Who hasn't dreamed of their own holiday home in a dream area? It could even become reality – if you know where to look.
Berlin – Most people are probably familiar with the train of thought: You are on holiday in a dream area and imagine that you still have a second home here. A holiday home where you can go at any time. Most of the time, however, the thought ends at the moment when the costs are thought about.
There are actually very cheap offers in popular holiday destinations. Especially if you are not looking for a house in the tourist hotspots like Mallorca or Sardinia, you can still find a bargain here and there. Regardless of whether it is a capital investment, a retreat for retirement or a second home - there are offers for less than 200,000 euros.
Spain is the most popular country for prospective buyers
According to a recent study by several major real estate portals, Spain is the most popular among prospective buyers. In the Mediterranean country, there are large price differences depending on the region: According to the provider Engel & Völkers, the average price for a holiday home on the Costa del Sol is 400,000 euros. On the popular holiday island of Menorca, on the other hand, prices range from 400,000 euros to 1.65 million.
In the interior of the country or in places away from the big metropolises, on the other hand, the situation is quite different. For 145,000 euros you can buy a three-bedroom townhouse on 100 square meters. Or near the sea for 155,000 euros a semi-detached house. There are hundreds of such offers on various real estate portals. If you are willing to spend some money on a renovation, you can find even cheaper properties. A renovation can quickly pay off, which is particularly interesting for capital investments.
+The dream of a holiday home: where can it be realized?
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Italy has been attracting interested parties for years
Italy is also very popular with interested parties. Here, too, it is worth taking a look away from the tourist regions, where there are four-room apartments for 145,000 euros. And here, too, the price range can be huge: In the Handelsblatt, a real estate consultant explains that on his portal there are offers for 29 million euros (villa in Sardinia with seven bedrooms) next to properties for just 115,000 euros (two-bedroom house in need of renovation and 2000 square meters of garden in Puglia). Such offers can also be found at Engel & Völkers: A small apartment in an old building in Rome for 80,000 euros? No problem.
The fact that the buying trend from Germany is increasing in Italy is also reflected in the fact that Engel & Völkers has had two locations in the country since May 2023: one in Rome (since 2015) and one in Bologna. In the next two years, the real estate provider plans to employ 100 people there – currently there are 20 people.
Insider tips on the Black Sea coast
Italy and Spain are perhaps the most obvious places to go for a holiday home. But if you look in a completely different direction, you will also find what you are looking for. For example, real estate in Ireland costs an average of 140,000 euros. And the east of the EU is still considered an absolute insider tip: In Romania, for example, prices per square metre in city centres are between 1500 and 2500 euros. For comparison: In Berlin, the square meter currently costs an average of 4000 euros.
As in Romania, apartments on the Black Sea coast in Bulgaria are quite affordable. For 230,000 euros you can get a small villa with almost 180 square meters right on the beach. The weather, similar to Italy and Spain, is pleasant all year round.
Rely on local expertise when buying
Regardless of whether and where you end up buying a house, you should get regional expertise to help. Ancillary purchase costs, notaries, taxes – all this works very differently in these countries than in this country. In addition, there are language barriers that do not always make the purchase easy.
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