The cost is the rate, not the fee
The price of moving money across borders for a property purchase is rarely the transfer fee. It is the exchange rate. Providers quote a rate that includes a margin over the rate they can trade at themselves, and on a sum large enough to buy a house that margin dwarfs any fixed fee — which is why a transfer advertised as fee-free is not the same thing as a cheap one. The only meaningful comparison is the amount that lands in the destination account, quoted by each provider at the same moment.
Where the money should go
Deposits and completion funds should go only to an account whose role is set by the law of the country you are buying in — typically a notary's or lawyer's client account, or a statutory escrow. In Dubai, for instance, money for an off-plan unit is paid into an escrow account opened in the project's name and dedicated to its construction (Law No. 8 of 2007%20of%202007.html)). Confirm the account details by telephone with someone you have met, never from an email alone: payment-redirection fraud targets exactly this moment.
Source-of-funds checks take time
Large incoming transfers are checked, and property purchases are checked twice — by the banks and by the professional completing the sale. French notaries, for example, check the origin of funds to prevent money laundering (Notaires de France). Assemble the file — sale contracts, bank statements, tax returns, company accounts for the paying entity — before you agree a completion date, not after.
Taxes that come out of the price when you sell
Some countries collect tax from the sale proceeds of a non-resident seller at completion. When a foreign person sells US real property, the buyer generally withholds 15% of the amount realised under FIRPTA (IRS); in Spain, the buyer from a non-resident withholds 3% of the price (Spanish Tax Agency). Plan the currency conversion of what is left, not of the headline price.
When a company pays
If the property is held through a company, running costs, service charges and staff are often paid across currencies for years. That is the case where a multi-currency business account can make sense: it lets the entity hold balances in the currencies it spends and convert when it chooses. It is not a personal bank account and not a substitute for the client account of the lawyer or notary completing your purchase.
