As the title suggests, what's the situation like for you? Is there still a lot of building going on, or has it slowed down?
Are entire fields being developed, or just scattered plots?
And so on. Please share your observations and experiences. My impression is that the forum has become somewhat quieter.
Are entire fields being developed, or just scattered plots?
And so on. Please share your observations and experiences. My impression is that the forum has become somewhat quieter.
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Sunshine38720 Sep 2022 22:15Well, it used to be much easier to own a home. In our town, many people built their houses over several years together with friends and acquaintances, and in the end, they had something of their own. Today, that would be impossible due to the costs as well as the numerous regulations. That is why skilled craftsmen 40 years ago had a better starting point, since after some time they could build their own house. Back then, you did not have to do everything yourself (roof structure, screed, etc.), but insulating or bricklaying as owner-built work was quite common. As a result, many older people still live in the historic town center in genuinely large houses (< 200m (650ft)²) with professions that earned relatively modest salaries (secretary, craftsman, mid-level civil servant), whereas in the new housing developments just a few kilometers away, they would not even be able to afford a small bungalow today. It is indeed true that in the new housing estates built in recent years, there is a very homogeneous group of economically strong families, who finance a large part of their homes through either very well-paid jobs or substantial inheritance. This is not necessarily wrong, as not everyone is entitled to a house by birth, but there should be opportunities for the middle class to fulfill the dream of owning a home, just as was possible a few decades ago.
askforafriend20 Sep 2022 22:19No chance. If this continues, they won’t even be able to rent anything suitable anymore. I mean, sorry, in this small town you can’t get an apartment, and if you do, it’s for more than 10 euros per square meter (about $11 per square meter) without utilities. Germany has to be solidaristic and a) not invest in social housing and b) allow unlimited immigration. I’m curious what will be left of our prosperity in 10 years.
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xMisterDx20 Sep 2022 22:20askforafriend schrieb:
Welcome to my world. Trying to get a carport at reasonable prices! It’s crazy – once all the orders are completed, there must be a major recession. Because nobody will pay that anymore!!! With all due respect, that is an arrogant perspective. Craftsmen have not benefited remotely as much from the construction boom as they could have. The general contractors and developers have been the ones profiting... If a "major recession" now comes, the craftsman goes bankrupt and faces poverty in old age, while the general contractor’s owner is rubbing their hands together, having made their profit up until retirement....
It’s like the grocery market. 60% go to discount stores, 35% shop at supermarkets, and at best 5% buy from specialty food retailers.
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xMisterDx20 Sep 2022 22:23Sunshine387 schrieb:
Well, it used to be much easier to get your own home. (...)No, it wasn’t. In the past, a lot, a lot more was done by yourself.
We researched this based on old documents. My grandfather paid ten times his gross annual income for his house... in 1950...
That would be around 1.2 million EUR (about 1.3 million USD) in today’s money...
Why did it work back then?
Because he knew countless tradespeople or had them in the family, and of course, he was a tradesman himself.
Nowadays? No chance. People hire a landscaper just to install a 20m² (215 sq ft) flower bed...
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Ypsi aus NI20 Sep 2022 22:26I can fully agree with this! Craftsmen charge astronomical prices. Why? Because they can!
And at parties or similar events, you often hear through several people how ‘stupid’ the homeowners are for paying everything. The most outrageous thing, however, is how much is offered from the start without an invoice. Everything nicely off the books, then they complain about being ‘poor retirees’ with small pensions, even though they supposedly worked for many years. For me, every craftsman needs to be put back in their place, and the only way to do that is through a recession. They have gained more than enough fat to finally come back down to earth.
Did I mention how fed up I am with the craftsmen?
And at parties or similar events, you often hear through several people how ‘stupid’ the homeowners are for paying everything. The most outrageous thing, however, is how much is offered from the start without an invoice. Everything nicely off the books, then they complain about being ‘poor retirees’ with small pensions, even though they supposedly worked for many years. For me, every craftsman needs to be put back in their place, and the only way to do that is through a recession. They have gained more than enough fat to finally come back down to earth.
Did I mention how fed up I am with the craftsmen?
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xMisterDx20 Sep 2022 22:31Ypsi aus NI schrieb:
(...) They have put on more than enough fat to finally come back down to earth.
Have I ever mentioned how fed up I am with the tradespeople? At best, the bosses are the ones with the fat, not the journeymen standing at your door.
Therefore, please lower the temperature... the tradesperson in front of you is usually a journeyman and has absolutely nothing to do with their employer’s pricing policy, nor do they benefit from it in any way.