Selling property in Vienna: how do you get a good price — and how much of it do you keep?

The essentials in brief

• The median price of flats in Vienna in 2025 was €5,212 per m², and that of houses €5,376 per m² of living space (Statistik Austria). The price of your property is determined by comparable sales in the same location.
• You must present the Energieausweis before the buyer submits a binding offer, and hand it over after the contract is concluded. The energy indicators are mandatory in the listing.
• Real estate income tax: 30% of the gain. Exempt, among others, is anyone who has used the flat as their main residence (Hauptwohnsitz) continuously for at least two years since the purchase, or for at least five consecutive years within the last ten years, and gives it up.
• There has been no speculation period since 2012: even after 20 years, a gain is in principle taxable.
• Under the agency agreement, sellers pay ImmoLöwin 3% of the purchase price plus 20% VAT — only if a valid purchase contract is concluded.
• Real estate transfer tax (Grunderwerbsteuer, 3.5%) and the land register entry fee (1.1%) are usually paid by the buyer.
• An exclusive agency agreement (Alleinvermittlungsauftrag) with private individuals should not run for longer than six months.

How much is your property worth?

The realistic price is determined by comparable sales, not by the asking price of the flat next door. Listings show what sellers are asking; the land register shows what buyers have paid — and the two are often far apart.

The median is the middle value of the analysed purchase contracts of private households: half sold for more, half for less. For your flat, the floor, lift, outdoor space, condition, heating system and the building's reserve fund (Rücklage) shift the price by 30% or more. How we value property is explained in the guide property valuation; the official figures and the method are under property prices in Vienna.

An asking price that is too high costs money. A property that sits in the listings for weeks without an offer is seen by buyers as a “shelf warmer”; they then negotiate later price cuts into the deal. A well-founded price from day one is better.

Which documents do you need?

Complete documents before the first viewing speed up the sale and prevent buyers from pulling out after making an offer. You need these documents:

Even if the Energieausweis is missing, the listing must not appear without the energy indicators; breaches can mean an administrative fine of up to €1,450 for the seller and the agent. If you wish, we will commission the certificate for you.

Selling in 7 steps

A sale with an agent in Vienna almost always follows this process. The detailed version with all deadlines is in the guide property sale process.

1. Valuation. Viewing, comparable sales, price recommendation with reasons.
2. Agency agreement. Commission, term and marketing route in writing; for an exclusive agency agreement with private individuals, at most six months.
3. Documents and Energieausweis. Complete before the first listing.
4. Marketing. Photos, exposé, listing on the major portals such as willhaben and ImmoScout24 and on immoloewin.at in four languages — or, if you wish, discreetly without a public listing.
5. Viewings and buyer checks. Proof of financing before the offer; for buyers from third countries, the question of approval.
6. Purchase offer and negotiation. Price, handover date, inventory sold with the property, conditions.
7. Purchase contract, escrow, land register. A notary or lawyer drafts the contract, handles the purchase price through an escrow account, calculates the real estate income tax and has the buyer entered in the land register.

Which tax do you pay on the sale?

The sale of a property is in principle subject to real estate income tax: 30% of the gain, i.e. the difference between the sale proceeds and the acquisition costs. The person drafting the contract calculates it and pays it to the tax office; a separate tax return is usually not necessary.

Under the 30% taxation, the agent commission does not reduce the gain. For rezonings after 31 December 2024, the rezoning surcharge (Umwidmungszuschlag) may also apply. The details are in the guide property sale process; in individual cases your tax adviser decides.

What does the sale cost?

In Vienna the seller usually bears the agent commission, the Energieausweis, the certification of their signature, where applicable the release of encumbrances (Lastenfreistellung) and the real estate income tax. Real estate transfer tax, the land register entry and usually also the drafting of the contract are paid by the buyer.

• Commission: at ImmoLöwin 3% of the purchase price plus 20% VAT under the agency agreement; on a purchase price of €500,000 that comes to €18,000 including VAT. Statutory cap: 3% plus VAT.
• Release of encumbrances: if a loan is still registered, the escrow agent pays it off from the purchase price. For early repayment of a fixed-rate loan, the bank may charge at most 1% compensation for existing contracts, or 0.5% if at most one year remains until the end of the loan agreement; details under property financing.
• Energieausweis: a few hundred euros, depending on the property.

All maximum commission rates are explained on the page agent commission.

Why sell with ImmoLöwin?

We sell flats, houses and commercial properties in Vienna and Lower Austria and advise in German, Russian, Ukrainian and English. For sellers this means a wider circle of buyers — including those looking for property in Vienna from abroad or in another language.

• A price with reasons. You get to see the comparable sales on which our recommendation is based.
• Documents before the listing. We obtain missing documents before buyers ask for them.
• Discreet sale possible. If you wish, we present your property to registered buyers without a public listing.
• Commission only on success. If no valid purchase contract is concluded, you pay us nothing.