The procedure for buying a property in Germany

The presence of real estate in Germany gives the right to receive a Schengen multivisa.

It allows you to stay in the country up to 90 days within six months or up to 180 days during the year.

Settlement between the seller and the buyer in Germany takes place by bank transfer. You can pay for the transaction both from a German and from a foreign account. There are no legal obstacles for foreigners to open an account, the main thing is that the funds are obtained legally. When paying from a Russian account, you must provide the bank with documents confirming the purpose of the transfer.

Usually, a sales contract with a translation into Russian is sufficient. Next, the notary checks the object for the presence of a mortgage and other undesirable factors. To do this, the notary refers to the land book (Grundbuch) - it records all past and present owners, possible encumbrances.

The contract of sale must be signed by a notary. Both parties are not required to be present at the same time - you can come to the notary separately. 

The contract comes into force when it is signed by both parties.

There are two options for paying for the transaction: directly to the seller's account or to the notary's trust account (Notaranderkonto), which, in turn, transfers funds to the seller's account.
Registration of a new owner
After signing the contract of sale, the notary sends an application to the land court (Grundbuchamt) for the preliminary registration of the new owner. 

Only after that the funds are transferred to the account of the notary or the seller. Having received the full amount, the notary sends an application for the final registration of the new owner. All entered data is stored in the electronic cadastre (land register), from which the owner has the right to request an extract.

The procedure for buying real estate in Germany from the start of preparing documents to the final registration of property rights in the land register usually takes two to four months.

When buying real estate in Germany, the buyer should take into account that in addition to the cost of the property itself, about 12-13% of the value of the property is spent on paperwork and notary fees.