Who you need on your side, country by country

United Kingdom

• Solicitor or licensed conveyancer: checks the title, searches and contract, and handles the money. Needed for every purchase.
• Chartered surveyor (RICS Level 2 or 3 survey): tells you what's wrong with the home before you commit.
• Mortgage broker authorised by the FCA: finds lenders who'll lend on a repossession or a home that needs work.
• For auctions: your solicitor reads the legal pack before the auction, not after.
• In Scotland the solicitor also places your offer, and sellers provide a Home Report.

Italy

• Geometra: a local building surveyor. Checks that the home matches its planning permissions (conformità urbanistica) and the land registry plan (conformità catastale), and prices any fixes. For a court sale, ask one to read the court expert's report (perizia) with you before you bid.
• Avvocato (lawyer): files your offer at a court sale, can bid for you by proxy, and checks what passes to you with the home.
• Notaio (notary): handles ordinary purchases. Not needed for a court sale, where the judge's transfer order does the job.
• Commercialista (accountant): helps with the tax code, the purchase taxes and, if you let the home, the income tax.
• You'll need: an Italian tax code (codice fiscale) and usually an Italian bank account.

Spain

• Abogado (lawyer): checks the certificate of charges (certificación de cargas) and whether the home is occupied, before you bid. This is the single most important check at a Spanish auction.
• Gestor: handles tax forms and registrations for a modest fee; many buyers use one alongside their lawyer.
• Arquitecto técnico (building surveyor): inspects condition when a viewing is possible.
• Notario: needed for ordinary sales, not for a court auction.
• You'll need: a foreigner's tax number (NIE), a digital certificate or Cl@ve to bid on the state portal, and a Spanish bank account.

Portugal

• Advogado (lawyer) or solicitador: checks the land registry certificate (certidão permanente) and charges before you bid, and handles the paperwork.
• Fiscal representative: needed for a tax number if you live outside the EU.
• Engenheiro or arquiteto: for a condition survey where you can view.
• You'll need: a Portuguese tax number (NIF) and a Portuguese bank account.

Germany

• Rechtsanwalt (lawyer): reads the court valuation report (Gutachten) and the land register (Grundbuch) with you, including rights that survive the auction.
• Sachverständiger (independent surveyor): useful for the outside, as the owner doesn't have to let you in.
• Your bank: must confirm finance and arrange the 10% security before the auction day.
• Notar: needed for ordinary purchases, not for a court auction, where the court's award (Zuschlag) makes you the owner.

United States

• Buyer's agent: many banks only accept offers through one.
• Home inspector: essential on an as-is bank-owned home.
• Title company or real estate attorney (some states require an attorney at closing): checks the title and handles closing.
• Lender: get pre-approved before you offer; ask early about renovation loans if the home needs work.

Costs to budget for

Professional fees vary widely by country and by case. As a rough guide, plan for legal fees of about 1% of the price (often a fixed fee for cheaper homes), a survey, purchase taxes, and any repairs. Each home's page has a cost calculator for a first estimate.