I have a castle for sale, but don’t tell anyone!

This is how we refer to sales offers for historic properties on REALPORTICO, which are exclusively visible to verified users and not publicly advertised. This creates a discreet and selective environment for buyers and sellers. In the industry, these are often referred to as Off Market or Secret Sale.

There are several reasons why a secret sale is preferred over public listings. Some of these include:

• Protection of the privacy and assets of the property owners.
• Protection from unwanted attention and public speculation.
• Protection from uncontrolled spread on social media, which often leads to unwanted discussions and negative publicity, thus affecting the marketing efforts.
• Higher quality inquiries with a lower risk of property tourism or curiosity seekers with no intention to buy.
• Protection from market volatility and unwanted scrutiny by third parties, including external websites and bots with potentially harmful effects.
• Avoiding negative perception caused by widespread exposure and long marketing periods.

Unless otherwise requested by the client, potential buyers communicate directly with the seller using the communication methods provided by the seller.

Additionally, upon request, we offer to make the initial contact with potential buyers. Interested parties first reach out to us. Only if there is further interest or relevance, we will forward the inquiry to the seller. This saves the seller time and reduces the risk of dealing with irrelevant inquiries, although such a risk can never be completely eliminated. History, status, and outcome of any pre-contact interactions are recorded by us and can be accessed by the client at any time.

• 100% Inquiry Quality
  Discreet marketing cannot guarantee full control over the quality of each inquiry. However, as described in the previous section, you can use us as the first point of contact to minimize the risk of unqualified inquiries.
• Credit Check
  The creditworthiness of potential buyers is not automatically checked. This responsibility lies with the seller or broker when the sale progresses.
• Quick Sales
  Timely sales are possible in principle, but realistic expectations are important. Due to the limited number of potential buyers for castles and large estates, as well as numerous influencing factors, owners should generally plan for a longer marketing duration.

When verifying users, it is important to find an optimal balance between security and accessibility. The goal is to ensure high seriousness without discouraging potential interested parties. Access to PORTICO Secrets is therefore only granted to users who meet the following criteria:

1. They are registered on the portal as a business or private client with a valid address.
2. They have confirmed their access code via their mobile number.
3. They have agreed to a confidentiality agreement.

With discreet marketing, the owner's wishes are the sole determining factor. Therefore, there are no fixed requirements based on specific property features such as location, value, classification, or purchase price. In principle, any historic property can be marketed discreetly if desired by the seller.

Properties can only be marketed discretely on REALPORTICO if it is indeed a discreet marketing process and the property is not simultaneously being advertised publicly on other portals or websites.

There is no exclusive commitment. The client can also market the property through other channels or individuals as long as the listing is not publicly accessible or discoverable.

In principle, both private sellers and real estate agencies can market properties discreetly.

A one-time processing fee is charged per property for discreet marketing. Further details regarding the cooperation and terms are individually arranged in a cooperation agreement with the client.

The marketing duration is based on the individual requirements of the client. Early termination of the marketing is possible at any time, provided there are no binding inquiries or ongoing negotiations.

Here are the steps if you, as a seller, want to market a property discreetly for the first time:

1. Contact us and provide the key details of the property.
2. We will check if there are any potential buyers for the property or if we can reach them in future.
3. If the assessment is positive, we will send you a proposal for contractual cooperation.
4. If an agreement is reached, you will need to register on the portal if you don’t already have an account.
5. Publish the listing directly on the portal or export it from any agency software.
6. All verified users will have access to the listing throughout the marketing period.