ᐅ Approach for Initial Contact with Developers and Prefabricated Home Providers
Created on: 26 Mar 2021 16:33
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Baumeister86
Hello everyone,
I have been browsing this forum on and off for several weeks now, but I haven’t really found what I’m looking for yet.
Specifically, we are two people (soon three in autumn) searching for our own property in the Berlin metropolitan area. Stable net income, equity available for the plot...
Existing properties are not so easy to find, as there seems to be hardly anything suitable on the market (neither too old nor with a garden so small you can hardly turn around – after all, we want to move “out” of Berlin partly for this reason).
So the topic of building a house (single-family home) came up.
We are already looking for a plot in the east of Berlin (Erkner, Rüdersdorf, etc.) or the north (Oranienburg, Bernau), as well as around Potsdam/Falkensee. Good public transport connection to the center of Berlin is very important, and nothing close to BER Airport (we already notice aircraft noise even though we officially are not even in a flight path).
My gut feeling tells me that for someone inexperienced in construction, a building project with an architect who takes responsibility is better than working with a large company. Or in other words, as a first-time home builder, you basically have to rely on them blindly, don’t you?
Now we come to the “core of the problem”: almost all plots are sold through turnkey home providers.
Posts here on the forum and elsewhere on the internet warn about “binding contracts” that only allow changes against disproportionately high surcharges, and offers where the fine print is crucial.
If I understand correctly, with these comprehensive providers, it is always recommended to have an independent surveyor/construction supervisor involved before signing a contract.
However, we are still one step before that: How do you recognize the bad actors during the first meetings? What are important questions to ask in an initial conversation?
These companies are probably all good at selling themselves, but what questions can help separate the wheat from the chaff?
And of course, also very welcome: What experiences have you had with general contractors in Berlin? Who would you recommend? Who does their job well even without a constant additional external construction supervisor?
Thank you very much and best regards,
Stephan
I have been browsing this forum on and off for several weeks now, but I haven’t really found what I’m looking for yet.
Specifically, we are two people (soon three in autumn) searching for our own property in the Berlin metropolitan area. Stable net income, equity available for the plot...
Existing properties are not so easy to find, as there seems to be hardly anything suitable on the market (neither too old nor with a garden so small you can hardly turn around – after all, we want to move “out” of Berlin partly for this reason).
So the topic of building a house (single-family home) came up.
We are already looking for a plot in the east of Berlin (Erkner, Rüdersdorf, etc.) or the north (Oranienburg, Bernau), as well as around Potsdam/Falkensee. Good public transport connection to the center of Berlin is very important, and nothing close to BER Airport (we already notice aircraft noise even though we officially are not even in a flight path).
My gut feeling tells me that for someone inexperienced in construction, a building project with an architect who takes responsibility is better than working with a large company. Or in other words, as a first-time home builder, you basically have to rely on them blindly, don’t you?
Now we come to the “core of the problem”: almost all plots are sold through turnkey home providers.
Posts here on the forum and elsewhere on the internet warn about “binding contracts” that only allow changes against disproportionately high surcharges, and offers where the fine print is crucial.
If I understand correctly, with these comprehensive providers, it is always recommended to have an independent surveyor/construction supervisor involved before signing a contract.
However, we are still one step before that: How do you recognize the bad actors during the first meetings? What are important questions to ask in an initial conversation?
These companies are probably all good at selling themselves, but what questions can help separate the wheat from the chaff?
And of course, also very welcome: What experiences have you had with general contractors in Berlin? Who would you recommend? Who does their job well even without a constant additional external construction supervisor?
Thank you very much and best regards,
Stephan
Baumeister86 schrieb:
"Binding contracts" are not about the combination of land and house construction, but about the fact that additional charges for these prefabricated houses, when they only become apparent during construction (e.g., different tiles in the bathroom/different flooring, etc.), are disproportionately expensive. Then the homeowners did something wrong. Or there are also those who want everything installed very cheaply at a DIY store price.
On one hand: binding contracts, in my opinion, require some form of coercion. They corner you so that you have no more options.
Prefabricated houses are usually finalized during the selection phase, and after that nothing can be changed because the house goes into production.
With a masonry house with a general contractor, the subcontractors usually have the binding contracts—they earn very little. Nevertheless, they are often quite reasonable with their prices for sockets and such. The general contractors themselves do not want any additional work and therefore add significant markups. However, you can usually arrange all of that directly with the craftsmen.
For a guaranteed workmanship service, you don’t pay $5.90, but $19.90 (socket).
Baumeister86 schrieb:
What kind of houses are those for 630,000 to 680,000 euros (and where in Weissensee)? A semi-detached house is unfortunately not an option. Otherwise, I’m all ears ;-). Immoscout shows you all current projects, but they are mostly semi-detached or terraced houses; the builder fills the plots completely.
Above 600,000 euros, there are fewer interested buyers—at least for now.
Weissensee is not yet as trendy as Prenzlauer Berg or Pankow.
Building plots and existing houses here sell immediately; hardly any make it to the listing.
Baumeister86 schrieb:
However, I thought that with developers you first always buy the land and then enter into a construction contract with the general contractor/developer (in a notarial process)?
What is the deal with Werner/Wengertner?
ypg: By “binding contracts” I didn’t mean the combination of land and house construction, but the fact that additional charges for these prefabricated houses, if they only become apparent during construction (e.g., different tiles in the bathroom/different flooring, etc.), are disproportionately expensive. With reputable developers, the typical process is that they purchase land, design the development, and then offer the plots with buildings, but still wait for concrete buyer interest before breaking ground. Many developers are not “just house builders” but continue to work part-time as general contractors. ;-)
Wengertner is a regularly mentioned developer here, known for row and semi-detached house projects with a rather structured list of optional extras, and Werner is a very similar competitor with a different regional focus.
Those who complain about follow-up customization conditions are basically only expressing frustration with themselves: dissatisfaction can be easily avoided by behaving like adults during the selection process and not wanting to change everything every five minutes. It starts best by honestly asking yourself what kind of customer you are: as a customer, you go to a developer; as a builder, you go to an architect. Developers who don’t want to be talked down by people who haven’t done this self-assessment wisely screen out such “other-site” prospects themselves.
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Schimi17911 Apr 2021 06:42stepfel schrieb:
...
or a stamp of approval in Schulzendorf (far away from everything).
...Seen from above ("Gurgel Mabs"), it looks terrible 😱 All gray tones and the airport is within sight. The sky must never be boring there. In Malvenweg, it seems the "townhouse" group has settled in, and in Rapsweg, the houses were built completely symmetrically.
Well, if that’s the dream of owning a home...
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Baumeister861 Apr 2021 09:47Nida35a schrieb:
Immoscout provides you with all current projects, but mostly they are semi-detached houses or terraced houses, as builders tend to pack the plots tightly.
Above €600,000 (about $650,000), there are fewer interested buyers, for now.
Weissensee is not yet as popular as Prenzlauer Berg or Pankow.
Building plots and existing houses sell very quickly here, often before they even reach the listing stage. Yes... I believe that... but how do you expect to hear a word from the easternmost corner of Berlin? ;-).
After moving from Munich to Berlin, I thought the situation would improve somewhat... but somehow it’s just the same old story.
When I see how quickly the houses in "our" project in Petershagen are selling – despite limited flexibility and not exactly cheap prices... Sales started in mid-January, and now only 2 out of 8 are still available (3 sold, 3 reserved). Tesla employees are also joining as new buyers.
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