Guides
Guides.
Explained factually, without promises. What we explain time and again in our consultations, here for you to read at leisure.
Articles
Articles we often recommend.
Refinancing
Early repayment penalty in Germany: the law, the calculation and when it does not apply
Check in four steps whether you pay at all, how the bank calculates the Vorfälligkeitsentschädigung, what the 2025 Federal Court rulings mean and when refinancing pays off.
Read more →Buying & costs
Rent-to-own in Germany: financing without a bank, but not without cost
How rent and purchase price are offset in a German rent-to-own purchase (Mietkauf), why notary and priority notice are required, when transfer tax is due and what it costs compared with a bank loan.
Read more →Fundamentals
Annuity loans in Germany: the instalment stays the same, you decide the term
How interest and repayment work together in the instalment, why the initial repayment rate sets the term, what remains when the fixed-rate period ends and which rights the German Civil Code gives you.
Read more →Buying & costs
Mortgage documents in Germany: the list depends on your case
Which documents a German bank wants to see for employees, the self-employed, flats, new builds and refinancing, in what order to collect them and what the bank may ask for under § 505b of the Civil Code.
Read more →Buying & costs
Buying a house in Germany: the order decides the price
The eight steps from budget to land register, why the financing confirmation comes before viewings, what a reservation binds and which deadlines apply after the notary appointment.
Read more →Buying & costs
Purchase costs in Germany: the money you need first
Which four items make up the Kaufnebenkosten, how they are calculated in percent, why Hesse and Bavaria differ, in what order the invoices arrive and why the bank does not lend against these items.
Read more →Terms
Modernisation loan: the land register decides
Why the decision is made over the land charge rather than the interest rate, when registering pays for itself, when proof of use is required and which six funding and financing routes exist alongside.
Read more →Terms
Commitment Interest: Negotiating the Free Period
Why commitment interest accrues only on the undrawn part of the loan, why twelve free months are the market standard rather than the ceiling, and how to derive the period you need from your build schedule.
Read more →Finance & security
Cancelling a German Land Charge
Why the Grundschuld stays in the register after the final instalment, the three options you have and when assignment beats cancellation on a lender switch.
Read more →Buying & costs
Notary Fees When Buying a House in Germany
How the GNotKG sets the fees, why the invoice arrives before the mortgage is disbursed and which part is deductible when you let the property.
Read more →Buying & selling
Bridging Finance for Property
When the purchase comes before the sale: how the bridge loan works, what the lender checks on your existing property and what applies if the sale drags on.
Read more →Buying & costs
Property Transfer Tax in Hesse 2026
The 6% rate, worked examples, payment deadline and Hessengeld: what buyers should include in their budget before notarisation.
Read more →Valuation
Beleihungswert: Why German Banks Value Lower
Why the mortgage lending value sits below the purchase price, what the BelWertV requires and what is possible if the valuation falls short.
Read more →Terms
Disagio in Mortgage Financing
How the payout deduction works, why the lower nominal rate is misleading, and why landlords calculate differently from owner-occupiers.
Read more →Buying & law
Heritable Building Right: Buying on Leased Land
What a heritable building right means, how ground rent and remaining term change the financing, and which pitfalls hide in the contract.
Read more →Fundamentals
Property Valuation by the Bank
Why the bank does not use the purchase price, how the mortgage lending value is determined and what that means for your financing.
Read more →Fundamentals
Mortgage Application Rejected
Why a rejection assesses the fit and not your person. The four typical reasons and the mistake that costs most afterwards.
Read more →Fundamentals
Equity for Your Property Financing
How much equity do you really need? What counts and what does not. And when 100% financing makes sense.
Read more →Refinancing
Understanding Forward Loans
Lock in today's rates for a refinancing that only starts years from now. When the premium pays off and when it does not.
Read more →Fundamentals
Choosing Your Fixed-Interest Period
10, 15, 20 or 30 years? Which fixed period suits which stage of life, and which common misconceptions to avoid.
Read more →Buying & costs
Ancillary Purchase and Building Costs
Notary, property transfer tax, estate agent, insurance: which costs come on top of the purchase price, what can be financed and what is routinely overlooked.
Read more →Inheritance & gifts
Usufruct on German Property
What usufruct means legally, how it affects a purchase and its financing, and what to watch for in a gift with reserved usufruct.
Read more →Commercial
Commercial Property Financing
Loan-to-value, cash flow and security: how banks structure financing for apartment buildings, offices and investment properties in the Rhine-Main region.
Read more →
At a glance
If you'd rather start with the bigger picture.
- Property FinancingPillar overview →
- RefinancingPillar overview →
- ModernisationPillar overview →
- Self-EmployedPillar overview →
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