Rent an apartment in Stuttgart: House, apartment & investment – Real estate agent interview

Rent or buy in Stuttgart. Beautiful period buildings, detached houses and villas. Stuttgart offers you everything! Real estate agent Michael Maile tells you everything you need to know about Stuttgart in his interview with FIV Magazine. Should you rather buy and rent? How good are the returns in Stuttgart and the surrounding area? And which districts are the most beautiful in all of Stuttgart to live in? You can find out all this and more here in this article. More broker recommendations for Stuttgart. Also in Germany in our article: Realtors Germany.

Rent, buy, live in Stuttgart

A good start in the real estate world is always the purchase of the first apartment. Michael Maile explains in his interview with FIV Magazine his experience with real estate in a good A-location. The yield here depends on the type of house or apartment. For example, microapartments have different exploitation possibilities than single-family homes. The meso location is also decisive in pricing, whether in Bad Canstatt, Feuerbach and other districts such as Sillenbuch or Vaihingen.

This is Stuttgart in Germany:

Stuttgart from close up:

Rent: Contract & Settlement

After the successful purchase of the property and the execution of the purchase contract, you naturally want to furnish your newly acquired property according to your individual needs. From the living room furnishings, to the garden design, nothing stands in their way of your creative imagination.

Buy: Return on investment through real estate

In our interview, you will learn everything about real estate and returns in Stuttgart. Should you buy a property in Stuttgart or is it more worthwhile to buy nearby, for example in Esslingen or Ludwigsburg?

Real estate agent interview about real estate in Stuttgart

The first condominium or real estate as an investment? In this interview you will learn the most important tips & tricks. Buy, rent, live in Stuttgart but also tips for capital investments. We ask the questions, he provides the answers.

Maile Immobilien: Interview Partner

FIV: Before we go into Stuttgart and its real estate market and your recommendations for tenants and buyers, we would like to know a little more about your agency Maile Immobilien. Could you briefly summarize for our readers what your agency does and what you specialize in?

Michael Maile: We are a real family business with me in the 4th generation. To guarantee a service with one’s name for so many decades is not a matter of course and of course totally shapes one’s daily actions and dealings with our customers.

Some of our customer relationships even date back to the founding year of 1925.
We have been located extremely centrally in Stuttgart’s Königstraße for almost 100 years and serve the entire greater Stuttgart area from here as a reliable contact for valuations, sales and rentals.

Interview partner Michael Maile:

Single family home or townhouse? Favorite properties

FIV: As a real estate agent in Stuttgart, which properties do you personally prefer to broker?

Michael Maile: Most people probably think that real estate agents always dream of the large luxury villas that undoubtedly exist in Stuttgart. Personally, however, I have always had the best experiences with somewhat smaller properties such as small detached houses, semi-detached houses or terraced houses. These are basically my favorite objects, also because you often have to deal with very pleasant customers on both the seller’s and the buyer’s side.

Rents in Stuttgart: Neighborhoods with a future

FIV: Neighborhoods for Singles, Families & Co. – For those who do not yet live in Stuttgart and want to move to Stuttgart, which neighborhoods have a future? Where should you move to in Stuttgart if you want to live nicely?

Michael Maile: Stuttgart has a very unique topography with the well-known Stuttgart Kessel. This in turn means that the city center is relatively limited. So if you want to live very urban with short distances or perfect local connections, there is something for everyone here. I wouldn’t make any big distinctions between the districts.

As before, the west and south is certainly the most popular.

For families, again, other priorities apply with something quieter, safer and greener location. There are plenty of these around Stuttgart, too. I personally favor the southern parts of the city, such as Sillenbuch, Degerloch and Möhringen, because of their very good infrastructure and short distances not only to the city center, but also to the airport or the highway.

Development of the real estate market: rent stagnation

FIV: Rents are a big topic, all over Germany. How has the real estate market and rental prices in Stuttgart developed in recent years and how will they develop in the future?

Michael Maile: Even if you hear different things in the media. We are noticing a clear stagnation of rents in all areas. The times of constant increases seem to be over for the time being. However, due to the natural limitation of the Stuttgart cauldron, the supply remains fundamentally very manageable. Even redensification or additions to existing buildings are only marginally feasible. In this respect, demand is still significantly higher than supply.

Through Corona, however, there are already sustainable reasons here, such as the home office, which rather provide for some relaxation in the inner city area. In turn, the green peripheral locations have become more sought-after. The future always means looking into a crystal ball, but I still consider Stuttgart to be a very stable location, although it seems to be settling at a fairly high level.

Modern apartments in Stuttgart-Vaihingen:

Recommendations for beginners: rent or buy?

FIV: In Germany, more people rent than buy. What would you recommend to a young couple or even a single person, renting or buying in Stuttgart?

Michael Maile: As you know, there are different philosophies here. And there are simply no blanket statements here. I myself am a big fan of owner-occupied property because it simply means a lot of freedom in everyday life and, in case of doubt, also a good retirement provision.

However, this must be preceded by a clear commitment to the location and solid financing that still leaves enough leeway for vacation, children, etc. These are often quite big hurdles. On the one hand, flexibility in the job often has to be higher today, and on the other hand, the purchase price is so high that financing is only possible with considerable restrictions.

In such cases I advise then rather to rent and rather to buy only if a family is to be founded. And then, in case of doubt, clearly outside the city at affordable prices and with other priorities such as short distances to school or a large garden.

Buying the first condominium in the city

FIV: Anyone who rents in Stuttgart is relatively flexible and can move if necessary. Anyone who buys a property, whether a home or a condominium, is at least tied to the property for the long term by the loan or financing. What are typical first-time buyer mistakes from your experience as a real estate agent and how can you avoid them?

Michael Maile: There are plenty of mistakes lurking around when selling and buying. For example, buyers tend to underestimate the capital required, look too much at the property and not enough at the location, or inspect the property superficially without an expert opinion. For me, however, one of the most serious is the lack of willingness to make sacrifices.

The perfect property simply does not exist.

And the sooner you recognize this and consciously set priorities, the sooner you will find something. In many cases, people have been looking for many years. And while the real estate became more and more expensive, it simply did not succeed at some points to be satisfied with less. In the end, I often hear “if only we had…”.

Therefore: Make a clear priority list with weightings and then do not hesitate for long when a good object appears. You will not find the perfect object.

Real estate transfer tax and incidental purchase costs

FIV: The purchase price of a property is one thing, but what ancillary costs and taxes must buyers in Stuttgart expect?

Michael Maile: The land transfer tax in Baden-Württemberg is currently 5% of the purchase price. For the notary and the land registry you should calculate 1.5%. If a broker is involved, this is between 0%-3.5%. Sometimes the seller pays the broker alone. In total, this is about 6.5-10% of the purchase price.

Stuttgart at a glance:

• Real estate transfer tax: 5%
• Notary fees: 1.5%
• Brokerage costs: 0-3.5%
• Total: 6.5 – 10%

Real estate as an investment – city proximity & old buildings

FIV: Stuttgart districts for real estate investment – we come still to real estates as capital investment in Stuttgart, for those, which want to buy and letting. If our*r Leser*in for the purchase, with following letting, decides: Which 2 districts or even satellites around Stuttgart, would you recommend to a buyer for their capital investment in Stuttgart? In your opinion as an expert, where do the most future opportunities lie?

Locations close to the city center continue to be of interest to investors.

Michael Maile: Here I would rather aim at charming old buildings than at replaceable new buildings. The development of the Rosenstein Quarter in particular will mean that quite a lot of apartments will be built in the city center in the medium term. So you should also be able to offer something unique here in the long term.
The better returns, however, are certainly to be found outside the confines of the city. I see Möhringen and Vaihingen, for example, as very interesting locations with very good infrastructure and large employers.

Types of real estate with a future – optics and efficiency

FIV: In your opinion, what type of real estate has a future in Stuttgart, what should one invest in? Small, large, existing, new construction?

Michael Maile: As already mentioned, I am rather a friend of the charming old building. Energy efficiency will certainly play an even more important role in the future, but the beautiful sandstone Art Nouveau façade will certainly not be insulated. Such buildings will always be sought after and in demand. Personally, I am not a fan of the often very monotonous new building architecture with the same residential silos that are arranged around a sad little playground, in which even the last square meter of the property is built on.

Nevertheless, it must also be emphasized that, for example, accessibility will be a more important issue, which is more likely to be found in newer buildings. Here, everyone has to weigh things up for themselves. And then, of course, it’s better to have three small apartments than one large one, also in terms of risk diversification.

Attic room of a family house:

Selling a property – quality check

FIV: Finally, one more question: You had mentioned the typical mistakes buying a property. Many buy, but some also want to sell. As an experienced real estate agent in Stuttgart, what tips can you give to those who are selling a property for the first time? What are the first steps and how do you successfully sell a property in Stuttgart?

Michael Maile: First of all: In principle, you can do most things in the world yourself. The question is always how much time you have available and in what quality you can do this sustainably. Therefore, I would always strongly advise an inexperienced real estate seller to take an experienced broker on board. Simply because selling real estate at the best possible price involves much more effort than is commonly imagined. You should ask around among friends and acquaintances, check references and get a non-binding impression of the real estate company.

Renovation and modernization are always worthwhile!

Otherwise, it is important to make the bride pretty before the wedding. Small renovation works up to the conscious “stagen” of the real estate are financially worthwhile practically always. You should not only have all the documents relevant for the banks at hand, but also understand them and thus know, for example, the circumstances under land registry law or the regulations in the declaration of partition and be able to communicate them accordingly.

Deficiencies must be known and skillfully communicated. What is fatal here, of course, is the wilful concealment of such a defect.
On site it is important to arouse the emotions of a buyer. To understand which priorities he has and with which details you can arouse his final interest. Price negotiations are also often a fine line, where inexperienced sellers all too often have great difficulties.

Conclusion: Inexperienced sellers should definitely seek advice from a reliable and trustworthy expert first. Experienced sellers usually know that a good broker does not cost money, but brings money through his know-how, contacts and the enormous time savings.

FIV: Thanks to Maile Immobilien for the interview!

Buying your first apartment: Owner occupation or capital investment

You want to realize the dream of the first own property, but do not know where to start? Learn everything about the first home and the most important steps in our article.

• Buy first apartment

Rent, buy, live in Stuttgart

For the realization of their dream of the first home, whether you rent with or buy, and how to achieve the maximum return in Stuttgart, you can learn in our article about realtors in Stuttgart.

• Real estate agent in Stuttgart