Buying property in Wels: the additional costs

Last updated: 24 October 2026

When you buy a flat or house in Austria, several costs come on top of the price. As a rule of thumb, plan for about 10% of the purchase price, ideally from your own funds.

The individual items

Property transfer tax (Grunderwerbsteuer): 3.5% of the price.
Land registry entry (Grundbuch): 1.1% of the price.
Contract and escrow: a notary or lawyer drafts the contract and holds the money in escrow, in practice usually for 1 to 2% of the price plus VAT and expenses. Agree the rate in advance.
Agent fee: at most 3% plus 20% VAT, so 3.6%. If you buy directly from the owner, there is none.

An example

You buy a flat in Wels for €300,000. On top come:

€10,500 property transfer tax
€3,300 land registry fee
€3,600 to €7,200 for contract and escrow including VAT
up to €10,800 agent fee if an agent is involved

That is about €28,000 to €32,000 in total, or about €17,000 to €21,000 without an agent.

Financing costs come separately

If you take out a mortgage, the bank's lien is entered in the land register, which costs 1.2% of the registered amount. Banks also charge processing and valuation fees. These are financing costs, not purchase costs, so budget for them separately and ask your bank for the exact figure.

Who handles what

The notary or lawyer who drafts the contract usually pays the transfer tax and the registry fee for you. You transfer the price and costs to their escrow account, and they pass everything on once the paperwork is complete.

Flats and houses for sale in Wels and Wels-Land are in the search. Selling yourself? List your property free of charge.

Buying property in Wels: the additional costs

The individual items

An example

Financing costs come separately

Who handles what

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