Sell Property in Hungary with Lawyer-Realtors

Who we are?

In our daily work as property lawyers, we repeatedly saw sellers reach the contract stage without the legal information, transparency or practical support they should have received much earlier. A conventional property listing may generate enquiries, but it does not necessarily identify a title problem, an unregistered alteration, an impractical payment schedule or a proposal that exposes the seller to avoidable risk.

This is why lawyer-members of Illés and Szabó Lawyers’ Association, the team behind e-ingatlanügyvédek.hu, who are also licensed to provide real estate brokerage services, launched e-ingatlanközvetítők.

Our purpose is simple: to bring legal preparation and successful property marketing into the same sales process.

The e-ingatlanközvetítők network accepts selected property sales mandates throughout Hungary.

Selling Hungarian property while living abroad

You do not necessarily have to travel to Hungary for every stage of the sale. We can organise the local preparation, collect and review the documents, arrange viewings, communicate with prospective buyers and coordinate the legal process. If a power of attorney or remote signing is needed, the lawyer handling the transaction will determine the correct form for your country and circumstances.

We recommend this service in particular if you:

• live outside Hungary or in another Hungarian city;
• inherited a property in Hungary;
• do not speak Hungarian confidently;
• cannot manage viewings and negotiations in person;
• own a property with a mortgage, usufruct, co-ownership or an unresolved cadastral issue;
• want one team to coordinate the legal, commercial and marketing sides of the sale.

What types of property do we sell?

• Apartments: panel apartments, brick-built condominium apartments, newly built and renovated homes.
• Houses: detached, semi-detached and terraced houses, as well as premium residential property.
• Investment property: apartment buildings, serviced-apartment properties and office buildings.
• Building plots and development land: plots with building or development potential.
• Rental property: apartments and houses intended for long-term letting.

What is included in our lawyer-led property sales service?

1. Document collection and legal due diligence

Before marketing begins, we identify the documents and issues that could delay or prevent the sale.

• We verify the property’s address and cadastral number and obtain the title deed and, where relevant, the cadastral map.
• We help collect the energy performance certificate, electrical safety inspection report, permits, condominium deed of foundation, organisational and operational rules, utility clearance certificates and other relevant records.
• We examine mortgages, enforcement rights, usufruct, easements, pre-emption rights, ownership shares and other registered restrictions.
• For undivided co-owned property, we check whether an appropriate use agreement is available.
• We flag unregistered extensions, terraces, outbuildings or discrepancies between the building and the cadastral map before they disrupt the buyer’s financing or the transaction.
• We organise the relevant material into a clear property file for serious prospective buyers.

Identifying a problem early does not always mean that the property cannot be sold. It means that the seller can choose a realistic solution before a buyer, bank or lawyer discovers the issue at the final stage.

2. Market valuation and asking-price strategy

• We record the property’s main characteristics, including floor area, rooms, plot size, condition, renovations and building services.
• We inspect the property on site.
• We collect comparable market information from public listings and available transaction data, including relevant NAV data.
• We recommend a realistic asking price based on the property, its legal status, local demand and current comparable evidence.

The highest advertised price is not automatically the best selling strategy. Our aim is to protect the seller’s financial interest while avoiding an asking price that leaves the property on the market and weakens its negotiating position.

3. Professional marketing

• We write the listing in clear, persuasive language and present the property’s genuine advantages.
• We also disclose known material disadvantages that could otherwise lead to disputes or warranty claims.
• Depending on the property, we arrange professional photography, a floor plan, drone footage and 3D-rendered images.
• We publish the property on major Hungarian property portals and may use targeted social-media campaigns.
• We handle enquiries and arrange viewings, so owners living abroad do not have to coordinate each prospective buyer personally.

4. Buyer screening and negotiations

• We distinguish serious buyers from casual enquiries before recommending that the seller enter negotiations.
• We ask how the purchase will be financed and whether a mortgage buyer has obtained a preliminary assessment from a bank.
• We present offers with the proposed price, payment schedule, financing conditions and requested handover date.
• We negotiate the commercial terms with the seller’s instructions and interests in mind.
• We do not accept a deposit, “offer security” or registration fee from a prospective buyer on the seller’s behalf.

An attractive headline price is not enough. A credible offer must also have a workable payment schedule, realistic financing and clear conditions for signing and taking possession.

5. Transaction coordination

Once the seller accepts an offer, we coordinate the next steps and communicate with the buyer and the lawyer preparing the sale and purchase agreement.

The estate agent cannot act as legal counsel for both sides of the same transaction. If the buyer appoints their own lawyer, we coordinate with that lawyer. Where separate legal assistance is required, we can introduce the seller or buyer to the team at e-ingatlanügyvédek.hu, subject to the applicable professional and conflict-of-interest rules.

How does a remote property sale work?

1. Initial consultation: We discuss the property, ownership, occupancy, legal issues and your preferred timetable.
2. Identity and ownership checks: The relevant professionals complete the required identification and anti-money-laundering checks.
3. Document review: We obtain and review the title deed and determine which certificates, permits or other documents are missing.
4. Local preparation: We inspect and value the property, prepare the marketing materials and organise access for viewings.
5. Marketing and negotiations: We advertise the property, screen potential buyers and submit offers to you for approval.
6. Contract preparation: The appointed transaction lawyer checks how you can sign validly, including whether remote signing or a properly executed power of attorney is appropriate.
7. Signing, payment and handover: The parties follow the agreed payment and possession schedule, while the lawyers coordinate the land-registry documentation.

Whether the sale can be completed without travel depends on the owner’s identity documents, location, the form of signing, the property’s legal status and the requirements of the lawyer handling the transaction. We clarify these points before the decisive stage of the sale.

Commission and fees

How much is the estate agent’s commission?

Our commission is 3.5% of the purchase price + VAT. 

The commission covers the core sales process: preliminary legal review, pricing, preparation of the listing, marketing, buyer screening, negotiations and transaction coordination.

The cost of third-party services is not included. These may include the energy performance certificate, the electrical safety inspection, technical or surveying work and the preparation of a lawyer-countersigned use agreement. We identify any likely additional cost before ordering the relevant service.

When is the commission payable?

The commission is normally payable against an invoice when a buyer introduced through our work makes an offer that the seller accepts and the sale and purchase agreement is concluded. No commission is taken from the buyer’s deposit.

The individual mandate governs the exact trigger and payment date.

When is no commission payable?

Subject to the terms of the individual mandate, no commission is payable where:

• no sale and purchase agreement is concluded through our brokerage activity;
• the agent fails to perform the agreed tasks;
• an exclusive mandate has expired and has not been renewed; or
• the seller demonstrably finds a buyer independently, without using the services covered by the mandate, where the agreed contract permits this.

Who pays the commission?

The client who appoints the lawyer-realtor - normally the seller - pays the commission. If the seller appoints us, we act exclusively for the seller in the brokerage process. We do not charge the buyer an undisclosed or unagreed fee.

Start your Hungarian property sale with a legal review

If you own an apartment, house, investment property or building plot in Hungary, tell us where it is located, whether it is occupied and whether the title shows any mortgage, usufruct or other restriction. We will assess whether we can take the mandate and explain the proposed process, commission and likely external costs.