What to expect from running your castle?

You probably Imagined yourself a castle owner each time you watched a historical movie, but have you wondered how much it would be to maintain a castle today? Picture by Gene Holt on flickr.com It could cost you between $10 000 - $100 000/month to run a castle nowadays anywhere in the world. Depending on the castle's size and state, the running cost could vary as there involves paying high monthly bills, staff salary, continuous restoration and maintenance works, and security. Curious what is like to buy and maintain a castle? Below we have a quick introduction to the hassle of owning such a court at the moment. Find a castle to visit next Buying a castle Before you can run your castle, you'll need to own one first! Unlike rentals or houses to buy on the property market, you can't just go to a realtor or look at a classified ad to see the latest castle available. The truth is, you have to seek out a special agent for a castle in the country you wish to buy. This agent will have a unique and rich knowledge of the local laws, regulations, and information on preserving historic properties. Plus, these agents often have an extensive list of high-end contacts who know someone selling a castle. Usually, the people who sell castles do so discreetly and do not hang a sale sign outside the castle. What to expect from running your castle? Now once you've bought your castle, you will need to know if it will require renovations or not. If it does, you will need to hire an experienced architect in castle renovations. Here you could find yourself hiring craftsmen, many materials, and getting insurance for your castle. Plus, you may have to pay tax to your country to renovate your castle. Image by yorkshireman from Pixabay After that, you will have to pay for gardeners, cleaners, maids, plumbers, roofers, and more to regularly maintain the property. While it may not be the case if you own a castle, most people who tend to buy castles can't afford to keep them. Because of this, they choose to open up their castle to the public. Many families who own castles live in one part and open it to tours from the general public. Similarly, some gain permission from local governments to host weddings, events, and concerts. Plus, you could open it up as a hotel or a conference hall. Owning and maintaining a castle is not as affordable as you may think. How much is the cheapest castle? With all the history, architecture, and stories surrounding them, you'd never really think castles could be 'cheap.' Well, we're not talking $5, but if you have ample money, you can buy a castle for the price of a home. It may cost you a million dollars or even a couple, but buying a castle is a unique experience and could be a lifetime investment! At Castle Tourist, we can't exactly tell you the cheapest castle, as the market is changing all of the time. What we can do, however, is provide you with detailed information on where to look for good castles and the typical price ranges you can come across. Castleist- This is a website that shows castles for sale across the world. On average, the castles they show on the website can range from $272,000 upwards. They also sell fortified towers, chateaux, watchtowers, fortresses, and forts. Prestige Property Group: A luxury real estate property group that seeks to find for its client and sell fairytale castles across many locations in Europe. Le Figaro Properties: Another luxury real estate property company that sells castles in France anything from €250,000 to €5 million. The truth is, there are so many castle realtors you can find online who sell many castles varying in prices. To get a general idea of where the affordable castles are, it's best to look in France, Spain, Germany, Italy, England, Slovakia, Hungary, and the Czech Republic. Is a castle a good investment? Now owning a castle sounds pretty cool. But it's something you want to think about before you make that purchase thoroughly. Depending on the castle's real estate, it may cost a lot to maintain. Just think about it, if the castle you're buying is rundown, has many rooms and even gardens around it. This is very expensive alone! Just cause it's expensive, though, does not mean you can't make money out of it. If you live in an accessible location, you could choose to open it up to the public and charge an entry fee for tours. Picture by JR P on flickr.com Opening to the world is an excellent thing to do if the castle you're investing in has lots of history! Plus, you can get a permit from the government to host events and parties. Ultimately though, you need to conduct thorough research to see if the castle will cost you a lot of money to maintain and a business opportunity to profit from your investment. The most expensive castles to maintain You'd be surprised to know the most expensive castles to maintain are often privately owned residences. Here are some of the world's most costly castles and palaces to sustain: What'a the cost of maintain Buckingham Palace? The Queen of England's home, Buckingham Palace, costs around $1.55 billion to maintain every year. No, this palace isn't cheap to maintain, as it has 775 rooms, 52 bedrooms, 188 staff bedrooms, and 92 offices. How much does it cost to maintain Chantal De Bonvet-France To the south of Paris is a 45 room Chateau, which costs $600,000 per year to maintain. Cost of runnig Rashtrapati Bhavan-India? Located across 2,00,000 square feet of land is the presential palace. It employs 754 people, nine private secretaries, and 27 vehicle drivers. In 2015, IndiaToday stated that it cost $1.5 million just for the salaries alone; that's not even the palace's upkeep! What you see above is just a small idea of the cost of maintenance for castles and palaces. There are many in the world which cost way more than this; they've just not opened their doors to the public to know. Where can you stay in a castle? Depending on your preference there are lots of castles around Europe that are also hotels. Some are more luxurious palace-look castles where the others are less lavish and seems to be untouched for hundreds of years. Our best stay in the castles-guide article is coming up soon where you will have a long list of the most gorgeous castle-hotels to visit. Below we have selected a few of the most popular ones at the minute from each country; Warwick Castle, England When it comes to England's castles, Warwick is always among the first on the list to visit. William the Conqueror built the castle in 1068, originally a wooden motte-and-bailey castle which later upgraded to a stone structure. Besides the complexity of the fun activities that Warwick offers, it surprises its guests with a unique knight village accommodation where you stay overnight in barracks as the knights did 500 years ago. Warwick is on top of the list of the best castles to visit in England. ???????????????? Inverlochy Castle, Scotland Picture by Yvonny on flcikr.com Inverlochy Castle is a 19th-century luxurious castle-hotel which is a must-visit for those who enjoy a castle-hotel-restaurant all in one. Just 4 miles away from Fort William Inverlochy castle is highly rated for its lavish rooms, delicious cuisine, and the Scottish highland's striking view from the venue. Dromoland Castle Hotel, Ireland Picture by foundin_a_attic on flickr.com The first tower house Thomas Anerheny built in the late 15th or early 16th century on the land, but the building that we see today was completed in 1835. Dromoland today is a five-star luxury hotel with a golf course and restaurant that have been awarded Michelin star in 1995. Burg Reichenstein, Germany Picture by Marcela on flickr.com If you are in Germany in just one hour drive from Frankfurt Burg Reichenstein has its medieval doors open to the public in non-pandemic times. Reichenstein originates in 1213 and today is a UNESCO World Heritage site where you can enjoy the hotel, restaurant, museum and the nearby scenery of the Rhine Valley. Castello di Monterone, Italy A 13th-century small restored castle located at the crossroads towns Perugia and Assisi in Italy. Picture by Jayson Vadasz on flickr.com The visitors say nothing can compare with walking in Monterone’s gardens with those mountains in the background. The castle has a swimming pool, saunas, massage, steam rooms and not to mention the Italian food, a great choice for a night stay when you’re in the Perugia. Château de Bagnols, France Picture by Corona Mejora Tu Vida CORONAon flickr.com Oh, France! The motherland of castle or at least from there it all began. According to some reports, you can find over 45 000 castles in France from the early middle-aged periods to the latest 19th-century luxury chateau. We choose Chateau de Bagnols for its 13th century iconic castle which embodies the true military french architecture. At least once a lifetime why not try a hotel with 800 years of history and with Michelin awarded restaurant on site. Final thoughts If you have an ample amount of savings, castles are not too expensive to buy. You can find some for the equivalent price of a home. Some can range up to a few million dollars, and to find the perfect castle. You should seek out a specialist. Specialists have extensive knowledge of local laws, regulations, preservation rules, and history. Similarly, if you are to own a castle, you need to consider how much it could cost to maintain it. You might need the castle to undergo renovations, hire staff, and it could cost more than buying it. To help you live in a castle, you could open it up to the public, convert it into a hotel, or host events there. If you choose to do this, we suggest conducting thorough research before making that investment.