Property transfer - how do we do it most skillfully?

but as far as I know, the notaries always have districts like chimney sweeps ;-)

That's true, although as a client you are allowed to go to the district of another notary to have your contracts notarized, only the notary is not allowed to make "house calls" (will at the sickbed, shareholders' meeting, etc.) in another district.
That is why it can be worthwhile, in terms of the scope of advice, for city dwellers to make a trip to the nearest small town with a notary office, since there the notaries are also interested in "smaller" transaction values (and you can also get an appointment faster on the side).

I just came across this thread now. It’s quite a complicated situation and honestly, I do have a bit of understanding for the notary. And yes, this is about tax planning. That’s what the tax advisor is for. The notary is there to assess whether the desired arrangement can be implemented under civil law.

The roughly 2,000 EUR may be a lot of money for you in relation and not peanuts, I believe you. Nevertheless, I doubt whether this saving will remain after balancing the books. Without having gone through the situation in detail... although a large part of the notary fees are proportional, there is still a portion that is billed as flat rates. And if I understood the situation correctly, compared to the variant with gift tax, two or three additional steps are necessary in which fees are incurred again.

At some point, you start to consider when the effort is still worthwhile.

And sure, it is a lot of effort for the notary for little benefit... do you want to blame him for that?
That plumber doesn’t know which complete job to take first where he’s supposed to do heating and plumbing together... and in between you call and say my faucet is dripping... could he take some time to see if it can be repaired again or if it really needs to be replaced. ;-)

No offense, but that’s just how it is right now.