Property buying costs

When buying property in Germany, considerable additional costs arise on top of the purchase price – 10–15% of the purchase price in total:

1. Real estate transfer tax: depending on the federal state, 3.5% (Bavaria, Saxony) to 6.5% (Brandenburg, NRW, Thuringia)

2. Notary fees: approx. 1.0–1.5% for the purchase contract and registering the land charge

3. Land registry: approx. 0.5% for registering the new owner

4. Estate agent: 3.57% (incl. VAT) for the buyer + 3.57% for the seller (split since 2020)

Example: with a purchase price of €400,000 in NRW: €26,000 transfer tax + €6,000 notary + €2,000 land registry + €14,280 estate agent = €48,280 additional costs.