Within the European Union Germany has the best requirements for purchasing real estate. For the conveyancing the hiring of a civil law notary is vital. The CLN assists at the negotiations, notarizes the contract of sale and accompanies the whole process until the final property transfer.
In Germany, many further costs come along with the acquisition of real estate, for example the conveyance duty (varies between 3.5% and 7%), land tax, value added taxes (exempt in some cases) as well as many costs for the notarization, transfer of ownership and further fees for public authorities.
Consumer protection is very important in Germany. That includes for example that the price must be settled before the property is transferred and that the seller can not sell the property to another buyer when the payment is done. Further is the seller of a property obliged to disclose all relevant material, legal patents and latent defects, otherwise the buyer can withdraw from the contract. The CLN also ensures that the property is free of any real charges.