Kitzbühel: Prominent top locations

Politicians are aware of this and have come up with something special. The run on second homes could hardly be stemmed, if at all. And if you can't prevent something, then at least you can make money from it.


The so-called leisure residence levy is expected to bring eight million euros into the Tyrolean provincial coffers, and the burden for the 16,200 owners will be limited. It will be between 100 and 2,200 euros per year, although most will grudgingly pay this amount. None of this will detract from the popularity of the entire region. Kitzbühel and the neighboring communities of Reith and Kirchberg have been among the top performers in all price rankings for real estate in Austria for years. The latest REMAX residential price index puts the average price per square meter of living space at around 4,100 euros.

Franz Gobec, doyen of the Kitzbühel real estate agent scene, when asked about the most sought-after "corner" in Kitzbühel: "Basically, you have to differentiate between "Kitzbühel directly" and the surrounding area of Kitzbühel. Of course, Kitzbühel itself is the most sought-after location of all. However, the communities of Aurach, Jochberg, Reith bei Kitzbühel, Kirchberg, Going and Ellmau have also been in increasing demand recently and are therefore also rising very significantly in price. Reith bei Kitzbühel in particular has almost the same prices as Kitzbühel and Kirchberg in Tirol is already approaching."
And he goes into even more detail when it comes to specific locations: "There are two areas in Kitzbühel, the so-called "shady side" (Hahnenkamm) and the "sunny side" (Horn, Bichlalm). The sunny side, and the Bichlalm in particular, is considered the "celebrity area" of Kitzbühel. Living here means being among the privileged."

Klaus Rainer Fabi, owner and founder of Private Residences, also continues to see great demand in all areas of Kitzbühel: "We mainly have buyers from the entire German-speaking region with a focus on Germany and Austria. But wealthy entrepreneurs and private individuals from the Netherlands, Switzerland, Hungary and Romania as well as other EU countries are also very interested in high-quality and traditional Alpine residences in the Kitzbühel Alps. In the last three years, prices in the luxury new-build segment of around EUR 14,000 - 16,000 per square meter of living space have been achieved on average, as the consistently high demand from international clientele is still encountering a very limited supply of properties in the Gamsstadt. Of course, building is no longer taking place for all it's worth. The responsible officials have become selective and available plots are rare anyway. Klaus Fabi speaks of approval processes taking up to two years. Nevertheless, exclusive detached houses and chalets are still being built and enjoy a highly interested and financially strong clientele, according to Fabi.

And while the region used to be almost exclusively a winter destination, this has now changed dramatically. Top events in all areas, numerous opportunities for top-class shopping, four golf courses and much more make the town a VIP meeting place all year round. Franz Gobec and his son Roman, who run the company Kitz Immo: "Kitzbühel has a great tradition. This is also reflected in the customers. There is a clear desire for traditional Tyrolean construction methods, enriched with modern glass elements, for example. A lot of value is placed on protecting the ensemble and the surroundings when building new homes." The only fly in the ointment for local residents: the volume of traffic in Kitzbühel is enormous, especially in the high season. Bypasses, tunnels etc. would help here. And what about investing in real estate in Kitzbühel? Klaus Rainer Fabi urges caution: "The real estate business in the context of targeted land ownership or the acquisition of existing properties and the corresponding high-quality project realization is certainly a very lucrative business. But it is not for amateurs or hobby investors, as it requires a great deal of perseverance, conceptual groundwork and clever market positioning if you want to earn money with your investment in the long term." Father and son Gobec are of a similar opinion: "Basically, the well-developed structure in Kitzbühel should be retained in its current form. It is not the aim of the town to seek out and promote speculation with investments. But: the price of real estate has been rising steadily for decades, so nobody has ever lost money when buying a property and selling it later."