Good morning dear colleagues,
I am in the fortunate situation of having found our personal dream plot for our first own house. However, I only decided to start building four weeks ago and began searching two weeks ago – and now I need to act quickly, or the plot will be gone! I’m a bit overwhelmed because everything is moving so fast; I’ve already made one mistake and would therefore be extremely grateful for professional help and experience.
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1. Question about the builder:
We would like to build with TAFF-Haus, or rather have to, because the broker involved was until two weeks ago still part of the management team and since February has been an independent broker (during the viewing we were told he only works for the owner… which was true at that time but already feels a bit questionable). Now, there is no information or reviews about TAFF-Haus or the other companies in the parent group "Uwe Köhn Unternehmensgruppe," such as ALLEGRO-Haus (only two negative reports about ALLEGRO here in the forum). This is perhaps not surprising, considering the following from the commercial register regarding the entire company structure:
So, there is practically no experience in housebuilding! Or am I mistaken?
Fortunately (?), TAFF does not handle the construction itself but hires a large number of local subcontractors for the individual trades. You could almost say that they only organize. But I’m not certain about that; the walls are patented (prefabricated house/timber frame construction).
That doesn’t worry me too much yet, although I would prefer a company with many years of experience. But I probably just have to make sure that every tiny detail is documented in writing from the start – as it should be for contracts involving such sums.
-> What do you think? Can TAFF-Haus be trusted?
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2. About my mistake:
I, a naive fool, of course told the seller my budget. Quite surprisingly, our desired house now fits exactly into that budget – what a wonderful coincidence!
To partly fix this and to create a basis for negotiation, I’m considering, as mentioned above, asking for a detailed breakdown of every single item and comparing them online. It would be best to also get reference projects with addresses/contact details and compare prices with those. It can’t be too long since they built those...
-> What should I absolutely pay attention to now?
Is there a checklist or something similar in this forum? I will definitely read the section "Buyer assistance before signing the contract" here in the housebuilding guide, but maybe there is more or something that fits my situation.
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3. Alternative for the brave:
The plot is a dream, and we really want to have it. I have managed to find the owner and am seriously considering making him an offer. In the worst case, I’d pay the “hidden” broker’s commission but would then own the plot and no longer be tied to TAFF. We would also like to change some things about the house, which TAFF with their fixed floor plans cannot offer us.
-> Would you consider this option in my situation? Are there risks?
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Normally I’m someone who research many things extensively myself, but in this case I simply don’t have the time. I am grateful for any answer because the next meeting with TAFF is still this week, when the house is supposed to be planned. Feel free to bombard me with helpful links (as far as allowed) or similar topics, as I simply don’t have time to search and sort – mea culpa!
I am in the fortunate situation of having found our personal dream plot for our first own house. However, I only decided to start building four weeks ago and began searching two weeks ago – and now I need to act quickly, or the plot will be gone! I’m a bit overwhelmed because everything is moving so fast; I’ve already made one mistake and would therefore be extremely grateful for professional help and experience.
-----
1. Question about the builder:
We would like to build with TAFF-Haus, or rather have to, because the broker involved was until two weeks ago still part of the management team and since February has been an independent broker (during the viewing we were told he only works for the owner… which was true at that time but already feels a bit questionable). Now, there is no information or reviews about TAFF-Haus or the other companies in the parent group "Uwe Köhn Unternehmensgruppe," such as ALLEGRO-Haus (only two negative reports about ALLEGRO here in the forum). This is perhaps not surprising, considering the following from the commercial register regarding the entire company structure:
- VSC Vertriebs Service Consult GmbH has existed since January 2006.
- Meißner Bau Management GmbH, like Allegro-Haus GmbH, was founded in December 2012.
- TAFF-Haus GmbH has only existed for two years, since May 2015.
So, there is practically no experience in housebuilding! Or am I mistaken?
Fortunately (?), TAFF does not handle the construction itself but hires a large number of local subcontractors for the individual trades. You could almost say that they only organize. But I’m not certain about that; the walls are patented (prefabricated house/timber frame construction).
That doesn’t worry me too much yet, although I would prefer a company with many years of experience. But I probably just have to make sure that every tiny detail is documented in writing from the start – as it should be for contracts involving such sums.
-> What do you think? Can TAFF-Haus be trusted?
-----
2. About my mistake:
I, a naive fool, of course told the seller my budget. Quite surprisingly, our desired house now fits exactly into that budget – what a wonderful coincidence!
To partly fix this and to create a basis for negotiation, I’m considering, as mentioned above, asking for a detailed breakdown of every single item and comparing them online. It would be best to also get reference projects with addresses/contact details and compare prices with those. It can’t be too long since they built those...
-> What should I absolutely pay attention to now?
Is there a checklist or something similar in this forum? I will definitely read the section "Buyer assistance before signing the contract" here in the housebuilding guide, but maybe there is more or something that fits my situation.
-----
3. Alternative for the brave:
The plot is a dream, and we really want to have it. I have managed to find the owner and am seriously considering making him an offer. In the worst case, I’d pay the “hidden” broker’s commission but would then own the plot and no longer be tied to TAFF. We would also like to change some things about the house, which TAFF with their fixed floor plans cannot offer us.
-> Would you consider this option in my situation? Are there risks?
-----
Normally I’m someone who research many things extensively myself, but in this case I simply don’t have the time. I am grateful for any answer because the next meeting with TAFF is still this week, when the house is supposed to be planned. Feel free to bombard me with helpful links (as far as allowed) or similar topics, as I simply don’t have time to search and sort – mea culpa!
I’ll be a spoilsport for a moment: Topic dream plot – keyword: have a geotechnical survey done before purchasing.
Topic budget – please spend some time reading and browsing the forum to realize that the house price is not the final price. Additional construction costs and landscaping can heavily strain the budget.
... how often has a prospective builder already found their dream plot?! Just like in your case, it can be due to the developer, unfair contracts, poor soil conditions, restrictive zoning plans, and unplanned costs that the dream has to be postponed multiple times.
Fingers crossed, and keep us updated.
Brief regards
Topic budget – please spend some time reading and browsing the forum to realize that the house price is not the final price. Additional construction costs and landscaping can heavily strain the budget.
... how often has a prospective builder already found their dream plot?! Just like in your case, it can be due to the developer, unfair contracts, poor soil conditions, restrictive zoning plans, and unplanned costs that the dream has to be postponed multiple times.
Fingers crossed, and keep us updated.
Brief regards
K
Knallkörper16 May 2017 10:29My subjective impression, or my feeling, is that quite a few things have gone wrong, not everything has been told truthfully, and no trust could be established with the construction company. At this point, the likelihood that the workmanship will not be very good, the final cost too high, or the communication poor even during the detailed planning phase would be a reason for me to distance myself from the whole matter.
As I said, this is just my impression based on your description. Otherwise, I fully agree with @ypg.
As I said, this is just my impression based on your description. Otherwise, I fully agree with @ypg.
ypg schrieb:
...
Fingers crossed, and keep us updated
Keep us updated!
... is of course what it should say
These experiences during the land search make you more sensitive and attentive to the next property!
Basic principle: don’t rush into signing anything you don’t fully understand—including no preliminary agreements or land search contracts...
Best regards in brief
H
HilfeHilfe16 May 2017 10:42In my opinion, there is also too much horsepower out on the street...
As the previous speakers already mentioned, ask for a soil survey report, and so on.
Sometimes the builder just says goodbye and moves on to the next client.
That should definitely raise some red flags here.
As the previous speakers already mentioned, ask for a soil survey report, and so on.
Sometimes the builder just says goodbye and moves on to the next client.
That should definitely raise some red flags here.
C
Caspar202016 May 2017 10:52PowerBauer schrieb:
Quite surprisingly, our dream house now fits exactly into the budget—what a wonderful coincidence! To balance this out a bit and to create a basis for negotiation, I’m thinking of having every single item broken down precisely as mentioned above and then comparing prices online.That won’t help you much. Besides, why should they break down the costs for you in detail?
From a well-known and very reliable prefab home builder, the base model of a certain size according to the scope of work was just a single item; then there were 12-13 additional items for upgrade options on top, which we had already included beforehand. But those were mostly minor things like a conservatory, a retractable attic ladder, a higher-quality heating system, extra windows, or more square meters of tiling, etc.
PowerBauer schrieb:
It would be best to also get reference projects with addresses/contact details and compare their prices. They can’t have been built too long ago... How exactly would that help you?
PowerBauer schrieb:
-> What should I absolutely watch out for now? Is there a checklist or something similar here in the forum? I will definitely read the section "Builder assistance before contract signing" in the house building guide here, but maybe there is more or something that fits my situation.Have you already received the scope of work document for the house?
PowerBauer schrieb:
Normally, I’m someone who reads up extensively on many things, but in this case, I simply don’t have the time. That’s a very bad starting point.
You’ve already received some advice regarding possible legal pitfalls. And @ypg also mentioned that the house price ≠ final price.
P
PowerBauer16 May 2017 11:28ypg schrieb:
Keyword: geotechnical report, get it done before the purchase Good idea. But is it still necessary if there are already warehouses on the site? It’s a former site of a (non-toxic) workshop that was still operating until last year.
ypg schrieb:
Additional construction costs and exterior works can heavily strain the budget. The first rough offer from TAFF supposedly includes both. I have already met with the financier (Dr. Klein), who also pointed out these items and included them in the calculation. Financing should be fine so far; I feel very well advised by Dr. Klein, also regarding contingencies.
Knallkörper schrieb:
My subjective impression, or feeling, is that quite a few things have gone wrong, not always the truth has been told, and no trust has been built with the construction company. For me, at this point, the likelihood that the execution won’t be very good, the final price will be too high, or communication will be poor even during detailed planning, would be a reason to step away from the whole thing. Not really! I’m just cautious and trying not to increase my potentially lifelong debt.
So far, I haven’t found any housebuilding company without negative reviews. And everyone tells me that building always ends up costing more.
We had only one meeting with TAFF so far; everything else I gathered myself online. So nothing has really happened yet.
ypg schrieb:
Principle: never sign anything hastily if you do not understand the implications—even not a preliminary contract or land search agreement… Never. Especially here, I cannot be cautious enough, as this will determine a large part of my future life (and that of my children, etc.).
HilfeHilfe schrieb:
For my taste, there is too much horsepower on the road… Um… what exactly does that mean?
Caspar2020 schrieb:
That won’t help you much. Besides, why would he break things down for you in detail? Well, I would expect something tangible instead of just “Interior finishing: €90,000” in the first offer. I don’t consider that something to sign… or is that actually normal?
I hope to argue by comparing prices: Why does interior finishing cost €10,000 less for a comparable customer X, and so on.
The scope of work description might come as soon as this evening.
I won’t rush headlong into buying a home just because the plot fits. I will educate myself thoroughly and read the contracts carefully. With the limited time I had, my goal was rather to identify pitfalls and get good advice—as I already have here—that you might also find with more time.