Case studies from practice: how distance sales in Nuremberg really succeed.

Initial situation. A condominium in Nuremberg-Maxfeld, acquired years ago during a professional stay in Germany. The owner today lives long-term in London and conducts his professional life in English. The apartment was most recently rented, the rental agreement ends within the quarter. The modernization history is only partially available in the original 1990s construction file, a current living space calculation is missing, as is a valid energy certificate. Travel to Nuremberg is only possible on individual weekends, the owner wishes for as fully digital a steering as possible.

Challenge. Three topics ran in parallel: in terms of timing, the marketing had to be synchronized with the end of the rental relationship; in terms of documentation, central documents for a bank-ready property file were missing; in terms of communication, the English-language handling with notary and buyer side had to be organized. A classic brokerage assignment would have created several language barriers, logistical breaks and risk-laden waiting times here.

Solution. Via written power of attorney, we represented the client completely as mandate manager. The key handover ran via an authorized person on site, the key protocol was sent to the owner as PDF. In phase one, we reconstructed the missing documents: current energy certificate, new living space calculation according to the Living Space Ordinance, modernization certificates from the owners' meeting protocols. In parallel, we conducted a 360° capture of the apartment, so that the owner could view the property at any time from London. The market validation took place in a closed circle of pre-qualified prospective buyers, followed by the structured public marketing. Reporting ran weekly via video call, short-term topics via WhatsApp.

Result. From mandate start to notarization, just under four months passed. The notarization took place at the notary in Nuremberg with sworn English interpreter; the owner was briefly personally present but could alternatively have notarized via the German diplomatic mission. The achieved price lay in the upper third of the originally jointly defined price architecture and thus significantly above any investor offer obtained in advance. The mandate was completed without the owner having personally seen a single tradesman, expert or interested party.

Initial situation. A condominium in a good middle location in Fürth, bought many years ago and used by the owner until recently. The owner has their permanent residence on Tenerife and comes to Germany only for individual longer stays. The apartment is vacant but unrenovated: floor coverings from the 1990s, bathroom and kitchen in original condition, furniture largely present. A sale was attempted twice, both times the response remained below expectations.

Challenge. The owner could not travel to coordinate tradesmen or accompany viewings personally. In the first two attempts, the buyer side signaled above all skepticism due to the unclear modernization need and the inadequately documented inventory records. The previously commissioned brokerage mandate had understood the effort classically and not organized substantial preparation – the property appeared on the market significantly below its actual potential.

Solution. Based on a written authorization, we took over full key authority and set up phase one as an interdisciplinary project manager. Specifically: gentle clearing out of the remaining furniture with donation handling of the usable pieces, professional final cleaning, renovation of floor and wall surfaces by tradesmen from the Davis network, new living space calculation and energy certificate, complete photo and 360° preparation. This entire phase ran without travel by the owner. Weekly video updates with photos of the progress ensured that every decision was approved. The market validation in the closed circle of buyers very quickly provided reliable indications at a significantly higher price level than in the two previous attempts.

Result. The notarization took place after a total of around four months, of which about ten weeks were spent on phase one. The owner traveled to Germany exactly twice: once for the initial mandating and key handover, once for the notarization itself. Everything in between ran via digital communication and our steering on site. The achieved price lay noticeably above the previous marketing attempts because the property was no longer perceived as a "renovation case" but as a market-ready residential unit with complete documents. The disbursement took place directly to the seller's Spanish account – prepared for tax purposes by a tax consultancy active across borders, which we had proposed from our partner network.