Austrian Property Insights: Investment, Buying & Rental Tips | Börsepeople Podcast S24/05

Austrian Marketing Expert Discusses Real Estate Trends in New Podcast Episode

Vienna, Austria – March 25, 2026 – Verena Tanos, a marketing manager with Strabag Real Estate and Mischek, detailed her career path and offered practical advice for prospective homebuyers and investors in a recent episode of the “Börsepeople im Podcast.” Hosted by Christian Drastil, the podcast explored the nuances of the Austrian real estate market, covering topics from investment properties to renovation considerations.

Tanos’s career began in 1999 at Lowe GGK, a prominent Viennese advertising agency, following studies in Public Relations and Art History at the University of Vienna. She later held leadership positions at ORF Enterprise, the commercial arm of the Austrian Broadcasting Corporation, where she focused on marketing the benefits of ORF’s media channels to advertising agencies and businesses. Her experience expanded to include EPAMEDIA, a consortium of outdoor advertising companies, where she led marketing strategy across Austria and twelve Central and Eastern European countries during a period of significant digital transformation in the outdoor advertising sector.

A unique chapter in Tanos’s professional life involved founding “KönigsKinder,” a children’s café in Vienna’s Seestadt district in 2014. She described the venture as a response to the challenges of balancing motherhood with a desire for engaging activities, noting the café was one of the first businesses to open in the then-newly developed area. She continues to maintain connections forged during this period.

Strabag Real Estate and Mischek: Distinct Brands, Shared Expertise

Since 2022, Tanos has been with Strabag Real Estate and Mischek Bauträger Service, both subsidiaries of Strabag focused on property development. Mischek, a Vienna-based company celebrating its 75th anniversary in 2025, is well-known among Austrian home buyers. Tanos explained her role centers on identifying potential residents, businesses, and tenants for the companies’ projects, encompassing both business-to-consumer (B2C) marketing for residential properties and business-to-business (B2B) marketing for commercial spaces like hotels and offices.

While both brands fall under the Strabag umbrella, they cater to different segments of the market. Mischek offers both subsidized and privately financed housing, while Strabag Real Estate focuses exclusively on privately financed projects. Tanos advised potential buyers to explore both companies’ websites to maximize their chances of finding a suitable property, noting that income requirements for subsidized housing are detailed on the Mischek website.

Investor Properties vs. Owner-Occupied Homes: A Critical Distinction

The podcast addressed the crucial decision of whether to purchase a property as an investment or for personal use. Tanos emphasized a frequently overlooked aspect: acquiring a property as an investment with associated tax benefits requires a 20-year holding period before it can be occupied by the owner. Early occupancy forfeits these tax advantages, requiring retroactive repayment of the saved amounts.

She strongly recommended consulting with a tax advisor before making a purchase to determine the optimal ownership structure based on individual circumstances. From the perspective of Strabag Real Estate and Mischek, this distinction is largely neutral, with both companies offering tailored packages for investors, including appropriately sized units and optional kitchen installations.

Soley Project Showcased as Example of Sustainable Development

The podcast highlighted the “Soley” residential project in Vienna’s 20th district as a concrete example of current offerings. The project comprises 53 compact apartments with private outdoor spaces, available for immediate occupancy. Soley incorporates sustainable features such as a photovoltaic system with energy storage and a geothermal heating and cooling system. The location is described as quiet, central, and close to nature, with convenient access to public transportation.

Practical Advice for Landlords and Investors

Tanos offered several practical recommendations for those considering renting out properties. She suggested utilizing standard lease agreements available from organizations like the Mietervereinigung (Tenants’ Association) or the Arbeiterkammer (Chamber of Labour), but advised seeking legal counsel for review. While self-management may be feasible for a single property, she recommended engaging a property manager and real estate agent for multiple units, despite the associated costs, stating, “You have to be available for every tenant when the refrigerator breaks down.”

She cautioned against the challenges of managing properties from a distance, drawing on her father’s experience in the construction and real estate industry. She illustrated the logistical difficulties with the hypothetical scenario of managing a property in Innsbruck from Vienna, citing issues like repairs, damage assessment, and tenant sourcing. Her advice: consider selling distant properties and reinvesting in local real estate.

Regarding apartment size, Tanos echoed the assessment of a previous podcast guest, Manfred Wildfellner, noting that compact apartments between 40 and 60 square meters are the easiest to rent. Larger, four-room apartments require attracting families with higher incomes, narrowing the potential tenant pool.

Renovation vs. New Construction and the Future of Urban Development

For those considering renovating an older property, Tanos stressed the importance of verifying the building’s age to determine if it falls under the full application of Austria’s tenancy law, which can impose additional restrictions on rentals. She strongly advised against DIY renovations, emphasizing the need for documented invoices from qualified tradespeople for warranty claims and tax deductions.

While Strabag Real Estate and Mischek primarily focus on new construction, Tanos acknowledged the growing importance of building renovation and refurbishment. She noted that land availability in Vienna is becoming increasingly limited, even in the expansive 22nd district, and that simply building taller is not a sustainable long-term solution.

Sustainability as a Key Purchase Criterion

Tanos identified sustainability as a dominant trend among homebuyers, encompassing both materials and energy sources. She noted that photovoltaic systems are now standard in most new construction projects. Both Mischek and Strabag Real Estate increasingly utilize concrete core activation, a system that regulates room temperature without the cooling effect of traditional air conditioning, a feature gaining relevance with increasingly hot summers.

Social sustainability is also gaining prominence, with communal spaces, bicycle storage, and stroller rooms becoming standard amenities. Additional features like table tennis rooms, yoga studios, or libraries are possible but incur additional operating costs.

Tanos expressed a personal belief in the benefits of homeownership, recounting her and her husband’s decision to invest their savings in a house at a young age, viewing it as a preferable alternative to paying rent. She acknowledged that financing was easier at the time, but still encourages individuals to explore the possibility of homeownership, citing the historical resilience of real estate value, particularly in Vienna.