A secondary-market flat: what to remember when buying

When looking for a flat, many people decide to buy one from the secondary market. Great price bargains can often be found here. What should we remember when deciding on a used unit?

Check the technical condition

In searching for our future home, we can choose between primary and secondary market units. An undoubted advantage of most used ones is that less time has to be spent finishing them. Often one can acquire a unit that is fully ready to live in. Sometimes small touch-ups are needed. Of course, there are also flats that we buy at a bargain price because a general renovation is necessary. Which option we choose is a matter of individual preference.

However, if the flat is already completely furnished and practically ready to move into, we should still check its technical condition carefully. It is worth talking to the owner and finding out what finish was used on the individual elements, for example how the floors were made, or what condition the wiring and window frames are in. All this will spare us any problems in future.

A good solution is to buy the flat through an agency, because then the estate agent will take care of all these matters for us. A professional knows what to ask and what to pay particular attention to when checking the technical condition of the unit.

Verify the flat's history

Another very important matter when buying a used flat is checking its ownership and history. It is good to know who lived in it before, what the reasons for the sale are, and who is registered as resident in the flat. We must check who the flat legally belongs to, and above all it is necessary to verify that the seller is the owner of the flat. We should also check whether the flat is by any chance encumbered with the rights of third parties. Gathering all this information is essential in order to enjoy the purchase afterwards.

Any estate agent in Katowice and in other cities can successfully help in checking all this information. It is worth entrusting these matters to someone who knows how to verify a flat's history efficiently and reliably.

Remember the additional charges

Buying a flat on the secondary market involves additional charges that do not arise in a primary-market transaction. This mainly means civil law transactions tax (PCC, podatek od czynności cywilnoprawnych). It is a tax on transactions made in the form of a notarial deed (akt notarialny), naturally at a notary's office. When buying a flat, it is a set percentage of its value.

So, when buying a unit on the secondary market and planning the budget for it, many additional costs must be taken into account. The tax will be one of the significant ones: the higher the value of the flat, the greater the amount to be paid.