Ten named providers described only from their own websites as fetched on 19 September 2026 (five re-checked on 15 October 2026), one decision table, the non-resident question answered route by route, and where LDP Group sits.
Quick answer
Five routes: one bank in German, a national broker comparing 500 to 750 lenders for free, an English-speaking expat broker used to foreign income, a multi-product adviser also offering other services, or a full-service firm such as LDP Group fixing property and structure first.
LDP Group is a full-service firm: it fixes the property and the structure first, then FM Zinswerk, an independent broker licensed under § 34i GewO, advises on and brokers the loan, and the bank decides.
The short answer: five routes, and what each one is good for
Every German mortgage ends at a bank. What differs is who assembles your file, how many banks see it, in which language you are advised, and whether anyone has checked the property before the loan. An expat buying an investment property meets five routes, and each one is right for a different buyer.
- Direct to a bank. You open the application with one lender, often online, in German. One offer, no comparison, no adviser who knows how a Blue Card or a dollar salary is read by other banks.
- National mortgage brokers. Dr. Klein, Interhyp, Baufi24 and Hypofriend compare several hundred lenders and are paid by the bank on completion. English service varies by firm.
- Expat-specialist brokers. My Mortgage Germany, Perini, Finance for Expats and German Mortgage build their business on English-speaking buyers, foreign income and residence titles, with the same bank-paid model.
- Multi-product advisers. Your German Mortgage describes itself as independent, with advisers from MLP; besides the mortgage it offers help with asset management, real estate and insurance.
- Full-service investment firms. LDP Group and comparable firms do not broker the loan themselves; they source the property and run the calculation, the tax structure is set with a tax adviser, and they hand a complete file to a licensed broker. The loan is one step in a process rather than the product.
The rest of this page describes each route, names the providers we looked at on 19 September 2026 and quotes only what their own websites say. No ranking is implied. The section on LDP Group is written by LDP Group, and the limitations section says so again.
The decision table: who does what, and what stays with you
| Route | Lenders compared | Fee to you | English service | Non-residents | What stays with you |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Direct bank (ING as example) | One | None stated; the bank earns the margin | not stated | not stated | Everything: file, comparison, property check, structure |
| National broker (Dr. Klein, Interhyp, Baufi24, Hypofriend) | 500 to 750 stated | None; commission paid by the bank (all four state it) | Dr. Klein, Baufi24 yes; Hypofriend English website; Interhyp not stated | Dr. Klein: residents of Germany with any permit type, says you should be registered and have your main residence in Germany; Hypofriend: lenders generally at most 60% LTV for tax foreigners; Baufi24: investors from abroad; Interhyp not stated | Finding and pricing the property, tax structure, letting |
| Expat broker (My Mortgage Germany, Perini, Finance for Expats, German Mortgage) | 400+, 650+, 650+, 750+ | Perini and Finance for Expats: paid by the bank, Finance for Expats hedges with many cases; German Mortgage: 100 percent free, payer not stated; My Mortgage Germany not stated | Yes for My Mortgage Germany, Perini and Finance for Expats; German Mortgage not stated; Perini also Russian, Finance for Expats also Spanish, Hindi, Punjabi, Kannada | Perini yes, with a 10 to 25 percent discount on foreign-currency income (50 percent at full financing); others not stated | Finding and pricing the property, tax structure, letting |
| Multi-product adviser (Your German Mortgage, MLP) | 400+ | None; compensated by the lender | Yes | not stated; 100% financing excluding costs for Blue Card holders with select banks | Property, structure, letting; the adviser also offers asset management, real estate and insurance |
| Full-service firm (LDP Group via FM Zinswerk) | 400+ through the broker | None for financing coordination; the bank pays the broker. LDP's own commission is part of the purchase price, with no separate invoice and no additional broker fee | Yes, throughout | Residents of Germany and other EU countries only; buyers outside the EU are referred elsewhere | The decision to buy; sourcing, calculation, financing coordination and management are the service, and the tax structure is set by the partner tax firm Helm & Partner |
Direct to a bank: one offer, your file, your German
The oldest route is still open: walk into a branch or start online with a single bank. ING's mortgage page, fetched on 19 September 2026, describes a fully digital start: an online pre-check in nur 3 Minuten with an immediate result, a downloadable financing pass, continuation through the online banking login and document upload after a consultation call. The page does not state an English service, a residence requirement, a loan-to-value limit or a fee. That silence is the point of this route: the bank sells its own product to buyers it already understands.
For an expat the trade-off is simple. You save nobody's commission, because the broker is paid by the bank anyway, and you lose the comparison. A bank that reads a dollar salary conservatively will not tell you that another bank reads it differently. If your German is fluent, your income is in euros and your file is standard, this route works. If any of those is missing, the next four exist for a reason.
National mortgage brokers: the panel, free of charge to you
A German mortgage broker compares offers from a panel of banks, prepares the file and processes the application. The client pays nothing; the bank pays a commission on completion. Anyone who brokers consumer mortgages needs a licence under § 34i GewO (Immobiliardarlehensvermittler), which belongs on the imprint.
- Dr. Klein describes itself as one of the largest mortgage brokers in Germany with more than 600 advisers at 240 locations, about 600 banking partners and consultancy in English, and states that consultation and processing are free of charge for the client because the bank pays a commission. Its expat page says you do not need any knowledge of German or a German passport and addresses buyers regardless of nationality and residence status, meaning a temporary contract, a Blue Card or a settlement permit; its FAQ adds that you should be registered in Germany and have your main residence there. No loan-to-value figure is stated.
- Interhyp describes itself as Germany's largest broker of private mortgages, with more than 500 lenders, more than 140 locations and more than 2.1 million financed clients, free of charge because the lender pays the commission. English service is not stated on the homepage.
- Baufi24 describes itself as an independent broker comparing more than 600 banks, with English-speaking experts and all relevant documents in English, an offer usually within 24 hours, and lists Blue Card holders, temporary residence permit holders, US citizens and investors from abroad among the buyers it serves. Commission from the bank, nothing from the client.
- Hypofriend describes itself as an independent mortgage and pension insurance broker registered with the Berlin IHK, comparing 750 lenders, paid by the lenders and not by the customer, with approval typically within 3 to 10 working days. Its page for tax foreigners is the most specific non-resident statement we found anywhere: lenders generally allow at most 60 percent loan-to-value, so at least 40 percent of the price plus fees in equity, with salaried employment and residential property only, and some lenders require 80 percent of the expected rent to cover the monthly payment.
The panel sizes are the providers' own claims and overlap heavily: the same 400 to 750 German lenders sit behind most of these panels. A second broker rarely finds a bank the first one could not reach; what differs is how the file is presented.
Expat-specialist brokers: the same model, built for your file
Four firms describe themselves primarily through the expat case rather than through the panel. Their value is not a different bank list but experience with the parts of an expat file that a general adviser handles badly: a probation period, a residence title with an end date, income in another currency, a tax assessment from another country.
- My Mortgage Germany describes itself as a certified mortgage intermediary under § 34i Abs. 1 S. 1 GewO supervised by the Berlin Gewerbeamt, with more than 400 lenders and native English speakers, serving expats, EU citizens, Blue Card holders, international clients and SOFA agreement residents from an office in Berlin. Its fee model is not stated on the homepage.
- Perini Finance and Property describes itself as an independent broker under § 34i GewO regulated by the IHK Mittlerer Niederrhein, register number D-W-132-ZUCB-95, based in Krefeld and working nationwide, comparing more than 650 banks, with advice in German, English and Russian, and the commission as a rule paid by the bank. It names buy-to-let, non-residents and Germans abroad as cases it handles and states that for foreign-currency income a discount of 10 to 25 percent is applied to the income, and 50 percent at 100 percent financing.
- Finance for Expats describes itself as lender-neutral multilingual financial guidance with more than 650 banks and financing partners, in English, German, Spanish, Hindi, Punjabi and Kannada, and names Blue Card holders, non-EU buyers, foreign income earners, self-employed expats and new arrivals as profiles it serves. On fees it hedges: for many mortgage cases the process is free because compensation may come from the financing partner. Loan-to-value and non-resident terms are not stated on the loans page.
- German Mortgage describes itself as an independent broker for expats comparing more than 750 lenders, 100 percent free and SCHUFA-neutral. Languages, licence and non-resident terms are not stated on the landing page.
Multi-product advisers: the mortgage as one service among several
Your German Mortgage describes itself as independent, and as not only a mortgage broker but trusted advisers from MLP, which it calls Germany's leading independent financial consulting company, with more than 400 banks, 25 years of experience and more than 12,000 consultations with international clients from Berlin. It is compensated by the lender. It also offers asset management, real estate and insurance, and states that 100 percent financing excluding purchase fees is available to Blue Card holders with the very few banks that offer it. Non-resident terms are not stated.
The route is legitimate and the advice can be good. If you want only the loan, say so at the start.
KfW: a supplement drawn through your bank, not a route of its own
KfW does not lend to you directly; every KfW loan is applied for through the bank that finances the purchase, which is why it appears on Baufi24's lender list rather than as a competitor. For a rented existing flat the relevant programmes are the energy renovation loans, and the application must be in before the notary date, because the purchase contract counts as the start of the project. The family home-ownership programmes require that you live in the property yourself, so they do not apply to a buy-to-let purchase. Our KfW page for foreign buyers sets out the programmes, the income tests and the open questions, including the application stop for programme 455-B since 31 July 2026 and the higher limits of programme 308 since 3 August 2026.
The full-service route: the loan file arrives complete
LDP Group is not a bank and not a mortgage broker. Financing is one of four steps in an investment service: the property is sourced and priced, the renovation or conversion plan is fixed and the tax structure is set with the partner tax firm Helm & Partner, and only then does the file go to FM Zinswerk, an independent mortgage broker licensed under § 34i GewO that compares more than 400 banks. FM Zinswerk advises on and brokers the loan; LDP prepares the file and coordinates bank, notary and seller in English until payout, typically about four weeks to approval, and the bank decides. The client pays no fee for the financing coordination; the bank pays the broker. LDP's own § 34i GewO licence is in preparation, and until it is granted LDP coordinates rather than brokers.
What this route does not cover: new-build developments and owner-occupied homes without an investment case. Buyers living outside the EU: the banks FM Zinswerk works with do not finance this group, and LDP does not take on these purchases. Residents of Germany and of other EU countries of any nationality are the clients it is built for. If you already own the property you want to finance, or want only a loan, one of the brokers above is the shorter path.
The difference between this route and going to a broker directly is not the broker. It is that the bank sees a building with a purchase calculation, a rent forecast and a structure instead of a wish, and a complete file is what shortens the four weeks. Details on how LDP coordinates financing.
The non-resident question, route by route
The published statements contradict each other, and that is worth knowing before you start. Hypofriend reports that lenders generally allow at most 60 percent loan-to-value for tax foreigners, with salaried income and residential property only, and that some require 80 percent of the rent to cover the payment. Perini names non-residents and Germans abroad as clients and publishes a 10 to 25 percent discount on foreign-currency income (50 percent at full financing) without a loan-to-value figure. Baufi24 lists investors from abroad. Our own non-resident financing page collects broker statements between 50 and 90 percent and notes that not one of them comes from a bank.
- If you are a German tax resident with euro income, every route is open and the choice is about language and service, not about eligibility.
- If you are resident in Germany but paid in another currency, the specialists that publish a policy on it (Perini's income discount, Hypofriend's rules) tell you more before the first call than a general broker will.
- If you live outside Germany, start from the 50 to 60 percent band, expect fewer banks and a premium, and ask any provider for its written non-resident terms before sending documents. Hypofriend's tax-foreigner page is the most explicit public statement.
- If you want the property found, priced and structured as well as financed, the full-service route applies only if you live in Germany or another EU country.
How to check any provider on this page, including us
- The imprint. A § 34i GewO licence with the supervising IHK and a register number, as Perini and My Mortgage Germany print on their pages. A firm that only coordinates should name the licensed broker, as LDP names FM Zinswerk.
- Who pays. Every broker here says the bank pays. Ask whether any case is charged to you, and when; Finance for Expats' wording, many cases, is the honest version of a rule that is not absolute.
- The written non-resident policy. If your residence or currency is not standard, a provider that cannot send you a page about it will learn about your case at your expense.
- Named people. Perini names its owner and its broker on the page; a six-figure loan should have a person attached to it.
- A refusal list. A provider that states whom it does not serve, as LDP does for buyers outside the EU, has a position you can check against.
Limitations and what we do not know
- Every statement about a named provider comes from one or two pages of that firm's public website, fetched on 19 September 2026 and read as published. The statements on Dr. Klein, Hypofriend, Perini, German Mortgage and Your German Mortgage were re-checked against their websites on 15 October 2026. We did not contact any of them, did not test their service and did not read their terms or imprints. Offers, panels, fees and licences change; check the site on the day you decide.
- Where a page does not state a fee model, a language, a licence or a non-resident policy, we wrote not stated. That means the page we read does not say it, not that the firm lacks it.
- Two fetches failed on the day: the KfW programme overview and Commerzbank's mortgage page. The KfW paragraph therefore rests on our own KfW page and its sources, not on a fresh read.
- LDP Group wrote this page. The section on LDP uses LDP's own service facts as of September 2026, which no outside party has audited.
- No ranking is implied. A resident with euro income and fluent German may be best served by the first route; the page exists so that you know which one you are in.
What would change this answer
- A change to any named provider's website that adds or removes a service line, a fee statement, a licence or a non-resident policy, which we check when the page is reviewed.
- A change to § 34i GewO or to the Immobiliardarlehensvermittlungsverordnung that alters who needs a licence to broker or coordinate a mortgage.
- LDP's own § 34i GewO licence being granted, which would move financing from coordination with FM Zinswerk to in-house brokerage.
- A bank publishing its own non-resident loan-to-value policy, which would replace the broker figures this page relies on.
Frequently asked questions
What are the options for an expat to get a mortgage in Germany?
Five routes: applying directly to one bank, usually in German; a national broker such as Dr. Klein, Interhyp, Baufi24 or Hypofriend comparing several hundred lenders free of charge; an expat-specialist broker such as My Mortgage Germany, Perini or Finance for Expats; a multi-product adviser such as Your German Mortgage, run by MLP advisers; or a full-service investment firm such as LDP Group, which sources and structures the property and hands a complete file to the broker FM Zinswerk.
Do mortgage brokers in Germany charge expats a fee?
The brokers on this page state that the bank pays their commission on completion and the client pays nothing: Dr. Klein, Interhyp, Baufi24, Hypofriend, Perini and Your German Mortgage say so plainly, Finance for Expats says it applies to many cases, German Mortgage calls its service 100 percent free without saying who pays, and My Mortgage Germany does not state its model on its homepage. LDP charges no fee for financing coordination either; the bank pays FM Zinswerk, and LDP's own commission is part of the purchase price, with no separate invoice and no additional broker fee.
Which German mortgage provider works with non-residents?
Among the pages we fetched, Hypofriend publishes the most specific statement for tax foreigners: lenders generally allow at most 60 percent loan-to-value, with salaried income and residential property only; Perini names non-residents and Germans abroad as clients and publishes a 10 to 25 percent discount on foreign-currency income, 50 percent at full financing; Baufi24 lists investors from abroad. LDP coordinates financing, brokered by FM Zinswerk under § 34i GewO, for residents of Germany and the EU only.
Is it better to go to a bank directly or through a broker in Germany?
A direct application gives you one offer from a bank that reads your file its own way, in German. A broker compares several hundred lenders at no cost to you because the bank pays the commission, and an expat specialist knows which banks read a Blue Card, a probation period or a foreign salary favourably. Going direct saves nothing in fees; it only saves the comparison, which for a standard German file may not matter and for an expat file usually does.
Can I get 100 percent financing in Germany as an expat?
Your German Mortgage states that 100 percent financing excluding purchase costs is available to Blue Card holders with the very few banks that offer it. Purchase costs, meaning transfer tax, notary and land registry, are not financed by German banks for a standard profile, so even a 100 percent loan needs roughly 5.5 to 8.5 percent of the price in cash depending on the state. Our own rate table puts German tax residents at 80 to 90 percent in the standard bands, and up to 100 percent with a strong income profile.
Sources
- Dr. Klein, Mortgage in Germany for expats (fetched 19 September 2026, re-checked 15 October 2026)
- Interhyp, homepage (fetched 19 September 2026)
- Baufi24, Mortgage in Germany for expats (fetched 19 September 2026)
- Hypofriend, homepage (fetched 19 September 2026)
- Hypofriend, mortgage requirements for tax foreigners (fetched 19 September 2026, re-checked 15 October 2026)
- German Mortgage, homepage (fetched 19 September 2026, re-checked 15 October 2026)
- My Mortgage Germany, homepage (fetched 19 September 2026)
- Perini Finance and Property, expats and international (fetched 19 September 2026, re-checked 15 October 2026)
- Finance for Expats, mortgage and loan advisory (fetched 19 September 2026)
- Your German Mortgage by MLP, homepage (fetched 19 September 2026, re-checked 15 October 2026)
- ING, Baufinanzierung (fetched 19 September 2026)
- § 34i GewO, licence for real estate loan intermediaries
- LDP Group, mortgage financing coordination with FM Zinswerk
- LDP Group, KfW programmes for foreign property buyers
- FM Zinswerk, mortgage broker