Engel & Völkers LiquidHome

What Engel & Völkers LiquidHome does

Engel & Völkers LiquidHome (legal entity: EV LiquidHome GmbH), founded in 2020 and headquartered in Hamburg, Germany, is a privately held licensed partner of Engel & Völkers Residential GmbH that specializes in residential partial property sales (Immobilien-Teilverkauf) in Germany. The company purchases up to 50% of a residential property at an independently appraised market value and registers an insolvency-proof usufruct right (insolvenzfestes Nießbrauchrecht) in the German land registry (Grundbuch). This legal construct allows the original owner to retain 100% economic ownership and lifetime occupancy (or rental) rights, transfer the remaining share via inheritance, and exercise a guaranteed buyback right at any time at a price floored at the original purchase price plus incidental costs. Transaction execution is supported by independent certified appraisers (Sachverständige) and notaries, with all appraisal, notary, and land-registry fees covered by the company.

The business model combines a one-time capital outlay at acquisition with a recurring monthly usage fee (Nutzungsgebühr) tied to current market interest rates and fixed for up to 10 years before potential recalculation via a standardized index (Zinsswap). Episodic exit-event revenue is captured through a 3% processing fee on buyback and a 5.5% fee on third-party sales through the Engel & Völkers network (reduced to 3% outside the network). The company distributes via trained customer advisors handling the full sales cycle from inquiry through notarization, a Kooperationspartner referral program targeting financial advisors and wealth managers, content-led German-language digital marketing (city pages for Berlin, Hamburg, Munich; guide and blog content), and self-service tools such as the online Beispielrechner calculator and downloadable information brochures.

The customer base spans five identifiable segments: retirees and older homeowners seeking liquidity without relocating (primary); divorcing couples resolving jointly held property; Erbengemeinschaften (inheritance communities) with conflicting interests; self-employed individuals and freelancers unable to access traditional credit; and property owners funding renovations or energy-efficiency upgrades. The firm is a member of the Bundesverband Immobilienverrentung (BVIV) and has signed the BVIV Quality Code, voluntarily binding itself to industry transparency, valuation, cost-disclosure, and customer-protection standards in a German partial-sale market that grew to nine providers as of December 2022.

Name

Engel & Völkers LiquidHome

Legal name

EV LiquidHome GmbH

Website

https://ev-liquidhome.de

Company type

Private

Founded year

2020

Operating status

Operating

Headcount range

51–100 employees

Short description

Engel & Völkers LiquidHome (Hamburg, Germany) enables German residential property owners to sell up to 50% of their home while retaining lifetime occupancy rights via an insolvency-proof usufruct, generating one-time acquisition revenue and recurring monthly usage fees across retirees, divorcees, heirs, and self-employed customers.

Ownership category

akta.pro rank

Headquarters

HQ city

Hamburg

HQ country

Germany

HQ region

Europe

Offices1 record

Markets served

GTM type

B2C

Offering type

Services

Cost components

Personnel, Marketing or Sales, Operations, Technology or R&D, Others

Revenue model

1. Immobilien-Teilverkauf (Property Partial Sale): Engel & Völkers LiquidHome purchases up to 50% of a residential property at fair market value as determined by an independent appraiser. The company becomes a silent co-owner (stiller Miteigentümer) while the original owner retains full economic ownership and usage rights through the registered usufruct.
2. Nutzungsgebühr (Usage Fee): Monthly usage fee paid by the property owner to Engel & Völkers LiquidHome for the co-owned share. The fee is fixed for up to 10 years based on current market interest rates, after which it may be recalculated using a standardized index (Zinsswap). This provides long-term revenue visibility.

Pricing tiers

Go-to-market motion1 record

Distribution channels3 records

Marketing channels5 records

Core offering

Engel & Völkers LiquidHome purchases up to 50% of a residential property at independently appraised fair market value while the original owner retains full economic ownership, occupancy, and rental rights through an insolvency-proof usufruct right registered in the German land register. The seller receives a one-time cash payout and pays a monthly usage fee (Nutzungsgebühr), and may at any time buy back the sold share or proceed to a full sale; the company covers all notary, appraisal, and land registry fees.

Product overview

Engel & Völkers LiquidHome offers a single core service: Immobilien-Teilverkauf (partial property sale), which allows property owners to sell up to 50% of their real estate while retaining full economic ownership through an insolvency-proof Nießbrauchrecht. The offering is complemented by an online calculator (Beispielrechner) for payout estimation, an information brochure, and a voluntary commitment to the BVIV-Qualitätskodex industry quality standards. The service enables property owners to access liquidity while continuing to live in or rent their property, with the option to buy back sold shares or proceed with a full sale through the Engel & Völkers network.

Differentiator

Problem solved

Functional benefit

Products and services

• Immobilien-Teilverkauf (Partial Property Sale) Core service enabling residential property owners to sell up to 50% of their property to Engel & Völkers LiquidHome at independently appraised fair market value while retaining 100% economic ownership through an insolvency-proof Nießbrauchrecht (usufruct right) registered in the German land register; owner continues to occupy or rent the property, benefits from any value appreciation, and may at any time exercise a free buyback right or proceed to a full sale. Company covers all notary, appraisal, and land registry fees.

Quantifiable outcome

• Over 70,000 individuals have contacted the company to inquire about partial property sale, indicating strong market interest and brand trust.
• +2 more outcomes

Named customers2 records

Segments5 records

Ideal customer profiles5 records

Technology focussed No

API detail

Has API

No

API docs

API detail

Core technology

AI maturity

App detail

Feature3 records

Partnerships

Six partnerships are on record, tiered minor and core.

• Heimkapital GmbHminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signatory to the BVIV Quality Code along with Engel & Völkers LiquidHome and other partial sale providers. Represents a market peer group cooperating on industry standards rather than a direct business partnership.
• Volksbank Immobilien TeilverkaufminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signatory to the BVIV Quality Code along with Engel & Völkers LiquidHome and other partial sale providers. Represents a market peer group cooperating on industry standards rather than a direct business partnership.
• Wertfaktor Immobilien TeilverkaufminorStrategic or Co-development PartnerCo-signatory to the BVIV Quality Code along with Engel & Völkers LiquidHome and other partial sale providers. Represents a market peer group cooperating on industry standards rather than a direct business partnership.
• Bundesverband Immobilienverrentung (BVIV)coreOthersThe company is a member of the German Federal Association for Property Venting (Bundesverband Immobilienverrentung). The association establishes and enforces quality standards for partial sale providers through its Quality Code, which Engel & Völlers LiquidHome has signed.
• GOING PUBLICminorImplementation/ SI/ Consulting PartnerGOING PUBLIC offers a certified training program for 'Immobilienverrentung' (property venting) professionals. Engel & Völkers LiquidHome partners with GOING PUBLIC to provide professional certification opportunities for cooperation partners and advisors.
• Engel & Völkers Residential GmbHcoreOEM/ Whitelabel/ Licensing PartnerEV LiquidHome GmbH operates as a licensed partner (Lizenzpartner) of Engel & Völkers Residential GmbH, using the Engel & Völkers brand name and accessing the network of over 9,700 real estate advisors under a licensing agreement.

Scale indicators3 records

Recent moves5 records

Expansion highlights5 records

Direct peers

• Heimkapital: One of the earliest and largest dedicated German Immobilien-Teilverkauf providers, offering nearly identical partial property sale products with retained occupancy rights. Co-signatory with Engel & Völkers LiquidHome to the BVIV Quality Code and operates in the same German customer segment.
• Point: US home equity investment company that purchases a share of a home in exchange for a lump sum, with the owner retaining occupancy. Closely comparable business model and customer segment to Engel & Völkers LiquidHome's German offering.
• Hometap: US-based home equity investment company offering homeowners cash in exchange for a share of their home's future value, with the owner retaining occupancy. Closest international analog to Engel & Völkers LiquidHome's partial-sale / co-ownership model.
• easyknock: US residential sale-leaseback provider that buys a home outright and leases it back to the owner, an adjacent variant of the partial-equity release model. Competes for the same customer need—accessing home equity without moving.
• Wertfaktor: German partial-sale provider offering owners the ability to sell a share of their property while continuing to live in it. Direct competitor to Engel & Völkers LiquidHome, with comparable product structure and a shared BVIV Quality Code commitment.
• Volksbank Immobilien Teilverkauf: Bank-affiliated partial property sale provider in Germany. Combines the same partial-sale product with the distribution and funding advantages of a Volksbank banking group, making it a structurally well-capitalized competitor in the same niche.
• Unlock (Liberty Financial): France-based home equity sharing / partial sale provider allowing owners to convert property equity into cash while retaining full usage rights. Operates the same conceptual model as Engel & Völkers LiquidHome in a different European market.

Emerging players

• Danehy Immobilien Teilverkauf: Smaller German partial-sale provider serving a regional footprint. Comparable product offering but with narrower geographic reach and brand recognition than Engel & Völkers LiquidHome.

Broad incumbents

• Engel & Völkers Residential GmbH (parent franchise): The global real estate franchise brand under which Engel & Völkers LiquidHome operates. While not a direct competitor, the broader franchise network defines the brand platform and distribution access that gives LiquidHome its primary competitive advantage.
• European Equity Release providers (e.g., Key Retirement): Established UK equity release / lifetime mortgage providers that address the same customer need (unlocking housing wealth in retirement) through a mortgage-based rather than co-ownership structure. Relevant adjacent category demonstrating how the equity-release space can scale.

Market position

Strengths5 records

Weaknesses5 records

Competitive moat4 records

Key risks6 records

Key highlights7 records

Customer concentration

Compliance2 records

Revenue estimate

Valuation estimate

Number of profiles

Profiles2 records

Funding overview

Funding rounds

Investors

Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

M&A

Investments

M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →

Frequently asked questions about Engel & Völkers LiquidHome