Can I buy this home?

Four numbers are enough to start: the price, where the home is, your savings and your income. Everything else is filled in with typical values you can change.

Possible, but tight

€1,974 a month

You would borrow €412,065 and pay €1,974 a month. It is tight: the loan is 92% of the home's value, so expect a higher interest rate and the payment takes 36% of your income, above the 35% banks like to see.

On top of the €450,000 price you pay €52,065 in incidental costs. This assumes 3.75% interest, €2,000 a month of living costs and €350 for running the home – change them on the left if yours differ.

The home

Listing price Listing price The asking price from the listing, or the price you expect to agree. All incidental costs are calculated from it.

As in the advert

€

Federal state Federal state German: Bundesland Germany's 16 states. Each sets its own real estate transfer tax, which is why the state of the property matters for the purchase costs. All terms in the glossary

Bundesland · Where the home is – sets the transfer tax

You

Savings for the purchase Own capital (down payment) German: Eigenkapital Money you can use for the purchase: savings, investments you would sell, gifts from family. Keep a few months of expenses aside for emergencies and don't count them here. Savings you put into the purchase yourself. Banks expect it to cover at least the incidental costs; with 20% or more of the price on top you get noticeably better interest rates. All terms in the glossary

Eigenkapital · What you can put in, keeping a reserve

€

Net income per month Net income per month What actually arrives in your accounts each month, after income tax and social security – for everyone who will pay the loan together. Add child benefit (Kindergeld) if you receive it; leave out one-off bonuses.

Whole household, after tax

€

Your monthly budget Typical values – adjust to yours

Living costs Living costs Everything you spend each month apart from housing. Your current rent disappears once you own, so leave it out. Banks often assume at least €800–1,000 per adult plus €300 or more per child.

Food, insurance, car, leisure – without rent

€

Other loan payments Other loan payments Monthly payments on loans you will still have after buying. They count against the bank's income share and against your budget.

Car loan, credit cards …

€

Running costs of the home Running costs of the home Costs an owner has on top of the loan: the service charge for an apartment (Hausgeld), savings for repairs (Instandhaltungsrücklage) and property tax (Grundsteuer). About €3–5 per m² a month is a common estimate.

Per month

€

The loan Starts at what banks charge today

Interest rate Nominal interest rate German: Sollzins The yearly interest rate on the loan, without fees. The bank charges one twelfth of it each month on the remaining debt. To compare offers, look at the effective rate instead. All terms in the glossary

Sollzins

Initial repayment Initial repayment rate German: Anfängliche Tilgung The share of the loan you repay in the first year, in percent. Together with the interest rate it sets the monthly payment: (interest + repayment) × loan ÷ 12. Because interest falls over time, the repayment grows each year. 2–3% is common; below 1.5% the loan takes very long to pay off. All terms in the glossary

Anfängliche Tilgung

Fixed for Fixed-rate period German: Zinsbindung How long the bank guarantees the interest rate. When it ends, the remaining debt is refinanced at whatever rates apply then. How long the interest rate is guaranteed, typically 5–20 years. After it ends, you have to refinance the remaining debt at whatever rates apply then. By law you can cancel any loan 10 years after payout with six months' notice, without a penalty. All terms in the glossary

Zinsbindung

years

In Aug 2026 banks in Germany charged 3.75% on average for new home loans fixed for 5 to 10 years (3.81% effective). Source: Deutsche Bundesbank.

Max. share of income for loans Max. share of income for loans Banks rarely lend if all your loan payments together would take more than this share of your net income. It is a rule of thumb, not a law – lower is safer.

Banks typically accept 35–40%

Fees and extras Kaufnebenkosten

Notary Notary German: Notar In Germany every property purchase must be signed in front of a notary, who drafts the contract and handles the registration. Fees are set by law (GNotKG), roughly 1–1.5% of the price. All terms in the glossary

Notar

Land registry Land registry German: Grundbuch The official register of who owns a property and which loans are secured on it (Grundschuld). Entering you as owner and registering the bank's security costs about 0.5% of the price. All terms in the glossary

Grundbuch

Broker's fee Broker's commission German: Maklerprovision The fee for the estate agent. For houses and apartments the buyer pays at most half of it; a common share is 3.57% of the price including VAT. There is none if you buy directly from the owner. All terms in the glossary

Maklerprovision · Your share incl. VAT; 0 if the listing has no agent

Renovation Renovation Work you plan right after buying, such as a new bathroom or flooring. It is added to the loan.

Financed together with the purchase

€

Results update as you type.

What a bank looks at

Four checks; each one can pass, be tight or fail

Enough of your own money – tight

Your €90,000 cover the €52,065 of incidental costs, but little of the price. The loan is 92% of the home's value: up to 100% – expect a noticeable surcharge.
Payment within the bank's income rule – tight

The payment would take 36% of your net income, above the 35% banks like to see. Some will still lend, others won't.
Payment fits your budget – fine

After the payment, €2,000 of living costs and €350 for running the home, €1,176 a month are left.
Still affordable when the fixed rate ends – fine

If interest is 2 points higher after 10 years, the payment rises to €2,312. Your budget of €3,150 still covers that.

What would work

Nothing fails here. More savings or a lower price would turn the tight checks into comfortable ones.

Monthly payment Monthly payment German: Rate / Monatsrate What you pay the bank each month: interest on the loan plus the repayment. It stays the same for the whole fixed-rate period. What you pay the bank every month: interest plus repayment. With an annuity loan it stays the same for the whole fixed-rate period. All terms in the glossary: €1,974
Loan needed Loan amount German: Darlehensbetrag Price plus incidental costs plus renovation, minus your savings. This is what you ask the bank for. The amount you borrow from the bank – usually the purchase price plus incidental costs, minus the own capital you bring. All terms in the glossary: €412,065
Incidental costs Incidental purchase costs German: Kaufnebenkosten Costs on top of the price: real estate transfer tax, notary, land registry and possibly a broker. Together 7–15% of the price, depending on the federal state. Banks rarely finance them, so plan to pay them from your own capital. All terms in the glossary: €52,065
Left over each month Left over each month Your net income minus living costs, other loans, the running costs of the home and the loan payment.: €1,176
Payment if rates rise 2 points Payment if rates rise 2 points When the fixed rate ends, the debt still left is refinanced at 2 percentage points more interest and paid off by the same date as planned. "–" means the loan is repaid before the fixed rate ends.: €2,312

What the purchase costs Incidental purchase costs German: Kaufnebenkosten Costs on top of the price: real estate transfer tax, notary, land registry and possibly a broker. Together 7–15% of the price, depending on the federal state. Banks rarely finance them, so plan to pay them from your own capital. All terms in the glossary

The price and everything on top, each fee with its rate of the price

Price: €450,000
Transfer tax (Grunderwerbsteuer): €27,000 6%
Notary (Notar): €6,750 1.5%
Land registry (Grundbuch): €2,250 0.5%
Broker (Makler): €16,065 3.57%
Total cost: €502,065

How it is paid How it is paid The larger your own share, the better the interest rate a bank offers.

Shares of the total cost: your savings first, the bank lends the rest

Your savings: €90,000 18%
Loan: €412,065 82%
Total cost: €502,065

Your month as an owner Your month as an owner Your net income, split into the loan payment, living costs, the running costs of the home, other loans and what is left over. Keep something left over for surprises.

How your net income splits once you have bought

Loan payment: €1,974 36%
Living costs: €2,000 36%
Running costs of the home: €350 6%
Other loans: €0 0%
Left over: €1,176 21%
Net income: €5,500

Your debt over the years Remaining debt German: Restschuld The remaining debt at the end of each year if you keep paying the same amount and the interest rate stays as it is. In reality the rate is renegotiated when the fixed period ends. What you still owe at a given time – most importantly at the end of the fixed-rate period, because that amount has to be refinanced at the rates of that time. All terms in the glossary

Paid off after 28 years 2 months if the rate stays the same; €312,259 left when the fixed rate ends after 10 years

When the fixed rate ends after 10 years

You would still owe €312,259. If interest is 2 points higher then (5.8%), paying it off by the same date would cost €2,312 a month – €337 more than today. A longer fixed-rate period or a higher repayment lowers this risk.

Next step

Take these numbers into the other calculators

See this mortgage year by year The purchase costs in detail Or keep renting? What is the most I could buy?