Most Sought-After Historic Properties of 2024

The global economic downturn, political uncertainties, and geopolitical tensions have impacted real estate markets worldwide. While the regional demand for everyday residential and commercial properties has been only marginally affected, the international segment tells a different story. The market for investment projects, as well as historic and high-value properties—already associated with unique requirements and challenges—has felt these effects more acutely.

These various developments have led even buyers who do not rely on financing to act more cautiously than in previous years, which were already marked by the lingering effects of the COVID-19 pandemic and the onset of the war in Ukraine. Compared to 2023, the number of inquiries declined, resulting in fewer completed property transactions. This trend was evident across nearly all European countries and was echoed in personal conversations.

At the same time, for the fourth consecutive year, we observed a significant increase in visitor numbers to a growing portfolio of property listings, along with several sales finalized via REALPORTICO in statistically short periods.

Our Top 10 of 2024 reflects the most sought-after historic properties based on sales success and demand. They demonstrate that even in economically uncertain times, demand exists and ownership transfers can occur within a reasonable timeframe—provided certain criteria are met.

Criteria for the Top 10 Historic Properties of 2024

To create a meaningful and universally relevant list of the most sought-after historic properties, we did not focus solely on raw access numbers. Instead, a variety of criteria, priorities, and weightings were considered. This Top Ten includes only properties listed from January 1, 2024—those online before this date were excluded. The following metrics were key to the selection:

1. Sales Success

The ultimate goal of property listings is to successfully connect buyers and sellers. Verified sales through the portal are therefore given the highest weight, regardless of the number of inquiries or reach.

2. Number of Qualified Inquiries and Contacts

Technically qualified inquiries are another important metric to measure the actual demand for a listing. These inquiries go through a multi-stage, automated validation process and must meet specific requirements before being forwarded:

• The sender's email address is valid and functional.
• The email address is not a temporary or disposable one.
• The sender's technical information is not listed on public blacklists.
• The email does not contain patterns associated with spam or scam activities.

Although an exact assessment of the quality and relevance of an initial inquiry is not possible, various checks and the consideration of additional interaction metrics provide a realistic overall picture.

3. Access Numbers

Reach and access figures are often the first metrics promoted by portals and frequently requested by agencies and sellers. However, raw visitor numbers are not very meaningful unless correlated with specific goals and successes.

To evaluate access numbers effectively, the so-called traffic quality is crucial. Beyond filtering out automated visits, such as those from bots, the main question is: "Is the visitor genuinely interested and a potential buyer?"

The highest weight is given to direct and organic traffic, which includes users who regularly visit the portal or actively search for a listing via search engines and click on a link.

In contrast, social media traffic is weighted less heavily. While it contributes to overall reach and visibility, it rarely leads to significant interactions with specific listings.

The Social Media Effect: When listings are shared on social media, portal and page operators often celebrate hundreds or even thousands of additional clicks within a short time. However, detailed analyses reveal that these are often one-time visits driven by curiosity or entertainment, particularly for historic properties.

Access numbers alone, therefore, reveal little about the actual demand for a listing. In practice, we even observe that properties with lower overall reach sometimes generate demand comparable to those with higher reach.

No.1: Castle in Saxony

A particularly valued criterion for historic properties is their well-preserved original condition. Properties with solid, authentic construction that are actively used and ideally located near metropolitan areas always attract interest. If the price is market-realistic, even a castle can sell in under three months.

No.2: Stable building "Damsdorf Estate"

The large sheep barn of the former “Gut Damsdorf,” located in Lower Silesia and once part of an estate whose castle no longer exists, is a prime example of how even highly dilapidated properties offered at extremely low prices almost always find a buyer. In this case, it took over 400 inquiries before the purchase agreement was finally signed.

No.3: Stare Resko Manor in West Pomerania

Large lands in unique, unspoiled, and private locations with plenty of space, nature, and perhaps even a private lake – properties meeting such criteria always attract interest. The exceptional manifestation of these features outweighed other important factors in this property, so the manor house's need for modernization was of little significance.

#4: Mielno Manor in Greater Poland

A manor house in Poland that meets important criteria due to its location, solid construction, and well-preserved details designed by Berlin architect duo Gustav Erdmann and Ernst Spindler. After a price reduction, the ownership change occurred in November 2024.

No.5: Żegrowo in Greater Poland

High reach – many inquiries: A playful, renovation-required manor house from the late 19th century with a low minimum price.

The property is being offered through a tender by the local forestry authority. The purchase of municipal properties is often associated with additional hurdles. Interested parties should therefore thoroughly inform themselves about the requirements for acquisition, particularly whether a land use plan exists and what provisions are outlined in it.

Additionally, municipal tenders may be suspended repeatedly, conditions may change, or the property may be revalued – in general, municipalities tend to take their time when selecting a suitable buyer.

This can make the acquisition of municipal properties particularly difficult for foreign buyers, especially if they are unfamiliar with the Polish language and local laws.

No.6: Zichy Castle in Hungary

Another municipal property in western Hungary with a low purchase price – one of only two historical properties in Hungary this year that attracted many interested parties. As of the end of 2024, this property has not yet found an investor. Further details and information are also available in English.

No.7: Apartment Villa Pasqua in Oggebbio on Lake Maggiore

The category Apartment in Historical Building introduced this year still plays a secondary role. However, this property listing shows that it's not about quantity – even within a small selection, interesting properties find their buyers.

The 150 m² apartment over 2 floors in Villa Pasqua is priced at 250,000 EUR and appears attractive. By the end of the year, the apartment is still available.

A potential downside of the large villas built in the 19th century on the shores of northern Italy’s lakes is the changed traffic situation today. Roads that were once barely frequented now often pass directly by the estates. However, considering that many properties are used as second homes and vacation residences, this is not necessarily seen as a disadvantage by this target group.

No.8: Kounice Castle near Prague

Price on request does not, based on past experience, negatively affect the number of inquiries. Even properties that require extensive renovation can still surprise, like the castle in Kounice – a large investment project near Prague. With 49 inquiries within 202 days, it takes 8th place.

No.9: Mainberg Castle

Castles and palaces in Germany are also attractive to foreign buyers. Most inquiries come from the Netherlands and the USA, in addition to Germany.

No.10: Greenhouse Villa Maria on Lake Como

An undoubtedly unique property that continues to generate inquiries despite a large media presence.

If properties are offered by multiple agencies on different portals, REALPORTICO automatically transforms a listing into a unique presentation – this can be achieved through additional descriptions, regular updates, different photos, or a generally high-quality and detailed presentation.

Conclusion

Given the high traffic numbers some properties are experiencing, it may come as a surprise that certain properties are missing from this list. However, this highlights that reach alone is not the deciding factor. Some listings you may miss here were published before 01.01.2024 and are therefore not included in this overview.

What is surprising is that no château in France has made it onto the list so far – despite the fact that agency Denniel Immobilier, with its small but refined selection, benefits from strong international demand that spans across all continents. Many new properties were only published on the portal in the last quarter and are likely to play a larger role in future.

Regardless of political developments, international interest in properties in Eastern European countries continues to rise. One possible reason for this is the relatively low presence of Eastern European castles on international portals compared to historic properties in Italy, Spain or castles in France. However, it is also true that the further west the location, the greater the interest. Locations east of Warsaw or Prague, on the other hand, are significantly less in demand.

Our 2024 highlights impressively show that REALPORTICO can find the right buyers for any location and price range. When sales take longer, the reasons often lie in a variety of other factors. Overall, however, the market proved to be much more dynamic than the general situation might suggest.

How Will the Market for Historic Properties Develop in 2025?

For 2025, no rapid increase in general consumption and investment behavior is expected. The demand for historic properties will continue to depend heavily on the economic and political conditions in Europe. Economists predict that a slight market recovery will likely occur at the earliest in the second half of the year.

However, a complete standstill is not expected this year either. For historic properties, the classic location, originality, condition, potential for use, and a market-appropriate price remain the key factors for attractive offers that enable quick marketing.

In addition, patience, a well-thought-out strategy, and personal commitment in marketing will continue to be important for most historic properties. REALPORTICO already provides the optimal framework for buyers actively searching for castles and manor houses. For sellers, continuous offline engagement with potential target groups is also recommended. In times when fewer people are acquiring large and expensive properties, the quality of reach and precise targeting of the right audience is more efficient than passive distribution across as many platforms as possible. Because even in 2025, one seller only needs one suitable buyer.