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!
C
Caspar202016 May 2017 12:12PowerBauer schrieb:
Well, I would expect something more specific rather than just the first quote saying "Interior finishing: €90,000." I don’t find that acceptable to sign off on... or is that normal?
I hope to argue using price comparisons: Why does the interior finishing for a comparable customer X cost €10,000 less? Etc.That is already more than some prefab house offers I am familiar with. The details of what is included in the price can be found in the corresponding scope of work description.
As mentioned before, your "Plan 3" is probably the smartest solution. In any case, I would try to purchase the land separately first. You can justify this by explaining that you want to buy it separately because of the property transfer tax. Furthermore, I wonder how it would work if you waited 2-3 years between buying the land and buying the house. Would the real estate agent still be willing to sell the land to you then? I would also ask the agent about this. The whole process could be part of your intention to build with TAFF...
In general, you shouldn’t rush signing the house purchase contract. You should plan and calculate the house thoroughly and carefully before you sign. The supposedly perfect plot of land shouldn’t pressure you. After all, your project shouldn’t turn into a "nightmare"...
In general, you shouldn’t rush signing the house purchase contract. You should plan and calculate the house thoroughly and carefully before you sign. The supposedly perfect plot of land shouldn’t pressure you. After all, your project shouldn’t turn into a "nightmare"...
It might look like this behind the scenes. The owner hires an agent because they don’t want to deal with the potential buyers. The agent sells for a commission paid by the buyer. The agent also receives a commission from the developer if they bring a client. What does the agent do? Connects the land with the developer. That way, they earn twice.
Therefore, tell Plan 3 or the agent clearly: I will buy, but without the developer.
My feeling tells me to stay away from this developer. They don’t have anything themselves. They have to find subcontractors for everything. In today’s market, when they do find them, you end up with all kinds of unreliable companies on your construction site. Companies that never provide warranties because they no longer exist by 2019. It’s a take-your-money-and-run approach. With your money. Karsten
Therefore, tell Plan 3 or the agent clearly: I will buy, but without the developer.
My feeling tells me to stay away from this developer. They don’t have anything themselves. They have to find subcontractors for everything. In today’s market, when they do find them, you end up with all kinds of unreliable companies on your construction site. Companies that never provide warranties because they no longer exist by 2019. It’s a take-your-money-and-run approach. With your money. Karsten
P
PowerBauer16 May 2017 12:52PhiTh schrieb:
Furthermore, I’m wondering how it would work if you waited 2-3 years between buying the land and buying the house? Would the real estate agent then not sell the land to you?? I don’t think so. As mentioned, the agent was the managing director of TAFF and will probably want to arrange the deal so that the house contract is signed first, followed by the land purchase, with as little waiting time as possible. Pure speculation, but I can’t imagine it working any other way.
Nordlys schrieb:
Behind the scenes, the situation might look like this [...] That’s probably how it will be...
Regarding Plan 3:
The owner is over 80 years old and probably doesn’t want to deal with all the contract formalities. It will likely be difficult to convince them to sign the contract directly with me; after all, the agent was kind enough to handle everything...
Would a preliminary contract be advisable? Could I sign this preliminary contract personally with the owner so that the developer is excluded from the final purchase contract?
The next step would therefore be: contact the owner and clarify the situation. Then visit a notary and secure a preliminary contract (including a cancellation option if anything turns out to be wrong, such as environmental liabilities, land registry issues, soil survey, and anything else I need to look into). Once everything checks out, proceed with the final purchase contract.
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PowerBauer16 May 2017 13:24I have now contacted the owner, but they do not want to withdraw from the broker agreement that was already signed. Very unfortunate. So now you need to be very careful with the description of the construction services...
PowerBauer schrieb:
Good idea. But is that still necessary if there are already storage halls on the site? It’s a former property of a (non-toxic) workshop that was operational until last year.Storage halls??? Workshop???
Is this a mixed-use area? Who is responsible for the demolition costs?
What kind of (former) workshop is it? How long has it existed, and what was there before? Which company, which trade?
There are trades where you wouldn’t suspect what was historically deposited in the ground. I would especially expect a toxicological assessment from the seller in this case.
PowerBauer schrieb:
Would a preliminary contract possibly make sense? Could I personally conclude this preliminary contract with the owner so that the developer is excluded from the final purchase agreement?There is that dreaded word preliminary contract.
No, you have contact with the real estate agent, who has a contract with the owner – you probably can’t avoid this, as they have standard terms and conditions.