Glossary
Kaufvertrag
Purchase Contract. The notarised property purchase agreement — the only legally binding form of property sale in Germany. Reservation agreements and handshakes bind no one.
The notary must provide consumers the draft 14 days before signing and reads the deed aloud in full at the appointment. Standard architecture: parties, property per Grundbuch, price and payment trigger conditions (Fälligkeitsvoraussetzungen), transfer of possession (economic transfer), warranties (usually 'as seen' for used property), and the Auflassung.
Payment flows only after the notary confirms the priority notice, any pre-emption waivers and financing security — the choreography that makes German transactions safe without escrow in most cases.