Buying a House in Germany | What we Learned as Expats & Answering the BIG Questions

[@wora1111]

Listening to the Notary: It is the same for a German. When I bought my house I was surprised how fast he could read. But one of the tasks of a Notar is to make certain both sides understand the document. That is why he tested your B1, I guess. So both sides can trust him, since he is not only requested by you to make sure everything is ok but also by the state.

[@TypeAshton]

It was such an interesting experience. Our notary actually spoke English (he earned his masters in the US), but always challenged us to speak German together, which we really respected.

[@sambotros1918]

How much your house ////??? OR HOW MUCH AVERAGE PRICE FOR A HOUSE IN GERMANY ????

[@darkredvan]

One (small) advice for the actual transaction at the notary (not only for expats / foreigners): 1. the notary acts as an official, part of the legal system of the state. Everything you sign there is fixed as in concrete. 2. what is mentioned in the actual document is what you get, or what you are obliged to. What is not mentioned you will not get, you are not obliged to. This is a legal binding document you can not get out of (at least not without massive difficulties, problems and law suits). 3. the notary has to read every word, but he is not responsible if you do not understand what he is reading to you. IF YOU DO NOT UNDERSTAND, DO NOT GET WHAT HE IS SAYING, ASK ! He has to, and will explain the meanings, what the implications, obligations are. But you have to ask. If not, he has to believe that you know what is going on, know the proceedings. 4. He is on neither side, not on the buyers, not on the sellers. BTW as a buyer it is your choice which notary you want to use, as you have to pay him / her (the amount of money will be the same though, as it is the same in the whole state). Maybe one has his office just conveniently around the corner, or someone knows him, has done business already.

[@reinhard8053]

The reading part seems not to be necessary in Austria. When I bought we went through the contract, but only in general and with some queries if everything was clear. The contract (for a used house) was not that complicated. When I sold I got the contract (I was not living where the house and the buyer were) and went to some notary who just made sure that the signage was legally. Of course I checked the contract before.

[@Francesco_M.]

Top information you've been sharing with us , so much appreciated guys! I discovered this channel just recently so I started from the very beginning and I intend to watch all of your videos until recent days. All the best wishes from the southwest of Italy ! 🇮🇹 🌞

[@bigernie9433]

Congrats on signing your contract ! My two cents: The saying goes that buying a house is the last adventure standing available in Germany. Be careful when to pay which bill in the construction process coming up. Quite a few buyers like you have been deceived when their construction company went bust before the house was finished while having paid for way more than had actually been put on the ground. Relating to the contract language, rest assured that >99 % of Germans do not fully understand the ramifications of what is written in house purchase contracts as it is mostly legalspeak. Unlike in some other countries, German banks are legally required to make sure you can afford the monthly mortgage payments (including paying down the principal) based on your current income situation. The good news for Americans (and Canadians) is that German property taxes are only a fraction of typical North American rates.

[@TypeAshton]

YES such good advice! We made sure to also do the research on the construction/development team, so that we could rest assured that they were reputable. So far we have been very pleased with working with them. We just wrapped up picking out the finishes and fixtures so I anticipate some of those bills coming due soon. Thanks for your perspective! :)

[@MasterMind187b]

You should use a Sachverständiger. I don’t know the English word for it. Especially these modern houses are very complex to build and because of the insane situation at the moment, many company’s use unskilled sub contractor. It’s a good invention to have someone that can control the progress. And didn’t work for the company.

[@verlorenerjunge5921]

all the best. buying a house these days is insane. especially in southern germany. you're in one of the best locations

[@TypeAshton]

It has definitely had some ups and downs. We will be updating you mid-next week on the house build. ❤️ Cheers from the Black Forest!

[@burkanov]

Hey, most sincere congratulations! Have a happy and joyful life in your new home!

[@mikebag120]

Congratulations on your own house! 4:40: 120 times your monthly income?.... Wow! Imho that sounds pretty high. In my case (20 years ago): The rule of thumb for buying a house/apartment was (70km to the south from your location :-)): 1) You must be able to repay your full mortgage incl. interest within 30 years. Meaning: Up to retirement age. Because when your're retired, you don't have your full income. You get a pension which is much lower than your salary. Normally, its hard to get a mortgage when you finish repayment a) when you're retired and b) your are 89 years old :-) 2) The equity lowers the amount of money you have to lend. And this amount of money you must be able to repay within 30 years incl. interest rate. Is your income high enough, you don't need equity. Meaning: You can effort the mortgage incl. interest without problems. 3) You have to pay back (amortization) at least 1% per year plus the annually interest. To calculate the monthly mortgage: If you house costs e.g. 650k (a bargain here in the south) and the interest rate is 1% you have to pay 1% amortization + 1% interest of 650k = 13.000 Euro a year = 1.100 Euro a month. But this is, like mentioned above, only half of the story! You have to repay the full amount until you retire. So you mortgage incl. interest will be nearly 26.000 Euro a year, meaning 2.200 Euro/month for a 650k house. If 2.200 Euro is a third of your monthly income (another rule of thumb: "Die 30-Prozent Mietregel": Don't spend more than 30% of you net income for rent or mortgage), you should have at least 7.000 Euro/month after taxes. So, 10-12.000 Euro gross income/month. If your account advisor said their rule is that you can effort 120 times your monthly income: Based on the net income of 7000 Euro: This would be about 840.000 Euro without equity? I have my doubts... Ok, except you have 200.000 Euro equity. And you are not older than 35 :-) (is this possible? Making a master degree and maybe a PhD? And you had enough time for saving 200k on the side? - And earning 10-12.000 Euro at the beginning of your work life? :-)). Where is my mistake in my calculation/thoughts? Anyway, what ever you do: Don't calculate to spend more than 30% of your monthly net income. Imho, you will not get a mortgage from a bank if the amount is higher. Ok, if you say your house is your personal "pension found" or a replacement for a/an additional classic German life insurance: In this case maybe 35% could be okay as well (depending on the bank - maybe the interest rate will be a little bit higher) - but this will be the upper limit a reputable bank will accept. Because you are living the the Black Forst: I will write my next comment in Alemannic :-)

[@TypeAshton]

Hi Mike! Thank you so much for you thorough reply. To answer a couple of your calculations... 1) You are absolutely correct in regards to the loan term and retirement. That is something our mortgage advisor spoke to us about and took this into consideration. We won't get into the details of our finances, but because we are more than 30 years away from retirement, our loan is longer than 30 years (but not longer than retirement age) :-). 2) Yes we did put down additional equity to help make the mortgage payments attainable. We also wanted to make sure that we can safely afford the home. As one of the other astute viewers mentioned above, German banks are required by law to make sure that prospective homeowners don't take on sub-prime mortgages. But this is a great reason why everyone should speak to a trusted loan advisor as individual finances play a huge role in your affordability. Thank you so much again for your comment. Your perspective will certainly help others understand the process of homeownership in Germany!

[@olafborkner]

Congratulations on your new home. I wish you have only happy times and lots of joy.

[@peterkesseler9898]

Gratulation zum Hauskauf! Schön das Ihr Euch entschieden habt hier seßhaft zu werden. Der Schwarzwald ist wirklich schön! Viele Grüße aus dem Westerwald (Rheinland-Pfalz)

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you so much!

[@HH-hd7nd]

Prices of houses will differ greatly depending on where you live. In general cities are more expensive than rural areas and the South and the West of Germany are more expensive than the North (except Hamburg) and the East (except Berlin).

[@christiankastorf1427]

Right: but Hamburg has become very expensive as well. But in principle you are right. A friend of mine bought a terraced house in Kiel, newly built, for some 250,000 € in Kiel. A friend of his, he told me, had something very similar in Munich for three times that price, and that was in 1992.

[@ulihanel7078]

Simply put..All the Best to you guys. Welcome to Germany. I am a German in who lived 30+ years in the US..

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you so much! We seem to be living similar lives but in reverse!

[@just42tube]

That story about notary was hilarious 😂 It must have been an example of the world famous humor they have in Germany.

[@alexh5040]

Actually even as a German myself, when beeing read the contract from a notary it can be really hard to follow.

[@just42tube]

@@alexh5040 So the letter of the act is followed without following the intention. In some jurisdictions and situations that could be regarded as breaking the law. It in not so uncommon to judge that also the intention, the purpose, of an act must be followed.

[@christiankastorf1427]

By law banks are not allowed to ruin you by giving you a credit that is far too "generous". In detail. They want to see how much income you have. Then they substract your inevitable monthly costs like rent (important if you have your own house to be built and still need a flat), insurances, other monthly rates that you have to pay. Step two is a calcalation about living-costs. Even if you swear that you will be living on the cheapest food, walk in rags, don't have any luxuries,never spend anything at all, they are not allowed to give in. And that means that the monthly mortgage rate that you are able to pay is a thing that is within legal limits. Rule-of-thumb formula for paying back a mortage. Let us say you borrow 100,000 € for 5% interest and you can pay back 750€ per month that will roughly mean that you pay back around 9,000€ per year. 100,000 x 1,05 -9,000 = 96,000. All the money that you pay for the mortgage minus the interest rates is the "Tilgung", from "tilgen", to pay off. That means that you pay back 4% of that loan within the first (!) year in our example and that amount is what is laid down in your contract, even though the money (percentage) that is used to pay off the loan and does not go into the interest rates grows from year to year. In year two the calculation is then 96,000 x 1.05 - 9000 = 91,800. For the third year is it 91,800 x 1.05 - 9000 = 87,390 and so on. In reality paying off works a bit quicker than in my rough scheme because you pay back from month to month and not once a year. But to understand who it works, my rough formula is okay. I asked a banker once whether it was alright if I used it for my kids in school when I did social sciences with 9 graders. We had a time in Germany when people had to agree to a "Tilgung" rate that was as low as 1% or 1.5% due to high interest rates and inflation. A couple of years ago interest rates were extremly low and people were happy aout a higher amount that went into "Tilgung" but the tide has turned. No wonder that people buy or build a house for a lifetime and are not as willing to move as in the USA.

[@Rick2010100]

My Tip, hire a independend Architekt to supervise the house project for your side.

[@TypeAshton]

Hi there! Great idea!!. I have a masters in Architectural studies from the US but when I worked for a local construction company in Freiburg, I (Ashton) learned quickly that it's a totally different process here in Germany. Thankfully that experience gave us a great contact for local advice and we plan on reaching out to them when issues arise. But that is a GREAT idea for any new builder and we 100 percent support it. Thanks for sharing ☺️!

[@kaess307]

When we bought our house, the notary slowly read out word for word and asked after every sentence whether we understood everything. If something was unclear, he explained it until we understood it. So it's not normal to read the contract out so quickly.

[@TypeAshton]

Oh wow that sounds wonderful! I think our notary stopped once just to ask if the pace was okay... I think we were a bit too overwhelmed and just wanted it over with.

[@wora1111]

I read the whole thing beforehand as well. And had some questions prepared. Otherwise I would not have been able to follow him - although I often did the same with customers of mine (technical documents). You simple read very fast because you have done it so often before. And few people dare to ask you to slow down. But still - without a friend who is a native I probably would not dare signing in a different language. But that is the reason why it has to be a Notar and not just any Anwalt/advocate.

[@sambotros1918]

HOW MUCH YOU PAID FOR YOUR HOUSE ?????

[@kaess307]

@@sambotros1918 Why do you want to know the price?

[@sambotros1918]

@@kaess307 want to know the average price people buy

[@leonhardwinschen5267]

I really enjoy your videos. Keep em coming. All the best

[@TypeAshton]

Wow thank you so much!

[@marlajacques6947]

Congratulations! Very exciting. One I plan to do the same for a turn key holiday apt but don’t think I’d even rent it out bc the income taxes from that (I’m Canadian) were too steep to cover costs

[@TypeAshton]

That's awesome! Where do you plan to purchase a holiday apartment?

[@marlajacques6947]

@@TypeAshton I love Neustadt, right beside Titisee but would branch out a 20 km radius for a great deal 😉

[@wora1111]

Deposit: The bank will evaluate the probability of you paying your dues and the value of your property in case you default. Usually they will take the price of the house reduce it by safety margin and then look whether you are "worth" the loan you want. The bigger the difference between "safe value" of your house and the loan you need, the "better" you are as a customer. Which will reduce the loan rate ("Zinssatz") you will have to pay.

[@TypeAshton]

Great point! There is so much to learn with home mortgages and it makes us feel good that the banks want to make sure that their customers aren't overburdened.

[@wora1111]

@@TypeAshton Sorry to disappoint you. Banks are not nice, they want to make sure they do not lose money. If you do not pay your loan they will auction of your house and try to recover their money that way. But when you auction off a house you are not assured it's (former) value. That is what the safety margin for.

[@system64738]

@@TypeAshton You, as americans, should have some experience why it is important that the house owners can afford the mortgage rates - till the end, not only in the first 12 months ;-) (Topic is "Subprime mortgage crisis in 2008" ;-) )

[@Rami-Jarrah]

Thank you for all the info, I'm planning on buying a house in Germany in the region around the black forest and was wondering whether or not you had to scout out the plot to build on yourself or if it came to you as a package with the actual house build, and was it a prefabricated house?

[@wantongliu2190]

Congrats on your purchase and successful move in! I am in the process of doing my due diligence deciding whether I want to buy a house in Germany or if I should put the money into buying a house in America since the cost of buying a house is about similar while return in rent income would be higher in America and cost of rent is much cheaper in Germany. Have you guys considered this scenario when you were going through this process?

[@thehungrygoldfish]

Yes, just charge more rent on the Germany house and steal a house in the US. Easy!?😂😂😂

[@herzschlagerhoht5637]

Gratulation, Ihr beiden Hübschen! ;)

[@jingshenghong9988]

Congrats on your new home acquisition! I am new to your channel, just subscribed. I and my wife have been living in Latvia for over 7 years already (both of us are permanent residents) and we decided to buy a piece of land right on the edge of the local pine forest near Riga (the capital city) 2 years ago and then our painful house building process started but its definately worth it though cuz we designed our own dream house from A-Z. We spent around 15000 EUR just on doing the pre-stages (paperwork) such as transforming forest land to residential land, drawing up the sewage and water pipes etc. As for now, all the external work is about to be finished, facade, roof, and so on. I know its still a very beginning of our long house building journey but I think it will be a memorable experience for us. You guys also went through this right? Or you purchased a half-built house?

[@TypeAshton]

That's so awesome! We visited Latvia a few years ago and loved it. :) We decided to buy a house which was already pre-planned. Thankfully we got it early enough that we could also make some changes to it. For us, it has been an easier process than from scratch like you did. So, congratulations on your accomplishment!

[@keepitraw1]

congrats! to the 10% down payment, thats true basically. actually you can also get the whole price of the house (house + closing costs) as a mortage. you just have to ask for it. of course it would help if you dont have any other debts, have a clean debt record and have good paying stable jobs. the downside of course is the higher interest payment, even if you had the money you could invest it into a dividend etf or a portfolio of 10 stocks kinda like coca cola and get more dividend yield than the yield of the loan. if you buy a flat as an investment, you can get the 110% easily.

[@markrussell4682]

I don't think a US citizen, or any non EU citizen can buy a house with less than 30% down payment. That, at least, was the case in 1995.

[@keepitraw1]

@@markrussell4682 I pretty sure they can, if they are employed in Germany why would a bank decline? There are Chinese who buy real estate in Germany.

[@markrussell4682]

@@keepitraw1 When I bought my apartment I was required to put down 30%. The lawyer told that was the law.

[@keepitraw1]

@@markrussell4682 that’s not a law

[@markrussell4682]

@@keepitraw1 I sold an apartment to a Chinese student. She paid cash.

[@PalmyraSchwarz]

I am just imagining the notary session with a translator who has translate the machine gun reading aloud in English. Fortunately, your topics are a change from the usual expat topics, as very few usually buy a house here.

[@L00pTroop]

Black forest

[@TypeAshton]

Thank you! We think so too!

[@LaureninGermany]

Paying a Marklerprovision hurts. I didn’t have to for the house I built here in Bavaria, but many times for flats and houses I rented.

[@Tomm9y]

As a buyer, paying agent's fees of 4% seems nuts. I don't like % fees as there's no negotiation over the services and costs they are providing. In the UK the agent is paid by the seller, depending on the value of the property 1.5% + VAT is typical and is what I paid last year. On top of that the seller pays for marketing materials such as photgraphy and brochures. Solicitors Fees were 0.25% of the transaction, although they can be higher for low value more complex properties, so seeing a Notary fee of 2% is huge money. It sounds like the German property industry is ripe for competition.

[@reinhard8053]

At least in Austria it's not just the buyer paying the agent but also the seller. So both pay around 3,5%. I sold a house in an area with many people searching, very few selling and lots of agents. So I had 1% agent fee without any negotiations. You generally calculate with 10% closing costs as buyer. Even without an agent it still is expensive.

[@dajanadedic5133]

Such a great video, thanks so much! So would you recommend getting a financial advisor and any other person in the process of getting a loan? For example, an accountant also? And with buying a lot without a home yet, did you have to start paying the mortgage straight away (meaning you had to still pay rent elsewhere) or did the payments start once the property was built and you could move in? Thanks so much! :)

[@TypeAshton]

I think everyones personal finances can differ greatly. It would be a good idea to talk with a financial advisor to see if buying a house makes the most sense financially. Personally, we have built some very long and detailed Excel spreadsheets covering our budgets over the next few years. Because we are in the process of building our house, we are required to pay out a percentage of the mortgage to the builder as it progresses. As of now, we've payed out 70%. We are required to pay the interest on that loan amount until we move in, but not the principle.

[@gabrielortiz8945]

hi guys congrats on your channel!!...as an expat living in Germany I found your videos quite interesting and useful as well. I am also considering the possibility of buying my own house in this country and I wonder if there is any condition regarding the property rental while the loan is still being paid back?

[@kraftandre5538]

Good explanation for an interesting but complicated theme.So you decided to stay a longer time in the black forest with buying a hole to build a house on it. how many years do you living there.

[@TypeAshton]

Thanks so much! That's the question I'm sure our family memebers back home would love to know too. We always say that we'll come home when the Black Forest stops being fun or it becomes too much of a burden to travel back and forth. For now we are thrilled to call the Black Forest our home and set up more permanent roots in our community.

[@LibertylRepresentative]

What home websites did you look for when searching for a home? I'm looking to purchase a home in rasttat Germany,

[@TypeAshton]

We found ours on ImmoScout24. The developer listed our home and others in the development on that site.

[@LibertylRepresentative]

I was not expecting a reply. Thank you. You are awesome.

[@sojestrichard5917]

what if as a temporary resident i have cash to pay for the property 100% would i be allowed to purchase it out rightly?

[@TypeAshton]

I presume so. The issue is with the bank wanting to lend you money, not the local city or regional authorities.

[@earthiusproject]

I am coming in August to look at properties in central/southwest Germany. I am still a German citizen, despite 44 years in the US. I need an agent who can set up showings on an efficient schedule and can guide me through the buying process and any rules, taxes, fees, penalties, cap gains and so on I need to know about. I am also unsure whether to buy under $100k cash or take on a mortgage. Can you recommend anyone?

[@reinhard8053]

With $100K you might get some small old house somewhere at the countryside where nobody wants to live, but not much more. And you would probably need to renovate a lot.

[@epidrom]

Nowadys a normal house not too far off the city costs around 600.000€ it is unfinancable for normal folks or most of us.

[@thehungrygoldfish]

Then just steal it! You’re German ffs! Act like one!

[@LucaSitan]

You also get additional money from the state for each child you have. Not sure if that's for expats too though. But might be worth checking out, friends of mine got a few thousand Euros, free (they have 3 kids).

[@TypeAshton]

Great point! Is that through the KfW subsidy maybe? We wrote a little about it in our blog post (linked in the description). Really a cool program for young families entering homeownership.

[@LucaSitan]

@@TypeAshton I can ask my friends what its called if yo like, but its pretty much free money from the government to ensure the coveted new builds go to families :) And to encourage people to have kids. You do receive the Kindergeld?

[@LucaSitan]

@@TypeAshton It's called "Baukindergeld"

[@TypeAshton]

@@LucaSitan Ah yes, we do receive the standard kindergeld since we are taxpayers in Germany. But we are looking into the Baukindergeld from the KfW for when we move into the new house next year.

[@LucaSitan]

@@TypeAshton Fantastic, if you receive Kindergeld you should be automatically entitled to the Baukindergeld as well :)

[@hectorkingjr]

👑How about paying cash for a house and how much would a one bedroom cost in good condition?

[@PixieJC]

Can you deduct mortgage interest expense in Germany?

[@ramyasri6193]

What is your opinion on buying a Fertighaus in Germany?

[@system64738]

6:20 The lot of pages of your contract - so it seems to me - are not because your are "buying a house", but beacuse you are "buying some land and let build a house on it" .... or am I wrong? I also bought a house (existing one) in Germany - and the contract was, as I remember, under 20 pages.... maybe under 15 ....

[@TypeAshton]

Our home is turn-key construction so the cost of the land and the house are together. However we have a lot of paperwork to complete because we are utilizing both KFW loans (which we cover in another video) as well as traditional financing. However, even the traditional loan was about a 45 page document.

[@system64738]

@@TypeAshton ah... I had not the loan papers in mind, only the purchase contracte of the house. A purchase contract of an existing house can be very short, but if you buy a "turn-key" house which is build for you, you often have longer contracts because more has to be specified (which materials have to be used, room dimensions, heating specifications....). And it sometimes gets even more stressfull, if you buy a house which is build for you: you often have dates calles "Bemusterung", where you visit the house construction company, which has an exhibition of all materials and props which can be build into the house .... and you have to decide which to use (and to pay).... This often happens when you buy a "Fertighaus" (wood construction with filling in beetween, like often in the U.S.) style house ... but maybe not, if you buy a "Massivhaus" (made of stones) at a smaller construction company. And the contract for the loan: yes, this is a big one ... also in my case. But: the jurisdication in Germany is often "consumer friendly". It happened often in the past that the judges declared contracts or common conditions (AGB) as not valid. Example: Often, the canceling condition notes ("Widerrufs-Belehrung") was invalid ... and you can cancle the whole contract even 5 years later .... So I had a big trust in our "system" that the big banks do not cheat their customers.... and did not read the complete paperworks of the loan, if I remember correctly ;-)

[@shanibrehman893]

Congratulations on buying your first dream home on foreign land. Trust no one and inspect everyting during construction stage. I have a question, Can a foreigner who is not stationed in Germany buy an apartment and also rent it out???

[@TypeAshton]

Theoretically yes... But in our experience you will only be given a home loan from a German bank once you have permanent residency. This status is also important as only those with permanent residency can apply to act as owner GmbH which you would want to run a business through.

[@jjinwien9054]

Translator = for written language; interpreter = for spoken language

[@markrussell4682]

Where did you get the €1,000,000+ necessary to buy a house in Hunland?

[@arnodobler1096]

Do you know who Huns are? And where do your numbers come from?

[@markrussell4682]

@@arnodobler1096My numbers come from having bought and sold several houses in Germany. Building land sold for €6000/quadrat meter a decade ago. I seriously doubt the price has been reduced.

[@arnodobler1096]

@@markrussell4682 Lage, Lage, Lage!

[@thehungrygoldfish]

The German Beyonce

[@sambotros1918]

can you please provide web-site for selling houses in villages in Germany >>>>>??????

[@TypeAshton]

Hi Sam! Yes absolutely. We wrote a blog post about this video to give additional information, including resources such as websites for browsing homes for sale. You can check it out at this link: www.blackforestfamily.com/buying-a-house-in-germany-a-firsthand-ultimate-guide/

[@juricarmichael2534]

Hi. Too early for bread and salt? But "congratulation" always fits. So you really want to stay longer with this grumpy, humorless potatos in their always grey and rainy country? If you like wired people, then you fit in perfecly here.😂 I hope there will be no trouble with your construction company. Don't pay full prize beforehand. Better in parts, after the work in this section is done. Therefore it can be smart and ultimately cheaper to hire a building surveyor or civil engineer who checks the construction phase on quality and compliance with the building regulations before paying for this part. They're sad, but mostly true. 2 german sayings: "Beim Geld hört die Freundschaft auf. / friendship ends with money. Vorsicht ist besser als Nachsicht / better safe than sorry." I wish you guys stay / will be happy. Ciao

[@TypeAshton]

Hi Juri! We plan on making a video in the future about the ins and outs of a "neubau" and how the pay-as-you-go building strategy works for us. While I have a background in architecture, we do plan on hiring someone locally who can inspect the house. The peace of mind is worth the additional expense. Thanks so much for your well wishes and great advice. We look forward to sharing more of our home building experience soon!

[@mdtowhidurrahmanchowdhury3617]

Very informative

[@TypeAshton]

Glad it was helpful!

[@TheBen034]

Hi guys - What is the best website to find property to buy and/or rent in Germany?

[@TypeAshton]

Hi there - we have always had good luck with immobilienscout24.de - it is actually where we found our current apartment and the house we just recently bought that is under construction. However, we also wrote a blog post with some additional sites worth checking out and tips for getting an apartment in a competitive housing market: www.blackforestfamily.com/how-to-find-the-perfect-apartment-in-germany/

[@TheBen034]

@@TypeAshton Thanks guys for the super quick reply. I found your channel very randomly today. Cheers

[@TypeAshton]

Cool! Glad to have you here and thanks for watching! - Cheers from the Black Forest.

[@sambotros1918]

how much average price in a village ?????????

[@franckherrmannsen7903]

yeah well they read it for everyone that fast and noone can follow, that´s the essential trick of lawyers and why there is this hefty fee :)

[@ingwer55]

Congrats!!!

[@CaptainOnePocket]

Did you sell a house in the usa? If so, did you have to pay capital gains on that house?

[@TypeAshton]

Hey there! Yes I did sell it, but I owned it for longer than 2 years so no capital gains was levied on the sale.

[@CaptainOnePocket]

@@TypeAshton Sehr danke.

[@hmvollbanane1259]

Could someone please explain to me the difference between "expat" and "immigrant"? I always thought "expat" refered to someone staying for a predetermined time window in another country but since they are buying a house it would indicate to me that they are at least at the moment planning on staying indefinitely/ have no clear plan on how long they will stay.

[@maxking3]

Basically the two terms mean the same thing: A foreigner. If you want it to sound positive, and describe your nice new caucasian, catholic neighbor with a decent income and a perfect lawn, you call him an “expat”. If he’s just slightly different, in terms of skin color, religion, wealth or status, you call him an “immigrant”. Example: A Brexiteer in Spain, who does not work, hardly pays taxes, barely speaks the language or ever mix with locals is an expat. The polish plumber in Britain, who works, pays taxes, is pretty fluent in English and with his family is just blending in, that’s what you call an immigrant. Easy! If you find the irony, you can keep it!

[@diegorhoenisch62]

An expat is an immigrant with money. The term is(at best) indicative of economic class. At worst it is a word used by bigots. I am described by many as an expat; I am an immigrant. Cheers, Alan Tomlinson P.S. I appreciate the video as I too am in the process of home-hunting.

[@michaelkloters3454]

guten morgen Ihr drei! gleich nach dem aufstehen sah ich diese schlagzeile und hab mich schön erschrocken. kzbin.info/www/bejne/hIm4gWV-f6eHjNU btw. was macht euer haus? Michael/Hannover

[@JakobFischer60]

Whether you are an expat or a German, you will not understand what the notary will tell you ;)

[@ninodino444]

You are not expats..... you are immigrants ..... nothing wrong with that but don‘t fool yourself

[@pakkiaraj3693]

Germany community less Germany less world map iwant so far,,,

[@jolojones2344]

Expats pls just say immigrants, expats you couldn't even translate to german without being pretentious. Or if you are like that then the UK would probably be more for you.