Buying property in Germany: check the address first, then decide

What to check before you buy

A purchase turns on a few questions: Is the price plausible? What may stand on the plot? What condition is the building in? Which burdens and risks come with the address? And what does buying cost on top of the price? The order in which you answer them decides whether you can still negotiate before the notary appointment.

Is the asking price reasonable?

An asking price is a demand, not a value. You can place it using the land value from official standard land values (Bodenrichtwerte), comparable sales in the area and the condition of the building. reesinsy shows a range with source and uncertainty, not a falsely precise single number.

Plot, development plan and building encumbrances

Whether you may extend, add a storey or build a second house is set by the development plan (Bebauungsplan) or, where none exists, by how a project fits into its surroundings (sec. 34 BauGB). Encumbrances and third-party rights are not in the listing but in the register of building encumbrances and in section II of the land register.

Energy certificate and condition

The energy certificate (Energieausweis) must be shown at the latest at the viewing (sec. 80 GModG). It says a lot about energy performance and little about damp, roof or pipes. Both belong in the decision, as do the costs of foreseeable renovation.

Flooding, contamination, leasehold, right of residence

Some risks lie in the ground, some in the land register. Flood and heavy-rain maps, contaminated-site registers and entries such as a heritable building right or a right of residence change value, financing and use. They can be checked, but in different places.

Calculate closing costs

Real estate transfer tax, notary, land register and possibly a broker come on top of the price. Each state sets its own transfer tax; according to the German Notary Institute (as of 28 Jan 2026) rates range from 3.5 % in Bavaria to 6.5 % in Brandenburg, North Rhine-Westphalia, Saarland and Schleswig-Holstein.

Buying or inheriting from abroad

For document preparation, representation and the order of payments, read buying property in Germany as a foreigner. If you inherit instead of buying, inheritance tax in Germany for overseas heirs explains the residence and probate questions. For the notary’s role, the fee scale and the commission rules, see notary fees and real estate agent commission in Germany.

What the property file cannot answer

An address check does not replace documents that only owners or entitled parties receive. Request these through the seller, broker, notary or authority:

• Land register extract (Grundbuchauszug): access only with a legitimate interest (sec. 12 GBO), in practice via seller or notary.
• Declaration of division, minutes of owners’ meetings and budget for a condominium.
• Building permit and plans from the building authority’s file.
• A market-value appraisal when a bank or you need a robust single valuation.

reesinsy shows what is officially published for the address and marks what stays open. How much that is depends on the state: not every source is available everywhere. Where a source is missing, the file says so instead of filling the gap with an estimate.

Frequently asked questions