From when is the financing confirmation legally binding for the bank?

Yes, that’s what we were told at 2 banks as well, but one or more interested parties must have delivered it. And/or they offered more^^.

That is not the whole problem yet. I suspect no one else presented another letter, but someone paid cash. That happens more often than you think. In 2016, I sold a townhouse and a piece of land. Both buyers paid without a bank, without credit. Completely. Of course, that is also convenient for me as the seller. A simple, clear contract, we had the money very quickly, both times within three weeks. And possibly, there is some truth to it, a lot more extra money was paid. It is not unusual for buyers to sign for 250 thousand at the notary and slip another ten thousand in an envelope if it is a sought-after offer.

So the realtor said something different, but who really knows what actually happened...

Perhaps he only drove the price up with you?

No, we only offered the listed purchase price, the house was not worth more by any stretch of the imagination (renovation costs starting from €80,000 and simply not worth more otherwise). We would not have engaged in price speculation anyway.

So the broker said something different, but who really knows what actually happened...

The seller is concerned about the security that the sale will actually go through. In the end, the bank confirmation is just a mental thing. The bank can still back out, the buyer too. What really counts is the ink at the notary.

In this respect, it could simply be that another buyer looked more financially solid, as silly as that sounds. Maybe he drove up in a Benz and you in a Polo. That makes a big difference in some people's minds.

Or another buyer had a more decisive demeanor that made an impression.

But it happens the other way around too. During our last search for a rental property, I ultimately had two options, both in the middle of renovation. So the viewing took place on the construction site. A total blind flight regarding how it would actually look in the end. Of course, I chose the 60-year-old, well-dressed doctor as the landlord, and not the 35-year-old loudmouth in the pimped-out Golf. Simply because I assumed the former would provide a different quality. Just a matter of perception.