{"id":2926,"date":"2026-05-28T17:38:25","date_gmt":"2026-05-28T17:38:25","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/urbanthier.de\/?p=2926"},"modified":"2026-06-02T13:54:51","modified_gmt":"2026-06-02T13:54:51","slug":"buying-and-selling-real-estate-in-the-usa","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/urbanthier.de\/en\/kauf-und-verkauf-von-immobilien-in-den-usa\/","title":{"rendered":"Buying and Selling Real Estate in the USA"},"content":{"rendered":"
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Buying and Selling Real Estate in the USA <\/h1><\/div><\/div>\n\n
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Image source: Nattakorn<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Acquiring real estate in the USA is extremely attractive for many European investors and private individuals. Clients from Germany and Great Britain in particular are increasingly interested in residential and investment properties in economically strong regions of North America. At the same time, it is often underestimated how significantly the American real estate market differs from European standards, both legally and practically.<\/p>\n

Urban Thier & Federer Attorneys at Law advises clients on the purchase and sale of real estate throughout the United States. A particular focus of our practice is on assisting international buyers from Europe through our offices in London, Manchester, Munich, and Orlando.
Foreign buyers often assume that the process of purchasing real estate in the US is essentially comparable to procedures in Germany or Great Britain. This assumption regularly leads to problems in practice. American real estate law is heavily influenced by individual states, contract design and liability allocation differ significantly from continental European transactions, and the interests of the parties involved are often misunderstood.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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Real estate acquisition in the USA is generally also possible for foreign buyers<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\n\n

First, it's important to know that there are generally no restrictions in the U.S. for foreign buyers of real estate. German or British citizens can therefore easily purchase residential or commercial properties.
The actual challenges lie not in the acquisition itself, but in the legal and economic structuring of the transaction. Contrary to what many buyers expect, the US system offers significantly less automatic protection. Careful preparation is therefore all the more important.<\/p>\n

A well-negotiated purchase agreement plays a central role in this. Unlike in many European countries, the rights of real estate buyers in the USA depend primarily on the specific contractual provisions. It is particularly crucial that the buyer has sufficient Right of withdrawal<\/strong> to be secured and that advance payments already made (\u201edeposits\u201c) are protected in the event of justified withdrawals.<\/p>\n

International buyers often underestimate how extensively standard contracts can be drafted in favor of sellers.<\/strong> The statement that it is merely a \u201estandard contract\u201c should therefore never be accepted without scrutiny.<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n

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Image source: Unwind<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n<\/div>\n\n

Due Diligence: The audit phase determines risks in real estate purchases<\/h3><\/div><\/div>\n\n

escrow Due Diligence<\/strong>. In this phase, the property is legally, technically, and economically reviewed. This is where the importance of early involvement of experienced lawyers and professionals becomes apparent. Several points are examined during the due diligence phase:<\/p>\n<\/div><\/div>\n\n