7. PKF China Talk – Real Estate Buying Process in Germany

With increasing vibrant activities in the German real estate market, the rise of housing prices in many cities is following suit. Chinese people living in Germany and investors from China are very active in the German housing market and increasingly endeavoring to acquire real estate as an investment or for their own residential purposes. 

However, buying real estate abroad poses great challenges for many investors. There are many opportunities for going astray on the way from the initial idea to the successful completion of an acquisition: How do I get in touch with real estate agents? How do I negotiate with the seller and get a loan from the bank? How do I get my purchase contract notarized? What kind of tax advantages can result from the notarization details? What should I pay attention to during the handover of the property? What do we have to know to achieve maximum benefit in all phases of the process? 

In response, within the framework of the PKF China Talk on 19 September 2019, together with CDVAR (Chinesisch-Deutschen Verein zur Allgemeinen Rechtsaufklärung e. V.), PKF Fasselt have organized a lecture series ''Real Estate Buying Process in Germany'' to provide comprehensive information about the topic. More than 20 representatives of Chinese companies and individual investors in Germany gathered in the event, engaging with one another in extensive dialogue and exchange.

In the beginning, Dr. Rong He, Head of the China Desk at Law firm Helf Pesch, gave a lecture and explained the house buying process in Germany and things requiring special attention in terms of notarization. To complete these, Ying Teng, Senior Tax Consultant at PKF Fasselt, offered a clear overview of the tax regulation involved in the real estate purchase. In the end, Dr. Rong He and Ying Teng together highlighted the tax optimization strategies via case studies, following by the Q&A session in replying to questions raised by the participants.

The quarterly PKF China Talk provides a practical guide for Chinese companies as well as individuals and focuses on tax, law, and business operation issues. This series has gained increasing attention in the Chinese business communities in Düsseldorf, Duisburg and surrounding areas. This time, the representative of CDVAR from Frankfurt also attended the PKF China Talk.