M
MatthiasBW6 Jul 2021 14:25Hello House Building Forum,
I have been following for several years now because we want/wanted to build a house someday. So far, we have mostly waited, partly because our jobs required us to move around a lot, partly because we were saving capital, and also because we never really had the “free time” to dive deeper into the process. And it is the latter point that this post is about.
A few things have changed over time:
What has not changed at all over the years is the time issue. Looking back, I can say that this will not improve significantly. I have always been heavily occupied professionally, which is one reason for our relatively good income. This situation will likely continue for the foreseeable future. My spouse is in a similar situation, mostly due to the children. Of course, there are occasional quieter periods, but besides family time, there is not much more than a few afternoons or weekends scattered over several months. One could debate at length about this, but it comes down to different priorities and balancing work and private life.
We have a good living situation and rent a townhouse. It’s not like we urgently need to buy right now. However, over the years I have realized that if we keep waiting for big changes, we will just keep delaying. And after a while, it becomes painful to continue without owning property, paying a substantial rent (2,000 per month), and keeping house-building dreams unrealized.
Over the years, I have read several threads here about searching for land. Common advice includes:
It makes sense that these strategies can help discover hidden gems or bargains. But every situation is different, and I think for us it is unlikely that we would be successful with these measures. On the other hand, our budget does not force us to rely entirely on purchasing land below current market value. We are selective, but so far this has not become a problem.
That’s our situation; now for the actual question:
What other ways are there to find a suitable plot? Online portals mostly show unusable listings. Does it have to be a real estate agent in our case? Aren’t they usually very locally limited? Is the only solution to save even more money and then go hunting with a stronger financial position?
Thank you and best regards
MatthiasBW
I have been following for several years now because we want/wanted to build a house someday. So far, we have mostly waited, partly because our jobs required us to move around a lot, partly because we were saving capital, and also because we never really had the “free time” to dive deeper into the process. And it is the latter point that this post is about.
A few things have changed over time:
- I now have a job that allows me to work from home, only occasionally needing to go to the office or visit clients. This provides flexibility and stability in terms of location.
- Our children are now 3 and 7 years old; planning is complete, and they are past the most demanding phase for now, at least for a few years.
- We have managed to save around 200,000 in equity, and most months we add another 2,000–3,000.
What has not changed at all over the years is the time issue. Looking back, I can say that this will not improve significantly. I have always been heavily occupied professionally, which is one reason for our relatively good income. This situation will likely continue for the foreseeable future. My spouse is in a similar situation, mostly due to the children. Of course, there are occasional quieter periods, but besides family time, there is not much more than a few afternoons or weekends scattered over several months. One could debate at length about this, but it comes down to different priorities and balancing work and private life.
We have a good living situation and rent a townhouse. It’s not like we urgently need to buy right now. However, over the years I have realized that if we keep waiting for big changes, we will just keep delaying. And after a while, it becomes painful to continue without owning property, paying a substantial rent (2,000 per month), and keeping house-building dreams unrealized.
Over the years, I have read several threads here about searching for land. Common advice includes:
- Driving around municipalities looking for empty lots, asking neighbors
- Proactively contacting town halls or local authorities to express interest
- Applying to new development areas, where scoring systems often favor applicants with local ties
- Waiting for something to happen as described above
- Opportunities through relatives (not applicable to us)
It makes sense that these strategies can help discover hidden gems or bargains. But every situation is different, and I think for us it is unlikely that we would be successful with these measures. On the other hand, our budget does not force us to rely entirely on purchasing land below current market value. We are selective, but so far this has not become a problem.
That’s our situation; now for the actual question:
What other ways are there to find a suitable plot? Online portals mostly show unusable listings. Does it have to be a real estate agent in our case? Aren’t they usually very locally limited? Is the only solution to save even more money and then go hunting with a stronger financial position?
Thank you and best regards
MatthiasBW
If you have little time to search for land yourself, using a real estate agent to look for plots on your behalf might be an option.
Check with the local authority to see if there are any available plots or planned development areas.
Alternatively, look for developer projects offering houses including land for sale.
Would an existing property also be a possibility for you?
Where exactly in Baden-Württemberg are you looking?
Check with the local authority to see if there are any available plots or planned development areas.
Alternatively, look for developer projects offering houses including land for sale.
Would an existing property also be a possibility for you?
Where exactly in Baden-Württemberg are you looking?
H
Hausbautraum206 Jul 2021 15:51Municipalities sometimes allocate their plots through auctions or based on a points system that takes children into account, which you have.
With a rent of 2000€ for a terraced house, I am surprised that 200,000€ for a plot is considered sufficient. In our area, terraced houses also rent for about 2000€, but land costs around 1000€/m² (93$/ft²). So, for a 400m² (4300ft²) plot, you are already looking at 400,000€ plus additional costs, and your saved 200k is just a drop in the bucket.
With a rent of 2000€ for a terraced house, I am surprised that 200,000€ for a plot is considered sufficient. In our area, terraced houses also rent for about 2000€, but land costs around 1000€/m² (93$/ft²). So, for a 400m² (4300ft²) plot, you are already looking at 400,000€ plus additional costs, and your saved 200k is just a drop in the bucket.
MatthiasBW schrieb:
Is saving even more the only solution, so you can go hunting with more financial power? Definitely not. For landowners who are not currently considering selling, it is usually not because the offers they receive are not high enough to be unreasonable. That attitude is more typical of people who want to sell forty-year-old houses at their original price plus land value appreciation.
MatthiasBW schrieb:
Over the years, I have read several threads here about searching for land. My Barthel tips will be collected and updated online in the autumn – due to technical reasons, this will only happen after the book fair.
MatthiasBW schrieb:
But every situation is different, [...] and on the other hand, I think we won’t be completely dependent on buying land below the current market value because of our budget. While we are picky, it hasn’t become a problem yet. Under “Information” in my profile, you can find how to contact me personally. None of my tips lead to “dumb” people who would be unaware of the current price potential (or how to take advantage of it, if it exists). Rather, they apply to those whose willingness to negotiate is motivated by more than just money. Being selective is not a complication — it’s part of the solution: the best lid fits the pot exactly — a vague willingness to compromise will not get you there. Lowering your “standards” only increases frustration over the lack of success in your search.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Does it really have to be a new build? From what you write, it seems you also lack the time to properly oversee the whole process there. You need to be aware that this is a very demanding period. In this case, I would rather look for (or have someone look for) an existing property that isn’t too old. Alternatively, you could consider approaching a developer.
MatthiasBW schrieb:
That’s our situation, but now to the main question:
What other ways are there to find a suitable plot of land? Your life and stress are exactly what developers target. So my advice is: look for planned developments and buy a semi-detached house or something similar.
I cannot recommend building a house yourself – even building with a general contractor requires a significant time commitment.
Similar topics