“We have enough equity. Why does every bank treat us like a risk?”
The father asked this question after the third rejection.
Information
He was a civil engineer, his wife a doctor.
After years of intensive preparation, both had decided to emigrate to Germany permanently with their children.
A hospital in Baden-Württemberg had already offered the wife a permanent position.
The husband moved to an international engineering firm.
Financing the home seemed a mere formality.
But that was exactly where the problems began.
The house had been found
After several weeks of searching, the family decided on a detached house on the outskirts of Karlsruhe.
Not luxurious.
But exactly the home they had been looking for.
The key figures:
- Purchase price: 624,000 euros
- Equity: 224,000 euros
- Financing required: 450,000 euros
Both had secure jobs.
The equity was fully available.
Even so, the family received three rejections within a short time.
The bank asked a very different question
The income was not the focus.
Nor the property.
The lending department wanted to know:
How did the equity get to Germany?
A considerable part of the assets came from the sale of the home in Cape Town.
Further funds came from long-term securities investments.
For the family this was self-evident.
For the bank, however, every larger inflow of assets had to be documented in a comprehensible way.
More documentation than expected
Together, all the documents were worked through.
Among them:
- the purchase contract for the former property
- the sale statement
- bank statements
- evidence of the international money transfer
- an asset overview
- employment contracts in Germany
- proof of equity
This made the origin of all own funds fully traceable.
The decisive change
Instead of submitting the documents piece by piece, the financing bank received complete documentation from the outset.
The follow-up questions were reduced considerably.
The financing commitment followed just a few days after the review was completed.
The notary appointment could take place as planned.
A new chapter in life
Today the family lives in their own house.
The children attend a German school.
Both parents now work in their new professions.
In hindsight, the financing was not the biggest challenge.
Rather, it was the assumption that German banks would automatically understand international asset structures.
What other immigrants can learn from this
Anyone transferring assets from abroad to Germany should compile all the evidence early.
With larger equity amounts in particular, banks often require complete documentation.
This is not distrust.
It is part of statutory review and documentation obligations.
Frequently asked questions
Can families from South Africa finance a home in Germany?
Does the origin of the equity have to be proven?
Is a missing SCHUFA record an exclusion criterion?
Can employment contracts in Germany be considered before the move?
Can owner-occupied detached houses be financed?
Conclusion
This case shows that international moves require careful preparation.
It was not the family's origin that was the problem.
What was decisive was the comprehensible documentation of assets, equity and future income situation.
Anyone who prepares these documents early creates the best conditions for successfully buying a home in Germany.
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