Buying an Apartment in Bremen as an Expat
Step-by-step guide for international professionals — financing, notary and taxes in English. Verified opportunities in Bremen with English-speaking notary, financing and tax support.
Schedule Free ConsultationIllustrative estimate at a 3.8% assumed interest rate (10y fixed, June 2026 market range 3.6–3.9%) plus 2% initial amortisation. Actual terms depend on the property, your profile and the lender. Not financial advice.
Buy Apartment (Expat) in Bremen: what to know
Thousands of international professionals live in Bremen, and none of them need German citizenship to buy. Residents with German income get near-domestic financing terms; Blue Card holders are treated like locals by most banks after probation.
The binding step is the notarised contract — the notary is neutral, and you may demand the draft 14 days in advance and bring an interpreter. We pair every client with an English-speaking partner notary and walk through the Teilungserklärung, Hausgeld statements and WEG minutes before you sign.
The Bremen market in numbers
Bremen (Bremen) has 586,271 residents. Existing apartments currently average around €2,934/m² (district spread roughly €1,850–€4,000/m²), with new-builds at about €5,890/m². Average asking cold rent is about €10.49/m², putting the gross rental yield near 4.3%.
Price momentum: +4.3% year-on-year. Asking prices peaked 2021 (~3,170 EUR/m2), corrected sharply 2022-2023 (-8.9% in 2023), bottomed 2024, recovering since; 5-year change roughly flat (-2.2%, immowelt). Official transaction data still showed resale condos -4.1% in 2024.
Vacancy: roughly 3.7% (Zensus 2022 (15.05.2022): ~13,655 of 364,795 dwellings vacant in Land Bremen = 3.7%, below national 4.3%). Above-average vacancy means micro-location and stock quality decide letting success here.
Where to buy in Bremen
Investment demand concentrates in Schwachhausen, Viertel, Findorff, where letting is fastest and long-term value is most defensible. Value- and yield-oriented buyers look at Überseestadt and Gröpelingen, which trade lower and typically deliver higher gross yields with more management intensity.
Schwachhausen: Bremen's classic upmarket quarter with Altbremer Haus townhouses, leafy streets and top schools — the city's most expensive large district. Apartments trade around €3,690–€4,010/m².
Viertel (Ostertor/Steintor): The bohemian 'Viertel' east of the old town — cafes, culture and Gründerzeit flats, prized by young professionals and students. Apartments trade around €3,360–€3,900/m².
Findorff: Popular family quarter of small Bremen row houses between Bürgerpark and the fairgrounds, with strong owner-occupier demand. Apartments trade around €3,100–€3,520/m².
Neustadt: Up-and-coming left-bank district opposite the old town, gentrifying around the airport-city and Hochschule Bremen campus. Apartments trade around €3,000–€3,290/m².
Überseestadt: Former harbour area turned waterfront regeneration zone — one of Europe's largest urban development projects, dominated by newer loft and new-build stock. Apartments trade around €3,300–€4,530/m².
Gröpelingen: Bremen's cheapest inner district in the industrial west — high-yield, socially mixed, with visible regeneration efforts along the Weser. Apartments trade around €1,750–€2,330/m².
Taxes & buying costs in Bremen
Property transfer tax (Grunderwerbsteuer) in Bremen is 5.5%. Add approximately 2% for notary and land registry (statutory GNotKG fees) plus any brokerage/service fee — total acquisition costs typically run 8–12% on top of the purchase price, and German banks generally do not finance them.
Held privately, the property can be sold tax-free after the 10-year Spekulationsfrist; before that, gains are taxed at your personal rate. Depreciation (AfA) shelters rental income: 2% p.a. for pre-2023 buildings, 3% for buildings completed from 2023, and a 5% degressive option for qualifying new projects started before 30.09.2029.
Bremen is a designated tight housing market: the Mietpreisbremse caps new-lease rents at roughly 10% above the local comparative rent (Mietspiegel), and the reduced Kappungsgrenze limits in-tenancy increases to 15% within three years. Factor the achievable regulated rent — not the asking-rent headline — into your underwriting.
Data & sources
All figures verified July 2026 against primary sources. Asking prices typically run 5–15% above notarised transaction values — where both exist, the source basis is stated.
Population: Bevölkerungsfortschreibung (Destatis/Statistisches Landesamt Bremen) via Statista, 31.12.2024, https://de.statista.com/statistik/daten/st….
Purchase prices: immowelt Price Map, asking prices, 01.07.2026 (avg apartment 2,934 EUR/m2.
Rents: immowelt Price Map, asking cold rents (Angebotsmieten), 01.07.2026 (range 6.69-18.58 EUR/m2.
Yield: computed from price+rent above (10.49 x 12 / 2,934 x 100 = 4.29%), both immowelt asking data 07/2026.
Price trend: immowelt annual table (2025: 2,918 EUR/m2, +4.3% vs 2024).
Vacancy: Zensus 2022 (15.05.2022): ~13,655 of 364,795 dwellings vacant in Land Bremen = 3.7%, below national 4.3%.
Frequently asked questions
Do I need permanent residency to buy?
No. Any nationality can buy German property. What matters for financing is your residency and income situation: German tax residents access 80–90% LTV, non-residents typically 50–60%.
Can foreigners buy investment property in Bremen?
Yes. Non-residents can buy property in Bremen without German citizenship or residency. Financing is available to expats and Blue Card holders; non-residents typically need 40–50% equity, German tax residents 10–20%.
What are the total buying costs in Bremen?
On top of the purchase price, budget 5.5% property transfer tax (Bremen), about 2% notary and land registry, plus any brokerage/service fee — commonly 8–12% of the price in total.
What rental yield can I expect in Bremen?
Gross yields in Bremen average around 4.3%, higher in value districts such as Überseestadt and Gröpelingen and lower in prime locations like Schwachhausen.
How much is property per square metre in Bremen?
Existing apartments average about €2,934/m² to buy and roughly €10.49/m² cold rent per month, varying significantly by neighbourhood and condition.