ᐅ Newcomer Seeks Advice – When Should Planning Start?

nordanney schrieb:

Yep. Just google "boris nrw." It contains the standard land values as well as the property market report for the city of Mülheim. By the way, it covers all of NRW.

Then I wonder what I found earlier...

criberg schrieb:

I still need to understand the waiting lists; so far, I haven’t found any specific websites for the various municipalities/districts in Mülheim, only the general site for the city of Mülheim itself. There, a few plots are listed by district, but it’s very limited—maybe 7 or 8 in total.

Basically, the process is that you contact the municipality to express interest in a plot in a new development area X. They then apply some allocation procedure (ideally first come, first served for outsiders, but usually a points system) and reserve the plots. For everyone who doesn’t get a plot, there is the option to be placed on a waiting list, which is used if someone declines their plot.

nordanney schrieb:

Alternative facts 😎 : Homeownership rates by federal state as of 2018. Only in 2020 did the rate drop for the first time since 1993, referring to Germany.
Therefore, I would not call the dream hopeless.

The costs for a new build are insane. If I take our quotes and remove all extras, even with Town & Country (Bodensee 129 on BP) I’m looking at a total budget of 450,000 euros (including the plot at 75,000 euros). Then you get an energy-saving standard house with gas heating and radiators, and you’ve almost spent your entire annual vacation on DIY work. My sister’s semi-detached house from a local developer in a basic standard also comes out at about the same. It’s not much cheaper—at least not here in the south of Germany. And when I consider that here in Konstanz you can’t buy a 3-room apartment (built in 1980) in a block of flats on the open market for that price anymore—only through connections—then the dream of owning a home is over for most people.
With the current increase in property values, it’s almost impossible to save up against it. 5% of 400,000 euros (for that, you can get an unrenovated 1970s house here in the south, without purchase incidental costs) is 20,000 euros—which few people have readily available. Especially where prices are high and you need the most equity, rents are also high, preventing significant savings.

nordanney schrieb:

Yep. Just Google "boris nrw." There you'll find the standard land value maps and also the property market report for the city of Mülheim. By the way, it covers all of NRW as well.

I took a look and it’s quite surprising in a way. Naturally, no one would say no if you could get a plot of land from agricultural or forestry areas where the price per square meter is around €5 (5cm (2 inches)) or even €1.90 (1.9cm (1 inch)). I’d probably still be breaking into a bank today to get a loan for that. We also checked in Zellen, where some friends of ours live or rent, and how is it possible that as of 2020 houses are classified within forestry zones? And we’re talking about houses that have already been there for several years.

WilderSueden schrieb:

Basically, the process works like this: you contact the municipality to express interest in a plot of land in new development area X. They then apply some kind of allocation procedure (ideally first come, first served for outsiders, but usually a points system) and reserve the plots. For those who don’t get a plot, there’s the option to be put on a waiting list that is used if someone declines their plot.

The total costs for a new build are already insane. Looking at our quotes, excluding all extras, I still end up with a total budget of $450,000 (including the $75,000 plot). This is for a house built according to energy saving regulations with gas heating and radiators, and almost all of the annual leave would go into doing work yourself. My sister’s semi-detached house built by a local developer in a basic standard is also roughly in this range. Cheaper isn’t really an option, at least not here in the south. And when I consider that here in Konstanz, for that price you can only buy a 3-room apartment (built 1980) in a residential block through connections but no longer on the open market, the dream of home ownership is over for most people.

With how prices are developing, it’s almost impossible to save up against it. 5% of $400,000 (which here in the south would buy you an unrenovated 1970s house without purchase additional costs) is $20,000, who really has that lying around? Especially where prices are high and you would need the most equity, rents are also high and prevent significant savings.

The question would also be what size one ultimately needs or should generally plan for with a house of 130–140 sqm (1400–1500 sq ft).

Greetings from Essen!

As some others have already mentioned, your budget might be tight for a new build.

Overall, I would recommend not to focus too much on the Mülheim location and instead see what other places are still acceptable for commuting to work. You can use an online tool for this that calculates travel times (for example, Oalley). Just enter your workplace and see which areas fall within an acceptable commuting radius (45 minutes, for example). This will give you an idea of which locations might be suitable. Generally, I would suggest moving away from Düsseldorf, more towards the northern Ruhr area, Lower Rhine region, etc. Also, consider whether it is really necessary to live close to the city. You might still be going out a lot now (when there’s no lockdown), but if you have children in the future, this will likely decrease. After COVID, you might not commute to the office every day either.

Then, you can check the websites of cities, districts, or municipalities. There is usually a section on their homepage about plots and new development areas, or you can simply call them directly.

You could also search the local press (e.g., via Google News) for information on new development areas. That’s how we found out about the new development area in Duisburg where we will be buying a plot.

You could also look into property developers. They often sell semi-detached or terraced houses, which might fit better within your budget.

Additionally, there are some tips here in the forum from the user 11ant regarding plot search. You can look up "11ant Barthel" for more information.

You need at least €2000 per square meter for a house with a concrete slab, usually significantly more. To be on the safe side, calculate with €2500 per square meter. Additionally, budget €40,000 to €50,000 for incidental building costs, the plot of land (plus property transfer tax, etc.), kitchen, garage/carport, and landscaping (possibly including a garden shed). Garden work and the carport are well suited for self-construction, so those costs don’t have to be very high. Don’t forget an expert surveyor. Small items like 20 new lamps, a new sofa, etc. roughly add up as follows:

Plot of land 400 m² (4300 sq ft) at around €300 per m² = approximately €120,000 plus incidental costs = about €135,000
House 140 m² (1500 sq ft) at €2500 per m² = €350,000
Incidental building costs €50,000
Miscellaneous €50,000
---------------
Total €585,000

Upward adjustments are possible, but going lower is limited. With a lower standard and some DIY work (let’s say €2300 per m²) for a 130 m² (1400 sq ft) house, the house cost would be €300,000, making the total around €535,000. This should roughly represent your budget range.

stfn_86 schrieb:

Best regards from Essen!

As some others have mentioned, your budget might be quite tight for a new build.

Overall, I would advise you not to focus too much on the Mülheim location and consider what is still reasonable for commuting to work. You can use an online tool for this, like Oalley for example. Just enter your workplace and see which areas fall within an acceptable commuting radius (e.g., 45 minutes). This will give you an idea of which locations might be suitable. Generally, I would recommend moving away from Düsseldorf, more towards the northern Ruhr area or Lower Rhine region. Also question whether it is really necessary to live close to the city. Maybe now you go out a lot (when there is no lockdown), but if you have children later, that will probably be less. After COVID, you might also not commute to the office every day.

Then you can check the websites of cities, districts, or municipalities. Usually, there is a section on their homepage about plots and new residential developments, or you can just call them directly.

You could also search the local press (for example with Google News) for information about new housing developments. That’s how we found the new development in Duisburg where we are now buying a plot.

You can also look into property developers. They often sell semi-detached or terraced houses, which may fit your budget better.

Furthermore, there are some tips here in the forum from user 11ant about searching for plots. Search for "11ant Barthel" for those.

Greetings back from Mülheim! 🙂
Yes, commuting is something we consider; my girlfriend has been commuting to Düsseldorf (northern Düsseldorf area) for several years. I work in Mülheim myself and have been fully working from home over the past year. In the future, I will likely continue to work from home at least two days per week.
Previously, my girlfriend commuted from Oberhausen to Düsseldorf and is very relieved to have avoided the bottleneck just south of Oberhausen. However, how long she will continue working in Düsseldorf is uncertain. There might be changes this year or next.
I am very happy to have a workplace in the same town where I live, as I moved to Mülheim from Wuppertal early last year and was very lucky to get a job here.
So far, we have planned to focus on outskirts anyway and wouldn't be opposed to moving towards Mintard. We both really like the area, especially since we go for walks quite often. If we had a preferred location, it would definitely be Mintard.

WilderSueden schrieb:

You need at least $2,000 per square meter for a house including the foundation, probably significantly more. For safety, assume $2,500 per square meter. Then add 40,000–50,000 for ancillary construction costs, land (plus property transfer tax and fees), kitchen, garage/carport, and landscaping (possibly also a garden shed). The garden and carport are good candidates for DIY work, so these costs won’t get too high. Don’t forget the expert reports. Smaller items like 20 new lights, new sofa, and so on also add up. Rough calculation:

Plot 400 sqm (approximately 300 € (~$320) per sqm) + additional costs ~135,000
House 140 sqm × $2,500 = 350,000
Additional construction costs 50,000
Other expenses 50,000
-----------------
585,000

Adjust upward as you wish; downward is limited. With lower standards and some DIY work (say $2,300 per sqm) and a 130 sqm house, the house would be 300,000, totaling around 535,000. That should be roughly your range.

The question would then be what kind of house and from which manufacturer. I don’t mean to buy the cheapest junk, but maybe you can find some bargains here, too?