Run the numbers first

The True Cost of Buying

Most return numbers you see are gross. This shows the realistic picture. Entry costs, running costs and the weeks your capital is not earning, across property, hospitality, business setup and trade, in any of our markets. Then the IRR, the equity multiple and the year by year cash flow over the period you actually intend to hold.

What are you committing capital to

Which market

Buy, let and hold. The gross yield in the brochure against what is left after entry costs, running costs and empty weeks.

Your numbers

Typically around 4 to 7% all in, and about 5% on a straightforward apartment. Covers the 2 to 4% transfer tax, notary at 0.3 to 1%, cadastre registration and legal fees. Source, Consul.al and Investropa, 2026.

Hold and exit

Growth compounds and applies to the asset value, not to what you paid to get in. Purchase taxes and fees are spent, not recovered on sale. Defaults sit at or below each market's long run average rather than at its recent peak.

Gross yield is quoted on the purchase price, not on what you actually paid. Entry costs and empty weeks are where the brochure number and the real number separate.

Title history is the risk here. Verify ownership at the State Cadastre Agency with your own lawyer before any deposit. Coastal rents are seasonal, so allow for more empty weeks.

IRR is only as honest as its exit assumption. In a low yielding market most of the return comes from the sale price, the one number nobody controls. Read it next to the income share and the sensitivity grid, never on its own.

The realistic picture

Purchase price€150,000
Purchase taxes and fees€7,500
All in cost€157,500
Gross rent per year€8,250
Empty weeks-€1,269
Running costs-€1,396
Net income before financing and tax€5,585
5.5%
Gross yield
3.55%
Net yield on all in cost

Over the holding period

Held for 5 years, then sold.

Net income over the hold€29,063
Sale value at exit€182,498
Selling costs-€5,475
Total profit over the hold€48,586
5.9%
IRR

The annual rate at which these cash flows discount back to zero. It prices time as well as profit, which is why investment committees quote it.

1.31x
Equity multiple
3.5%
Year one cash on cash
60%
Profit from income

To reach a 10% IRR on these figures, the asset would need to grow 8.5% a year. Compare that with what the market has actually averaged before treating the return as income.

What this is and what it is not

These figures are illustrative projections, not a forecast and not advice. They are pre tax. Projected returns are not a reliable indicator of actual returns, and the value of property can fall as well as rise. Currency movement can reduce returns for a buyer holding a different currency. Every figure depends on assumptions you can change above, and small changes to growth or vacancy move the result a long way. Horizon Holding Ltd does not sell property and takes no commission from any developer, agent or seller. Take independent tax advice before committing to any purchase.

Illustrative planning figures only. Rates and costs change and vary by asset, market and buyer situation. This is not financial, investment or tax advice. We verify the exact numbers during due diligence.

Returns are shown before tax and before currency movement. Capital gains tax, income tax and withholding depend on your residence and structure rather than on the asset, so they are left out here and worked through properly during due diligence.

Entry costs, yields and operating ratios reviewed against published market sources in August 2026. Tax rates and market conditions change. We verify the exact figures for your situation during due diligence.

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What the return depends on

IRR at different growth assumptions and holding periods. Your own case is highlighted. If the return collapses two points either side of it, you are looking at a view on prices rather than an income.

Growth3 yr5 yr10 yr
2.0%3.0%4.1%4.9%
3.0%3.9%5.0%5.7%
4.0%4.9%5.9%6.6%
5.0%5.8%6.8%7.4%
6.0%6.7%7.7%8.3%

Every other figure is held at what you entered. Growth is the assumption with the least evidence behind it and the most influence on the result, which is why it is the one varied here.

Cash flow by year

Cash flow by yearCumulative position: €48,586 Year 5.EUR-200K-100K0100K200KCapital returned012345YEAR
Net cash flow in the yearCumulative positionCapital returned

Bars show the cash moving in each year. The line shows your running position. Where the line crosses zero, your capital is back.

All figures in EUR. Costs are shown as negatives, so every row adds across to the net.

YearGross rent per yearEmpty weeksRunning costsNet incomeCapitalNet cash flowCumulative
Entry-157,500-157,500-157,500
18,250-1,269-1,3965,5855,585-151,915
28,415-1,295-1,4245,6965,696-146,219
38,583-1,321-1,4535,8105,810-140,409
48,755-1,347-1,4825,9265,926-134,482
58,930-1,374-1,5116,045177,023183,06848,586
Over the hold42,933-6,605-7,26629,06319,52348,58648,586

Income is treated as arriving at the end of each year and the sale lands at the end of the final year. Both are simplifications, and both are conservative: rent received monthly would compound slightly faster than this shows.

Questions? Ask us anything.