Mortgage traffic light: how realistic is your German property financing?
5 questions on residence, equity, income, credit record and intended use. At the end: a rough read — green, amber or red — and the one lever that helps most if you land on amber or red. With a cross-border profile, the right bank matters from the start, not the first one approached.
How realistic is my mortgage with a cross-border profile?
Five factors decide your pool of banks: residence and tax status, equity ratio, type of income, credit record and the intended use. With a cross-border profile many standard banks decline, while specialised lenders among the 650+ banks compared finance such cases. The traffic light gives a green, amber or red read in about a minute, not a financing commitment.
A rough self-assessment, not a bank review and not a financing commitment. Actual feasibility depends on the bank's full review — including the property, creditworthiness in detail, and current terms.
Keep this result — and the right documents
A calculator gives you a number. A financing decision needs the right paperwork ready before you talk to a bank. We'll send you the checklist that matches your situation — free, no sales call attached.
Need the blank forms right now? Get them via a quick form: self-disclosure form (DE/EN) · net-worth statement (DE/EN).
Open the file directly — no form: Germany property financing checklist (PDF, 9 pages) · Non-resident mortgage checklist (PDF, 9 pages) · KfW funding overview 2026 (PDF, 4 pages)
Your situation in 5 questions
Each answer counts points. At the end: a rough traffic light — not a bank review, not a financing commitment.
What does the mortgage traffic light show at amber or red?
The traffic light shows which of the five levers is most likely holding things back, and at amber or red it is usually one single factor, often residence or tax status.
More than a mortgage calculator: what green, amber and red mean: The traffic light doesn't replace a bank review — it shows which of the five levers is most likely holding things back.
At amber or red, it's rarely the whole constellation that's the problem, but usually one single factor: often residence or tax status, because many domestic banks decline cross-border cases outright without reviewing the individual case. These are exactly the cases we compare against specialised lenders.
What do green, amber and red mean?
Green fits the pattern most standard banks accept, amber is financeable with a narrower, targeted pool of banks, and red is rarely taken by standard banks but not automatically impossible.
Green means: the constellation fits the pattern most standard banks accept. Amber means: financeable, but with a narrower, targeted pool of banks. Red means: standard banks rarely take this constellation, but it is not automatically impossible — usually it needs a specialised structure or additional security.
Frequently asked questions
Does red mean financing isn't possible?
No. Red means standard banks usually decline the constellation — not that no bank will finance it. Especially with a cross-border profile, irregular income, or low equity, there are specialised lenders that take on exactly these cases. The traffic light shows which lever to work on first.
Why does residence carry so much weight?
Because it decides which banks will accept the case at all. Many German standard banks decline applicants resident outside the EU outright — regardless of creditworthiness or equity. That's not a creditworthiness issue, it's an internal sales-policy decision of the individual bank.
Does the result change if I increase my equity ratio?
Yes, directly and noticeably — more equity is the lever with the broadest effect, because it both widens the pool of banks and improves the terms. Try different values in the calculator to see the effect.
What if I land in the red on several questions?
Then a personal conversation is especially worthwhile — several weak factors together rarely balance out through a single lever, and usually need an individually structured financing plan instead.
Any questions on this topic?
A first consultation is free and without obligation — the commission is, as a rule, paid by the bank. We tell you what this means for your own financing.
Related pages
Transaction-cost calculator
Transfer tax, notary, land registry — what's added on top of the purchase price.
Documents for non-residents
Which proofs are additionally required depending on country of residence.
Editorially responsible: Olga Nikushkina — owner, §34i GewO (German mortgage brokerage), adviser register D-W-132-ZUCB-95. Specialised in German property financing with an international dimension: non-residents, foreign-currency income, cross-border workers, expats. Siegfried Perini is entered in the German intermediary register under this licence as a person directly involved in brokerage and advice (§ 11a GewO), active in real estate since 1992. Not legal or tax advice.