Commission-free real estate directly from the owner in Rheinland-Pfalz

A time-honored cultural landscape to the right and left of the great river

The almost 20,000 Km² large state with its just under 4 million inhabitants in the central west of the Federal Republic of Germany stands in the public perception in this country primarily for forest, wine and water. Economically important waterways such as the Rhine, the Moselle, the Saar, the Lahn, the Nahe, the Ahr and the Ruwer have not only been used for centuries for the transport of goods and merchandise, but also lend their names to numerous fine wines that ripen on the mostly quite steep slopes in the regionally typical mild to warm climate. The "German Wine Route" runs for 85 kilometers through the Vorderpfalz region in the southeast of the state. With an area of approximately 230 square kilometers, it is the second largest wine-growing region in Germany. The UNESCO World Heritage Site of the Upper Middle Rhine Valley with its numerous historic castles and the famous Loreley Rock near St. Goar between Bingen and Koblenz, which is known both nationally and internationally, is also an example of the so-called "Rhine Romanticism", which has been boosting local tourism since the 18th century. In terms of landscape and the real estate market, the Rhineland is quite different from the relatively densely populated south and east of the state, while the Eifel and Palatinate regions in the west and Hunsrück and Westerwald in the north are densely wooded and, with the exception of the larger cities in high demand such as Kaiserslautern, Koblenz, Trier and Bitburg, only sparsely populated. While, for example, condominiums in medium-quality locations in the state capital Mainz increased in price by more than 21 percent between 2012 and 2013 alone, and homes in Koblenz and Trier by as much as 20 to 25 percent, and some smaller towns such as Montabaur, Bendorf and Vallendar also saw price increases of 15 to 20 percent, property prices in the state average rose by only a moderate 3 to 5 percent over this period, which is also due to the rather low momentum of the real estate market in the Western Palatinate, the Hunsrück and the Westerwald.

Cities in demand in the southeast, favorable opportunities in the north and west

In line with the nationwide trend, the most sought-after and expensive locations in Rhineland-Palatinate include not only those in Mainz (€2,000 to €3,600/m²) but also almost all the centers of cities with over 40,000 inhabitants. These include Worms (800 to 2,300 euros/m²), Speyer (1,500 to 2,800 euros/m²), Trier (2,200 to 3,200 euros/m²), Bitburg (2,000 to 2,500 euros/m²), Neustadt an der Weinstrasse (2,000 to 2,200 euros/m²), Landau in der Pfalz (2,200 to 2,400 euros/m²) and Koblenz (1,000 to 3,400 euros/m²). In contrast, Frankenthal (Palatinate) (1,000 to 1,800 euros/m²), Kaiserslautern (800 to 1,300 euros/m²) and Ludwigshafen am Rhein (1,000 to 2,200 euros/m²) offer a somewhat lower price level. Very affordable housing, on the other hand, can be found in Zweibrücken (600 to 1,000 euros/m²) and Pirmasens (600 to 800 euros/m²). Here in the less industrialized, but scenically beautiful Western Palatinate and in the surrounding district of Southwest Palatinate, there are the most favorable conditions in all of Rhineland-Palatinate, with apartment prices between 600 and 900 euros/m² and house prices between 1,300 and 2,300 euros/m². Partly and depending on the exact location somewhat more expensive, but in recent years relatively constant in price, are properties of all types in the districts of Rhein-Pfalz (1,500 to 1,800 euros/m²), Bad Dürkheim (1,100 to 1,700 euros/m²) and Südliche Weinstraße (1,300 to 2,300 euros/m²). This is mainly explained by their affiliation or proximity to the economically strong Rhine-Neckar metropolitan region, the only current exception being the Germersheim district bordering France to the south, where prices have fallen significantly in recent years and the average property purchase price of just over 1,800 euros/m² (apartments approx. 1,000 euros/m²) is currently below the German average. Incidentally, with a share of apartment owners of a remarkable 58.0 percent (2010), Rhineland-Palatinate holds a top position nationwide; only the small neighboring Saarland slightly exceeds this rate with 63.7 percent.

Hunsrück, Eifel and Westerwald still have reserves, Moselle view costs extra

Further to the north, the Hunsrück, the Eifel and the Westerwald, both comparatively low-priced and high-priced real estate areas of the state, await interested buyers. The Eifel district of Bitburg-Prüm has a fairly high average price for apartments of around 2,500 euros/m², while the district of Bernkastel-Wittlich is more affordable with an average of just under 2,000 euros/m². In the Trier-Saarburg district, prices for apartments hover around the 2,200 euro/m² mark, while in the Cochem-Zell district they are considerably lower at just over 1,300 euros/m², and slightly above that in the Mayen-Koblenz district at a good 1,600 euros/m². By contrast, properties in the Vulkaneifel district are surprisingly inexpensive, with an average price of just 900 euros/m², while the Ahrweiler district is almost twice as expensive at 1,800 euros/m². In the Rhine-Hunsrück district, there are price ranges of between 2,200 and 3,300 euros/m², while in the Birkenfeld district things are a lot cheaper at just 700 to 1,000 euros/m². Between a moderate 1,100 and 1,800 euros/m², apartments can be purchased in the Bad Kreuznach district, for 800 to 1,300 in the Kusel district, and the Donnersberg district is also quite inexpensive at 600 to 1,000 euros/m². On the right bank of the Rhine, the Neuwied district offers average purchase prices of 1,350 euros/m², the Rhine-Lahn district 1,200 euros/m², the Westerwald district 1,250 euros/m² and the Altenkirchen (Westerwald) district a surprisingly reasonable 950 euros/m². Basically and apart from water locations on the Rhine, the northeast of Rhineland-Palatinate is thus the cheapest region for buying real estate after the extreme southwest. However, real estate in well-known wine villages such as Kobern-Gondorf, Cochem, Beilstein, Zell, Traben-Trarbach, Kröv, Bernkastel-Kues, Neumagen-Dhron, Schweich and Konz is increasingly sought after because of its picturesque location along the Moselle.

Short facts Real Estate In Rhineland-Palatinate:

- High demand and high prices in the southeast, the cities and by water locations
- Eifel, Pfalz, Hunsrück and Westerwald offer sometimes still very favorable objects
- The state capital Mainz registers since short considerable price increases
- Completely particularly favorable objects in the south are in the west and southwest Palatinate
- The metropolitan region Rhine Neckar at both Rhine banks works.Neckar at both Rhine banks works price-increasing
- the owner ratio in Rhineland-Palatinate is the second-highest in Germany
- the northeast offers likewise still favorable real estates of all kinds and years of construction
- for real estates in the well-known wine places at the Mosel the prices rise constantly