-of date.

Questions for the first meeting

You can ask any estate agent these questions, including us. Useful answers give figures, deadlines or examples.

1. Which purchase contracts is your price range based on, and can I see the calculation?
2. How high is the commission, who pays which share, and when will I receive this in text form?
3. Where and in what order will you offer my property: registered prospective buyers, portals or discreetly?
4. Who will look after me personally, and who will conduct the viewings?
5. How often and in what form will you report on enquiries, viewings and purchase offers?
6. How long does the agreement run, does it extend, and how can I terminate it?
7. Which documents will you obtain, and what will it cost me if no purchase contract is concluded?
8. Which comparable properties have you sold in my district recently?

What types of estate agent there are in Berlin

The overview describes what is typical of each type; an individual office may work differently.

The names under individual types are examples, not a recommendation and not a comparison. The information comes from the companies' own websites, retrieved on 10 October 2026. BBI Immobilien is not affiliated with any of the companies named and does not belong to any of these networks.

Networks and franchise systems with many offices

Many offices operate under one brand, often abroad as well. The local offices are often independent businesses with a licence from the brand; who your contracting party is will be stated in the office's legal notice (Impressum).

Examples: Engel & Völkers, according to its own information founded in Hamburg in 1977 and active in over 35 countries with company-owned offices and a franchise network; DAHLER, according to its own information active since 1993 and organised as a franchise system with estate agency offices in Germany, Spain and Austria.

Owner-managed agencies

One office or a few offices in which the owners work themselves, often with a focus on particular districts or types of property.

Online agents

They handle a large part of the process digitally. Some charge a fixed amount, others a commission and work with local agents; what the price covers is set out in the contract.

Example of a largely digital process: McMakler, according to its own description with digital processes and permanently employed agents, with its head office in Berlin.

Specialists in commercial property and logistics

They broker offices, shops, warehouses and commercial plots and work with their own key figures, such as the floor load capacity. The split of the commission under §§ 656c and 656d BGB does not apply here.

Specialists in investment properties

They broker multi-family buildings, flat packages and portfolios to investors who calculate with the rent roll and the price-to-rent multiplier. A property often goes first, without the address, to selected buyers who undertake to keep it confidential.

How BBI works

From the office at Kurfürstendamm 178-179, BBI Immobilien brokers flats, houses, apartment buildings (Zinshäuser) and industrial and logistics space in Berlin and Brandenburg. Twelve people work there, ten of them as estate agents (as of 30 September 2026). Since 1 July 2026, BBI has been building up a commercial division; office, retail and investment come from NAI apollo.

• Selling with BBI: services and terms.
• Sell your flat in Berlin: process and prices by district.
• Sell your house in Berlin: plot and documents.
• Property valuation in Berlin: the initial assessment.
• Packages, portfolios, projects: selling to investors.
• Commercial and logistics: warehouses and commercial space.

Sources and as-of date

• § 34c German Trade Regulation Act (GewO), licence requirement for estate agents, grounds for refusal
• § 11a GewO, register of intermediaries, only for insurance, financial investment and real estate loan intermediaries
• Service Berlin: estate agents, property developers, building project managers, loan brokers and residential property managers, applying for a licence, competent authority at the business seat, check of reliability and financial circumstances
• § 5 German Digital Services Act (DDG), legal notice, statement of the competent supervisory authority
• § 652 German Civil Code (BGB), agent's fee only on success, expenses only if agreed
• § 656a BGB, text form of the agency agreement for flats and detached houses
• § 656b BGB, split only for buyers who are consumers
• § 656c BGB, same amount when acting for both sides
• § 656d BGB, passing on at most half, payable after proof
• § 577 BGB, tenant's right of first refusal
• § 195 Federal Building Code (BauGB), purchase price collection of the valuation committee
• § 196 BauGB, standard land values from the purchase price collection
• Berlin valuation committee (Gutachterausschuss für Grundstückswerte in Berlin): standard land values (BORIS Berlin), free query
• § 5b Act against Unfair Competition (UWG), para. 3, information on the authenticity of reviews

Information about BBI comes from these pages of our website:

• Legal notice (German), licence under § 34c GewO, supervisory authority
• Selling with BBI, commission, term and termination of the standard sole agency agreement, report every two weeks
• Property valuation in Berlin, free initial assessment, price range with the calculation shown
• Buying with BBI, first to the list, then onto the portal
• Packages, portfolios, projects, teaser without the address, confidentiality undertaking
• Home page, Google rating with as-of date, brand since 1995, office since January 2012, team, NAI apollo
• About us, member of the IVD for over 20 years, market figures for all twelve districts
• Commercial and logistics, commercial division since 1 July 2026, office, retail and investment via NAI apollo

All sources accessed on 10 October 2026.