Exit Strategies for Nuremberg Property: The 10-Year Play
Hold, refinance or sell — sequencing the tax-free exit and what it does to returns. Verified opportunities in Nuremberg 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.
Exit Strategy in Nuremberg: what to know
The German endgame is scripted by § 23 EStG: hold privately for 10 years and the entire gain is tax-free. That single rule shapes strategy — buy quality you can hold a decade, finance with a 10-year fix, and let AfA shelter income along the way. At year 10+, three doors open: tax-free sale, refinance to extract equity for the next purchase (tax-free cash, interest again deductible), or simply hold the now-derisked cash flow.
In Nuremberg, current momentum (+5.8% year-on-year) plus the post-correction entry level makes the 2026 vintage attractive for a 2036 horizon. Avoid the commercial-trading trap (3+ sales in 5 years) and remember prior AfA enlarges taxable gains only on early exits — after 10 years it was pure benefit.
The Nuremberg market in numbers
Nuremberg (Bavaria (Bayern)) has 547,913 residents. Existing apartments currently average around €3,680/m² (district spread roughly €2,366–€6,483/m²), with new-builds at about €6,400/m². Average asking cold rent is about €11.97/m², putting the gross rental yield near 3.9%.
Price momentum: +5.8% year-on-year. 5-year change roughly 0% (immowelt: -0.3%): prices peaked 2021 (~3,924 EUR/m2), corrected ~-8% p.a. in 2022-23, recovering since 2024 (+4.2% in 2024, +5.8% in 2025).
Vacancy: roughly 0.8% (CBRE-empirica Leerstandsindex, marketable rental vacancy 2022: 0.8% for Nürnberg). That is effectively full occupancy — supply scarcity drives both rents and letting speed.
Where to buy in Nuremberg
Investment demand concentrates in Altstadt / St. Sebald, Erlenstegen, St. Johannis, where letting is fastest and long-term value is most defensible. Value- and yield-oriented buyers look at Südstadt and Langwasser, which trade lower and typically deliver higher gross yields with more management intensity.
Altstadt / St. Sebald: Medieval walled old town below the Kaiserburg with landmark Altbau and rebuilt post-war stock — prestige central address for owner-occupiers and short-stay demand. Apartments trade around €5,000–€6,000/m².
Erlenstegen: Nuremberg's classic villa quarter in the leafy north-east — the city's most expensive residential district with scarce supply. Apartments trade around €6,000–€8,000/m².
St. Johannis: Sought-after Gründerzeit-Altbau quarter along the Pegnitz near the Hesperidengärten — cafe culture, popular with professionals and families. Apartments trade around €5,300–€6,300/m².
Gostenhof (GoHo): Multicultural, gentrifying inner-west district ('Nuremberg's Kreuzberg') with galleries and nightlife — dynamic pricing and strong rental demand. Apartments trade around €4,500–€5,500/m².
Südstadt (Steinbühl / Galgenhof): Dense, workaday quarter south of the main station with high renter share and value-entry prices — classic yield play close to the centre. Apartments trade around €3,372–€3,642/m².
Langwasser: Large 1960s-70s planned satellite district in the south-east with U-Bahn links and green spaces — budget segment favoured by families and buy-to-let investors. Apartments trade around €3,603–€3,744/m².
Taxes & buying costs in Nuremberg
Property transfer tax (Grunderwerbsteuer) in Bavaria (Bayern) is 3.5%. 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.
Nuremberg 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: Melderegister Stadt Nürnberg as of 31.12.2025 (547,913.
Purchase prices: immowelt Price Map, apartments (existing stock), estimate as of 01.06.2026, https://www.immowelt.de/immobilienpreise/bayern/nurnberg-9040….
Rents: Asking rents (Angebotsmieten, new lettings): 11.97 EUR/m2 in Q2 2026, +3.91% YoY.
Yield: computed from price+rent above: 11.97 x 12 / 3,680 = 3.90% gross. Not independently sourced.
Price trend: immowelt apartment price series for Nürnberg (2025 avg 3,670 EUR/m2, +5.8% vs 2024).
Vacancy: CBRE-empirica Leerstandsindex, marketable rental vacancy 2022: 0.8% for Nürnberg.
Frequently asked questions
Can I sell to my own company before 10 years?
A sale to your own GmbH is a taxable disposal at market value — it triggers the very tax you're avoiding, though it can still make sense to reset AfA basis in growth scenarios. Model with a tax adviser; never improvise entity moves near the 10-year line.
Can foreigners buy investment property in Nuremberg?
Yes. Non-residents can buy property in Nuremberg 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 Nuremberg?
On top of the purchase price, budget 3.5% property transfer tax (Bavaria (Bayern)), 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 Nuremberg?
Gross yields in Nuremberg average around 3.9%, higher in value districts such as Südstadt and Langwasser and lower in prime locations like Altstadt / St. Sebald.
How much is property per square metre in Nuremberg?
Existing apartments average about €3,680/m² to buy and roughly €11.97/m² cold rent per month, varying significantly by neighbourhood and condition.