What is the fastest way to sell a house? Sort out the paperwork before listing: cadastre registration, legalisation and a clean "G" sheet. Then set the price against comparable listings and publish a complete listing.
The question of how to sell a house quickly usually comes down to price. With a house, though, the buyer checks more than with a flat, and those checks have nothing to do with price: the paperwork. Is the whole house registered in the cadastre, was any part added without a permit, and what is the status of the plot? Every open question stretches the sale until it is resolved.
Step 1: check that the house can be sold at all
The law on the legalisation of illegal buildings ("Official Gazette of Montenegro" 91/25), in force since 14 August 2025, contains a rule a seller needs to know before listing: an illegal building that is not registered in the cadastre, or for which no legalisation decision has been issued, cannot be transferred, and the ban on transfer is entered on the "G" sheet of the title extract. A part of a building built or added without a permit also counts as an illegal building, so the rule also covers a house whose upper floor or attic was added later.
The law was amended twice in 2026 ("Official Gazette of Montenegro" 18/2026 and 117/2026), and the deadline for starting cadastre registration was extended. For a seller this means: if the process is not finished, finish it before listing, or state in the listing exactly which stage it is at. How common the problem is shows in figures published by the weekly Monitor in October 2025: by June 2025 about 62,500 legalisation applications had been filed, and 3,589 buildings had been legalised since 2018.
Step 2: look at the house through the buyer's eyes
A house buyer checks more than a flat buyer:
| What they check | Where | What slows the sale |
| Owner and co-owners | "B" sheet of the title extract | Heirs not yet registered, a co-owner who will not sign |
| Burdens | "G" sheet | Mortgage, a note that there is no use permit |
| House and plot | "A" and "V" sheets, the situation on site | An added section or outbuilding that is not registered |
| Plot boundaries | Cadastral plan | A boundary that does not match the neighbour's |
| Utility connections | Electricity and water bills | An unregistered or shared connection |
Every item in the right-hand column is a question the buyer will ask, and the answer takes time. The more of them you resolve before listing, the shorter the sale.
Step 3: know who pays which tax
- The buyer pays the property transfer tax, at progressive rates: 3% up to 150,000 euros of the tax base, 5% on the part up to 500,000 and 6% above that. The base is market value; if the contract price is lower than market value, the local tax authority sets it by assessment.
- The seller pays capital gains tax, 15% of the difference between the sale and purchase price. There is an exemption if the property was your only and main residence, and for transfers between spouses and gifts to first-order heirs. Source: PwC's tax summary for Montenegro.
Keep the purchase contract under which you acquired the house: it sets the purchase price, and so the tax.
Step 4: who can buy your house
Foreigners can buy a house on the same terms as Montenegrin citizens. The restrictions concern land: a foreign individual can acquire agricultural land, forest and forest land only up to 5,000 m², and only if the residential building on that land is also part of the contract. A house with a plot is therefore open to foreign buyers too, while a large plot without a house is not open to a foreign individual.
Step 5: price and listing
Check the price before you publish; how to do that without a valuer we explain in property valuation in Montenegro. In a house listing, give what the buyer cannot guess:
- the floor area of the house and, separately, the area of the plot,
- the number of storeys and the year of construction,
- the cadastre status and whether there is a legalisation decision,
- heating, utility connections and the access road,
- photos of every room, the garden, the view and the approach to the house.
A house photographs much better cleaned and emptied. If you cannot manage that yourself, deep cleaning through Glatko before the photos is one of the cheapest ways to make a listing look better. A listing on Fijaka takes up to 30 photos; what buyers look for in a listing we show in what buyers actually look at in property listings.
When everything is ready, post your listing for free. The tax due at the end of the sale is covered in detail in property transfer tax in Montenegro 2026.
Frequently asked questions
Can a house that has not been legalised be sold? Under the 2025 law, an illegal building that is not registered in the cadastre or has no legalisation decision cannot be transferred.
Who pays the transfer tax when a house is sold? The buyer. The seller pays 15% capital gains tax, unless the house was their only and main residence.
Can foreigners buy a house in Montenegro? Yes, on the same terms as citizens. Restrictions apply to agricultural and forest land without a residential building and to plots over 5,000 m².
What if the house has an extra floor added without a permit? Under the law, the added part counts as an illegal building. Before selling, its status should be resolved or clearly disclosed to the buyer.