How to get a property valuation

Hi...I'ld like to get my property just outside Butzbach valued for either rent or sale....could anyone help, I dont speak german and currenty live in uk

I haven't any personal experience with this company, but these guys might be able to help. Although they mostly work on behalf of buyers, they can give you the same sort of report that a buyer would get, including any problems with the building and how much it is worth. Not sure how they will charge you, since their usual fee is partly based on how much they save a buyer. Never hurts to ask.

Der Hausinspektor

You need a "Gutachter" (like a chartered surveyor) and you should reckon with about €500.00 to have a valuation carried out.
I know some good inexpensive ones but they're all about 200 kms away, so not very useful to you I'm afraid.

I can understand you wanting a valuation to sell it but why to rent? Surely you'll base your rental on the local rent levels, regardless of what the valuation says.

I'm already renting the house which is approx 130sq mt internal and 1200sq mt external space...but I dont know how to find out what the local rent levels are...I fear I'm not getting the correct level as I'm renting to a family member whom I'm not entirly trusting...! all a little complicated really...!

Why don't you just look at other flats and houses being offered in Butzbach and see if there are any that compare to yours.
I really don't think the rent you can expect would justify the cost of professional advice, but that's just me, I'd rather give the tennant a good deal than pay a consultant, doesn't make any difference to your wealth.
It looks like what you are getting is probably on the cheap side but at least your place is not vacant which is a real problem in large areas in Germany.

The local "Mietspiegel" might give an indication. It's an overview of regional rents created by municipals in cooperation with tenant and landlord associations.

However i doubt it can be queried online.

As an alternative you might consider checking what Immobilienscout 24 has to offer:
They are creating "Mietspiegel" statistically on the basis of their online platform.

http://immobilien.meinestadt.de/butzbach/marktspiegel

I have entered:
Where: 10km around Butzbach
Rooms: 2-3
Size: 60-120

and got the following results (€ number is cold rental cost)
1 offer with <4€ per m²
6 offers with 4-5€ per m²
28 offers with 5-6€ per m²
32 offers with 6-7€ per m²
13 offers with 7-8€ per m²
4 offers with 8-9€ per m²
1 offer with 9-10€ per m²
1 offer with 10-11€ per m²

Experience shows that offers on Immobilienscout 24 are a bit more costly than found in local newspapers, so subtract a grain of salt from that figures.

could I put a for sale board outside the property?

Of course you could if it belongs to you, together with a phone number or some details on how to contact you or your agent. I've rarely seen that though, it doesn't seem to be common practise. The only time(s) I saw it was when it was effectively a site for sale, or a new build where there company who built the house was advertising itself together with trying to sell its own houses. Its not like the UK where anything for sale has a board in front of it.

From what I've seen, people start by advertising their place on the internet here with the price they think their property is worth. Then after a while if there's no interest they start slowly dropping the price. In this way, I've seen some older properties advertised for well over a year if not longer.

So it all depends on how fast you want to sell/rent - it can take quite a while in Germany, and you need to set the price realistically. You could always ask some local Maklers (estate agents) to look at the property and see how much they would propose you ask for. They know the market, and this is part of their job if they want to sell the place on your behalf. You can still try and sell on your own afterwards, but then you've more information.

EDIT: If you are trying to sell from the UK and don't have German, you'll almost definitely be better off selling through a Makler (estate agent). Also, there are loads of rules with renting here and I suspect that would be more hassle than its worth if you're based in the UK.

EDIT 2: Having read your other posts, I suspect the situation is more complicated. You need to find an agent that you do trust, or start doing more homework and finding our for yourself what its worth - the best thing would be to fly over and try and meet a few different agents in person, preferably at the property itself so they can give you an immediate analysis of your options. If you don't trust any of the agents in the area, don't speak German and can't trust anyone locally then you're stuck really.

At the end of the day, its only worth as much as the highest price a buyer is willing to pay - at the moment that may not be very much, and you might even be lucky to find someone to buy it at all. I've no idea about your area, but I was shocked to hear from a German friend that they inherited a big site with a niceish old house that's effectively worthless. Why? Because its in the middle of nowhere, in an area that nobody wants to live, with no employment prospects and everyone is moving away. This was a new concept to me!

Well it turns out your question is for good reason: While chances are very high that you can do that, there are indeed some "exclusive" cities who don't like sale boards in their residential areas: Ortsgestaltungssatzung der Gemeinde Kampen (Sylt) states that sale boards may be attached to the building but are not allowed to be freestanding after completion of the construction.

And the mayor of München-Grünwald was reported threatening with the "Ortsgestaltungssatzung" against the "amerikanische Unsitte" of sale boards.

But from the situation you have reported it is very unlikely that there is such a rule in place in the Ortsgestaltungssatzung of Butzbach ItMoN
(= in the middle of nowhere )