Guide
Property guide
Sound, expert knowledge on selling, letting and valuing your property — clearly explained and fully up to date.
Property Tax in Düsseldorf and NRW: What Owners Need to Know Now
Property tax after the 2025 reform, clearly explained: new calculation, assessment notices, deadlines and passing costs to tenants in NRW.
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Real Estate Transfer Tax When Buying Property: What You Should Know in NRW
Real estate transfer tax explained simply: 6.5% in NRW, who pays, when it falls due and which exemptions apply. Clear and easy to understand, from Richter.
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Usufruct (Nießbrauch): Transfer Your Property and Still Stay in Your Home
Usufruct explained clearly: transfer property during your lifetime, keep living there and collect rent, and save on gift tax. The guide from Düsseldorf.
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Bodenrichtwert (standard land value): What It Tells You and What It Means for You as an Owner
The Bodenrichtwert (standard land value) explained: definition under §196 BauGB, BORIS NRW, how it differs from market value and why it counts in a sale.
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Understanding Property Prices: What Really Determines the Value of Your Property
What drives property prices in Düsseldorf and NRW? Location, interest rates, energy, supply and demand, explained clearly with official data sources.
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The Rent Cap (Mietpreisbremse): What Owners and Landlords in Düsseldorf Should Know
The German rent cap for 2026 explained: the core rule, exceptions, the duty to disclose, the tenant's objection and the situation in Düsseldorf and NRW.
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Service Charge Statement: What Landlords Need to Know
The service charge statement clearly explained: legal basis, deadlines, recoverable costs and apportionment keys. The Richter guide for property owners.
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Residential Tenancy Agreement: What Landlords Should Know
The residential tenancy agreement explained: mandatory contents, fixed or open-ended terms, stepped and index rent, deposit, repairs and notice periods.
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Applying for Wohngeld – the clear guide to your housing benefit application
Your 2026 Wohngeld (housing benefit) application explained: who is eligible, which documents you need and how to proceed with the Wohngeldstelle.
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The Energy Performance Certificate: Obligations, Types and What Matters When Selling or Letting
Energy performance certificate explained: when it is mandatory, demand-based vs consumption-based types, validity, required details and fines. By Richter.
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Speculation Tax on Property: Deadline, Exceptions and Calculation
Speculation tax on property sales explained: the 10-year period, the owner-occupation exception, calculating the gain and inherited property. By Richter.
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Notary Costs When Buying a House: What You Can Really Expect
Notary costs when buying a house explained: amount as a percentage, the legal basis (GNotKG, §311b BGB), who pays and a worked example for 500,000 euros.
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Selling a Freehold Flat: What Really Matters When Selling an Apartment
Selling a freehold flat: WEG documents, service charges (Hausgeld), reserve fund, the process and how it differs from selling a house. By Richter.
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Passing Property Tax on to Tenants: What Landlords Need to Know
Passing property tax (Grundsteuer) to tenants: when it is permitted, what tenancy clause is needed and which apportionment key applies. By Richter.
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Tenant Self-Disclosure: What Landlords May Ask – and What They May Not
Tenant self-disclosure 2026 explained: which questions are permissible, which are off-limits, the right to lie, plus SCHUFA, proof of income and the GDPR.
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The Land Register Extract: Structure, Application and Costs Clearly Explained
The land register extract (Grundbuchauszug) explained: structure with Divisions I to III, right of inspection, filing at the local court and costs.
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Creating and Applying for an Energy Performance Certificate: A Step-by-Step Guide
Having an energy performance certificate (Energieausweis) drawn up: who may issue it, the documents required, the process, costs and timescale. By Richter.
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Selling a property — securely and at the best price
Selling a property in Düsseldorf and NRW: the process in clear steps, all costs, the speculation period, agent commission and energy certificate.
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Flat Handover Protocol: What Belongs In It and Why It Matters
Handover protocol for a flat: what belongs in it when moving in and out, what evidential value it has and what it means for the deposit and the signature.
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Understanding Property Valuation: How the Value of Your Property Is Really Determined
Property valuation explained: the three procedures under the ImmoWertV, value-influencing factors, online estimates and the formal market value report.
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The Land Register (Grundbuch): official register, public faith and registration clearly explained
What is the German Land Register (Grundbuch)? The official register at the local court, its structure, public faith under §§891, 892 BGB and registration.
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Letting a Flat: Process, Obligations and What Matters
Letting a flat step by step: setting the rent, the listing, tenant selection, contract and handover, plus the rent cap, deposit and energy certificate.
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Partition Auction: When Joint Ownership of a Property Comes to an End
Partition auction explained clearly: legal basis, procedure, costs and risks in communities of heirs and divorce. Why a sale is often the better option.
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Estate Agent Fees When Selling Property: What You Should Know in NRW
Estate agent fees explained: the customary amount in NRW, the statutory split since 2020, payment only on success and the work behind the commission.
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Inheritance Tax on Property: Allowances, Valuation and the Family Home
Inheritance tax on property explained clearly: personal allowances, tax classes, valuation at market value and the family home (Familienheim).
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Tax on Selling a House: What Awaits You as a Seller
Tax on selling a house explained: which taxes affect sellers and which do not, the speculation tax, deductible costs and inherited property. By Richter.
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Property and Market Value Reports: When You Need One and What It Costs
Market value reports explained: §194 BauGB, procedures under the ImmoWertV, full and short reports, who may prepare them, plus costs and duration.
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Incidental Purchase Costs When Buying a House: What Really Awaits You in NRW
Incidental costs of buying a house in NRW: transfer tax (Grunderwerbsteuer) 6.5%, notary and land registry, agent commission, total and a worked example.
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Property Valuation Costs: What a Valuation Really Costs
What does a property valuation cost? From free online tools and market appraisals to short and full market-value reports: methods and prices.
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Buying Commercial Land: What Matters When Acquiring in Düsseldorf and NRW
Buying commercial land in NRW: development plan, GRZ/GFZ, infrastructure, contamination, transfer tax and financing, clearly explained by Richter.
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Energy Consultant Costs: What an Energy Audit Really Costs – and How the State Subsidises It
Energy consultant costs explained: prices for on-site audits and the iSFP, current BAFA subsidies and when a consultation pays off.
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Demand Certificate: The Demand-Based Energy Certificate at a Glance
Demand-based energy certificate (Bedarfsausweis): difference from the consumption certificate, when mandatory, content, costs, validity, GEG rules.
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Transferring a House: Passing Property to Children or Relatives During Your Lifetime
Transferring a house in your lifetime: gift tax allowances, the 10-year rule, usufruct, compulsory portion, notary fees and the process explained.
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Property Tax Return in NRW: What Owners Need to Know Now
Property tax return in NRW (Bundesmodell): who must file, what data you need, ELSTER, missed deadlines, assessments and appeals – current as of 2026.
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A Community of Heirs and the Inherited House: Administration, Sale and Partition
Community of heirs with a house: how co-heirs administer it, sell the house, pay out an heir, settle the estate and avoid a partition auction.
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Follow-up Financing: What to Do When the Fixed-Rate Period Ends
Follow-up financing explained: prolongation, debt rescheduling, forward loan, § 489 BGB, deadlines, costs and typical mistakes.
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Annual Service-Charge Statement (Hausgeldabrechnung): Reading and Checking the WEG Account Correctly
WEG annual service-charge statement (Hausgeldabrechnung) explained: components, recoverable costs, maintenance reserve, balance, deadlines and WEG law.
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Forward Loan: Follow-Up Financing With Interest-Rate Security for the Future
Forward loan explained: lock in rates up to 60 months ahead, forward premium, acceptance obligation, pros and cons and sensible alternatives.
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Apportionable Operating Costs: Which Operating Costs a Landlord May Pass On to the Tenant
Apportionable operating costs under § 2 BetrKV: the catalogue, what can and cannot be passed on, allocation keys, § 556 BGB deadlines and disputes.
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Selling land: the well-founded guide for Düsseldorf and NRW
Selling land in Düsseldorf & NRW: value, buildability, documents, taxes and process. The well-founded guide from Richter.
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Selling an inherited house: which taxes apply?
Inheritance tax, speculation tax and the step-into-the-shoes principle explained clearly. How to sell your inherited Düsseldorf property tax-safely.
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Buying Property Abroad: What German Buyers Must Consider
Buying property abroad: foreign legal system, notary, financing, taxes, double taxation and typical pitfalls explained clearly.
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Energy Certificate Cost: What You Pay for a Consumption and Demand Certificate
What does an energy certificate cost? Consumption certificate from approx. €50, demand certificate €300–500 for a house. Price factors and who pays.
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Determining the Market Value of a Property
Determine market value (Verkehrswert) under § 194 BauGB: the three ImmoWertV methods, the role of land value (Bodenrichtwert) and BORIS NRW, step by step.
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Selling a House Without an Agent: How a Private Sale Works
Private sale step by step: value, documents, listing, viewings, notary. Plus duties, pros and cons and typical mistakes.
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Property Listing for Selling a Condo: What a Good Sales Brochure Contains
What a good sales brochure for a condo contains: photos, floor plan, property data, GEG mandatory details, HOA documents, layout and mistakes.
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Gift Tax on Real Estate: Tax Rates, Allowances and Valuation Explained Clearly
Gift tax on property: tax rates, tax classes, allowances, the 10-year rule, valuation and usufruct. How to lower the tax legally.
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The shared house in a divorce: which paths are available
House in divorce: buyout, sale, partition auction, accrued-gains equalisation, financing and speculation tax explained simply.
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Usufruct, Inheritance and the Compulsory Portion: How the Reservation Shapes the Estate
How a reserved usufruct affects estate and compulsory portion: supplement under § 2325 BGB, no start of the period, valuation under § 14 BewG.
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Calculating Living Area for the Property Tax Return: How to Determine the Area Correctly
Calculate living area for the property tax correctly: what counts under the WoFlV, how sloped ceilings and balconies count, and common mistakes.
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Depreciation (AfA) and Real-Estate Transfer Tax: How Incidental Costs Raise Your Depreciation
Depreciation (AfA) and real-estate transfer tax explained: why the tax raises building depreciation, which rates apply and how to file it in Anlage V.
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Documents for a house sale at the notary: the complete checklist
Which documents you need for the notarial deed when selling a house: land register extract, IDs, energy certificate, condominium papers and more.
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Mortgage Lending Value: What It Means and How It Differs from Market Value
Mortgage lending value explained: difference from market value, safety deduction, lending limit and loan-to-value, plus their impact on the interest rate.
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House Buying Checklist: The Practical Guide for Buyers in NRW
House buying checklist for buyers: budget, location, building fabric, documents, additional costs, viewing, notary and typical pitfalls. Practical for NRW.
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Comparative Value Method: Valuation from Real Purchase Prices
Comparative value method (Vergleichswertverfahren) under ImmoWertV: deriving value from real purchase prices, data sources, adjustments, pros and cons.
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Off-Market Property: buying and selling discreetly in Düsseldorf and NRW
Off-Market explained: what discreet property selling away from the portals means, who it suits, and what advantages and limits it has.
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The Notary in a House Purchase: Role, Process and What to Expect
The notary's (Notar) role in a house purchase and the step-by-step process: notarial deed, conveyance, priority notice through to the land register.
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Photovoltaic Costs: What a PV System Really Costs – With and Without Storage
Photovoltaic costs explained: guide values per kWp for a detached house, with and without storage, 0% VAT, feed-in tariff and payback.
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What is my property worth? The routes to a reliable assessment
What is my property worth? Online calculator, free agent appraisal or expert report: which route suits whom and what determines the value.
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Renting a Barrier-Free Apartment in Düsseldorf and NRW
What barrier-free really means, how to find a suitable rental, and which rights and grants exist. A calm guide for tenants in NRW.
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Bequeathing a House: Settling Will, Succession and Tax Wisely
Bequeathing a house: statutory succession, will, inheritance tax and allowances, family home, compulsory portion and community of heirs clearly explained.
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Heritable Building Right and Real-Estate Transfer Tax: What Buyers in NRW Should Know
Heritable building right (Erbbaurecht) and real-estate transfer tax: how the tax is based on the capitalised ground rent and what 6.5% means in NRW.
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Power of attorney for a land-register extract: who receives it and how you authorise someone
Power of attorney for a land-register extract: legitimate interest under § 12 GBO, form and content, when it must be notarial. Düsseldorf guide.
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The Process of Buying a House: Step by Step to the Land Register Entry
The house-buying process step by step: from financing via the notary to the land register. With timeline, NRW closing costs and typical mistakes.
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Easements in the Land Register: Right of Way, Pipeline Right and More
Easements in section II of the land register explained: right of way, pipeline right, value, buyer checks and deletion. A guide from Düsseldorf.
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Land Charge in the Land Register: What Owners and Buyers Should Know
Land charge explained clearly: section III, difference from the mortgage, certificated and registered land charge, rank, cancellation and buying.
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The declaration of division (Teilungserklärung) at the land registry: splitting a building into condominium ownership (Wohnungseigentum) clearly explained
What is the declaration of division (Teilungserklärung)? Split into condominiums under § 8 WEG: division plan, special property. From Düsseldorf.
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Ordering-Party Principle: Who Pays the Agent's Fees for Rentals and Purchases?
Bestellerprinzip explained: whoever orders the agent for a rental pays. For purchases, the 50/50 split has applied since 2020. Rules and exceptions.
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Renovation backlog (Sanierungsstau) in property: how to spot it, assess it and handle it correctly when selling
Spot a renovation backlog: roof, heating, wiring, windows, cellar. Effects on value, GEG duties on a change of owner, renovate or sell.
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Stepped Rent in a Tenancy: What Landlords Should Know About § 557a BGB
Stepped rent (Staffelmiete) under § 557a BGB explained: agreement, written form, minimum term, rent brake, index-rent comparison and common mistakes.
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Reservation Agreement When Buying Property: What Buyers Should Know
Reservation agreement and reservation fee when buying property: legal status, 2023 BGH ruling, risks for buyers and sensible alternatives.
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The Notarial Purchase Contract When Buying a House: Content and Clauses Explained Clearly
Notarial purchase contract for a house: which clauses matter, from price and due date through conveyance and priority notice to warranty and rescission
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Rent Reduction and Operating Costs: Defects, Statements and Deadlines
Rent reduction for defects under § 536 BGB from the gross rent, objections to the operating cost statement and the 12-month period under § 556 BGB.
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Brokerage Contract for Selling a House: Types, Content and Your Rights
Brokerage contract for selling a house explained: simple mandate, sole mandate, qualified sole mandate, commission, text form and right of withdrawal.
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Fixed-term tenancy due to owner's own use (Eigenbedarf): the qualified fixed-term lease (Zeitmietvertrag) under § 575 BGB
Fixed-term tenancy (Zeitmietvertrag) for own use (Eigenbedarf) under § 575 BGB: permissible grounds, written notice, tenant rights, deadlines and mistakes.
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Development costs and real-estate transfer tax: when the development contribution is taxed too
Development costs and real-estate transfer tax: when the development contribution counts toward the transfer-tax base – clearly explained by Richter.
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Buying Out Erbpacht: How to End a Heritable Building Right and Buy the Land
Buying out Erbpacht usually means purchasing the land from the grantor. Routes, price, NRW real estate transfer tax, consents and costs explained.
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Replacing a usufruct with a life annuity
Replace a usufruct (Nießbrauch) with a life annuity: valuation under § 14 BewG, conversion into an annuity, taxes and deletion from the land register.
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Priority notice of conveyance and real-estate transfer tax: how they interlock
Priority notice of conveyance (§ 883 BGB) and real-estate transfer tax explained: process, tax clearance certificate, costs and deletion on a purchase.
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Right of first refusal and real-estate transfer tax: types, exercise and tax consequences
Right of first refusal and real-estate transfer tax explained: the four types, how a right is exercised and which tax then applies in NRW.
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Equity When Buying a House: How Much You Really Need
How much equity makes sense when buying a house: rules of thumb, incidental costs in NRW, better rates, what counts and the risks of full financing.
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Core Renovation of a House: Costs, Funding and Value at a Glance
What does the core renovation of a detached house cost? Realistic cost ranges per square metre, cost drivers, GEG obligations and 2026 funding.
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Buying Listed Properties: Duties, Tax Benefits and Process
Buying listed properties: maintenance duty, heritage authority approval, depreciation under §§ 7i, 10f EStG and what buyers in NRW must note.
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Energy certificate under the GEG: The legal framework for owners in Düsseldorf and NRW
Energy certificate under the GEG: when it is mandatory, what details belong in the listing, how long it is valid and which fines apply. Clearly explained.
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Paying the Rental Deposit in Installments: What § 551 BGB Governs
Rental deposit (Mietkaution) in installments under § 551 BGB: max three net cold rents, right to three monthly installments, separate interest deposit.
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Sell or Rent Out Your House? The Decision Guide
Sell or rent out your house? Taxes, rental yield, effort and risks in an honest comparison plus clear criteria for your decision.
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Renovating a House of Energy Efficiency Class H: Costs, Funding and Effect
What does renovating an energy efficiency class H house cost? Realistic cost ranges, possible class jumps, GEG obligations and funding.
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Individual Renovation Roadmap (iSFP): How Funding Works via BAFA and KfW
Individueller Sanierungsfahrplan (iSFP): its benefits, who creates it, process, costs, BAFA funding, the iSFP bonus and how it works with KfW.
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Rent increase up to the comparative rent: requirements and structure of the letter
Rent increase under § 558 BGB for landlords: waiting period, capping limit, justification and which components a correct letter must contain.
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Agent Without Seller Commission: What This Really Means for Buyers
Agent without seller commission, buyer's view: what a pure buyer's commission means, what §§ 656c and 656d BGB limit since 2020 and when it is allowed.
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Speculation tax and early-repayment penalty: does it reduce the taxable gain?
Early-repayment penalty on a home sale: when it reduces the speculative gain under § 23 EStG – the BFH case law clearly explained by Richter.
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Buying a House Despite Negative SCHUFA: What Is Really Possible
How a negative SCHUFA entry affects mortgage financing, which options are realistic and what you should watch out for. An honest assessment.
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Real-Estate Transfer Tax and Mortgage Financing: Can the Incidental Purchase Costs Be Co-Financed?
Co-finance real-estate transfer tax and incidental costs via your mortgage? What 110-percent financing costs and why equity makes sense.
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Equalisation of accrued gains on divorce: calculating house, remaining loan and repayment correctly
How house, remaining loan and repayment (Tilgung) feed into the equalisation of accrued gains: market value minus loan, cut-off date, inheritance, payout.
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Sound, expert knowledge on selling, letting and valuing your property — clearly explained and fully up to date.
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