Buying & Transaction
What Is Maemae (매매) — sale/purchase?
Definition
An outright purchase of a property, as opposed to leasing it via jeonse or wolse.
Maemae (매매) means buying a property outright — you take ownership and register title in your name. It is the alternative to leasing (jeonse/wolse). Foreigners can buy with no residency requirement.
Why it matters
A purchase brings ownership and any price appreciation, but adds acquisition tax, the capped agent fee, registration and ongoing property taxes. See the full cost breakdown before you commit.