MediaIEU has launched a new practical course on buying, selling and investing in real estate in Europe and beyond. The course is designed both for people who have already chosen a particular country or property and for those who are still comparing different markets, considering relocation, buying a home for their own use, purchasing property to rent out or looking for a suitable investment opportunity.

The programme consists of 100 lectures delivered over 50 weeks. Each week, participants receive two new lectures: one covering general principles or a practical topic and another devoted to a specific country or geographical region. This structure makes it possible to study the general principles of real estate transactions while also understanding the specific features of individual markets.

Real estate in different European countries and beyond Europe

Separate lectures are devoted to individual European countries. They cover local rules for buying and selling property, required documents, public registers, procedures for registering ownership, the roles of notaries and lawyers, taxes, fees, payment methods and risks specific to each country. A separate part of the programme deals with real estate outside Europe, where the rules governing property and land acquisition, as well as transaction procedures, may differ significantly from those applied in European countries.

The property buying process

Considerable attention is paid not only to choosing a property but also to the buying process itself. The course examines the buyer’s entire journey step by step, from searching for a suitable property to registering ownership and completing the physical handover. It explains what information should be obtained before any money is transferred, how to verify the seller and ownership rights, how to examine cadastral and technical documents, and how to identify mortgages, liens, debts, court orders and other legal restrictions or circumstances that could affect the transaction.

The course separately examines the sequence of completing a purchase: the initial property check, agreeing the price and transaction terms, reserving the property, paying an advance payment or deposit, signing a preliminary agreement, carrying out legal due diligence, preparing the purchase agreement, involving a notary, lawyer or bank, arranging secure payment, paying taxes and fees, registering the new owner in the appropriate register and completing the final handover of the property to the buyer.

There is no single real estate transaction procedure that applies throughout Europe. In one country, a notary may carry out a substantial part of the checks and formalities, while in another the buyer may need a separate lawyer. In some countries, a preliminary agreement creates significant obligations at an early stage, while elsewhere the procedure for reserving a property is different. The general principles of a transaction are therefore supplemented by separate lectures explaining the rules applicable in individual countries.

The property selling process

Selling real estate is also examined as a complete process rather than simply as the task of finding a buyer. The programme covers preparing the documents and the property itself for sale, determining a realistic market price, choosing how to sell, working with an estate agency or finding a buyer independently, organising viewings, checking a prospective buyer and negotiating the terms of the transaction.

The course then considers receiving an advance payment or deposit, preparing the preliminary agreement and purchase agreement, arranging payment with the buyer, repaying an existing mortgage or other obligations, taxes payable by the seller, commissions, handing over the keys and completing the transfer of ownership. For international transactions, particular attention is paid to bank transfers, evidence of the source of funds and payments between parties located in different countries.

Buying property under construction

A separate part of the course is devoted to property that is still under construction. Buying directly from a developer involves specific risks, so the course examines how to check the company, the development project and the required permits, as well as the contract terms, payment schedule, construction deadlines, liability for delays, the property inspection and handover procedure and the buyer’s options if defects are discovered.

Mortgage financing

The course also examines financing a property purchase with a mortgage. It considers not only obtaining the loan itself but also the effect of interest rates, the initial deposit, additional bank charges, insurance and other compulsory payments on the actual cost of the property. Lending conditions for a foreign buyer may differ substantially from those offered to a resident of the country concerned, so this should be taken into account before a particular property is selected.

Real estate investment and real returns

A significant part of the programme is devoted to investing in real estate. The course explains how to check investment offers, property developers and management companies, how to analyse property management agreements and how to assess promises of fixed or “guaranteed” returns. An advertised percentage return does not by itself show how much money the property owner will actually retain.

When calculating the real financial result, the course takes into account the purchase price, taxes, registration and notarial costs, agents’ commissions, repairs, furniture, insurance, property maintenance, utility costs, management expenses, periods when the property is vacant, local taxes, possible currency fluctuations and the costs associated with eventually selling the property. This makes it possible to compare different properties on the basis of actual costs, risks and potential financial results rather than an attractive percentage shown in advertising.

Practical materials for preparing a transaction

The course also includes practical materials that can be used when preparing for an actual real estate transaction. These include buyer and seller checklists, materials for checking the property and its documents, resources for verifying ownership rights, developers and management companies, as well as tables for calculating the total cost of purchasing a property and its real investment return.

Separate lists of questions have also been prepared for sellers, estate agents, notaries or lawyers, developers and management companies. They help participants obtain information before a transaction that a buyer or seller might otherwise not think to request, even though that information could later affect the security of the transaction, its costs or the ability to use the property as intended.

The course is not limited to one country

The course is not tied to any single country and does not offer a universal answer to the question of where buying property is most profitable. Its purpose is to show that similarly priced properties in different countries may involve completely different transaction conditions, costs, ownership rights, taxes, risks and possibilities for future resale.

100 lectures — the complete course for €49

The complete course consists of 100 lectures and costs €49. Once payment has been made, the full course is considered purchased: there is no additional charge for lectures on individual countries, subsequent materials or the section dealing with property outside Europe. New materials are sent by email every Friday, with the first materials sent on the first Friday after payment.

Full details of the programme and the complete list of lectures are available on the MediaIEU website:

Real estate in Europe and beyond: buying, selling and investing — complete course for €49