Hello everyone,
My husband and I have been looking for a plot of land or a house for some time now. Since the market here – Cologne – is quite tight and we want to live in a specific area, it will most likely be an existing property. The buildings in our preferred neighborhood mostly date from the 1960s to 1970s.
When buying, we want to hire an expert, preferably someone with experience in renovations, including planning the refurbishment (heating, electrical, plumbing, water pipes, etc.). Right now, I’m considering where to find the best expert for this. The Yellow Pages is always an option, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable relying solely on that, as the quality varies a lot. When a house comes onto the market here, you often have to act quickly. So I would like to start searching in advance.
I have also looked at the Building Owners’ Protection Association (Bauherren-Schutzbund); does anyone have experience with them?
Or is it possible to get a recommendation from the financing bank?
We are not planning an energy-efficient renovation, so KfW consultants are not an option for us.
Does anyone have any tips?
My husband and I have been looking for a plot of land or a house for some time now. Since the market here – Cologne – is quite tight and we want to live in a specific area, it will most likely be an existing property. The buildings in our preferred neighborhood mostly date from the 1960s to 1970s.
When buying, we want to hire an expert, preferably someone with experience in renovations, including planning the refurbishment (heating, electrical, plumbing, water pipes, etc.). Right now, I’m considering where to find the best expert for this. The Yellow Pages is always an option, but I wouldn’t feel comfortable relying solely on that, as the quality varies a lot. When a house comes onto the market here, you often have to act quickly. So I would like to start searching in advance.
I have also looked at the Building Owners’ Protection Association (Bauherren-Schutzbund); does anyone have experience with them?
Or is it possible to get a recommendation from the financing bank?
We are not planning an energy-efficient renovation, so KfW consultants are not an option for us.
Does anyone have any tips?
You are welcome to get in touch with me. I will then send you information about my real estate purchase consulting by email. An on-site appointment for the inspection (usually lasting about 3 hours) can generally be arranged with 1-2 days' notice. Which neighborhood in Cologne are you looking in? Or are you interested in a specific property?
VPB-Freiburg11 Jul 2016 05:59Hello,
please contact the regional office of the Association of Private Homebuilders in Cologne, they can probably connect you with someone.
please contact the regional office of the Association of Private Homebuilders in Cologne, they can probably connect you with someone.
B
Bauexperte11 Jul 2016 09:50@Zugvogel
As you can see from the first replies under your post, your question naturally leads to some self-promotion (if the responding user is a professional), which is not desired here!
Regarding your questions:
There are many ways to Rome ;-) There is the Bauherren-Schutzbund (Builders’ Protection Association), the Verband privater Bauherren (Association of Private Builders), and there are independent experts, for example listed by the Bundesverband freier Sachverständiger e.V. To my surprise, I recently learned that a well-known coffee roaster wanted to offer this service :-(
Choosing an expert involves not only verifiable reputation but also trust. That means your gut feeling must agree as well!
We renovate existing buildings ourselves, so I know that financing banks often insist on a construction supervisor or accompanying expert. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to ask whom your financing bank currently trusts!
Otherwise – our gut feeling is a good indicator; especially when we have little experience. So have conversations with two or three experts and listen to what they say about their approach and references. Don’t be fooled by statements like “x number of inspections are a must” or similar, but trust yourself!
I think it’s very good that you are already thinking about an expert at this early stage!
Bauexperte
As you can see from the first replies under your post, your question naturally leads to some self-promotion (if the responding user is a professional), which is not desired here!
Regarding your questions:
There are many ways to Rome ;-) There is the Bauherren-Schutzbund (Builders’ Protection Association), the Verband privater Bauherren (Association of Private Builders), and there are independent experts, for example listed by the Bundesverband freier Sachverständiger e.V. To my surprise, I recently learned that a well-known coffee roaster wanted to offer this service :-(
Choosing an expert involves not only verifiable reputation but also trust. That means your gut feeling must agree as well!
We renovate existing buildings ourselves, so I know that financing banks often insist on a construction supervisor or accompanying expert. Therefore, it is not unreasonable to ask whom your financing bank currently trusts!
Otherwise – our gut feeling is a good indicator; especially when we have little experience. So have conversations with two or three experts and listen to what they say about their approach and references. Don’t be fooled by statements like “x number of inspections are a must” or similar, but trust yourself!
I think it’s very good that you are already thinking about an expert at this early stage!
Bauexperte
Since not only consulting services but also planning services are required in connection with the renovation of a building, the contact person for purchase advice—primarily focusing on assessing the condition, possible structural damage, often moisture-related damage, and the extent of renovation needed—is an architect or a civil engineer experienced in older buildings. Renovating an existing building is fundamentally different from construction supervision by an expert during the assembly of a prefabricated house. Qualified construction management—which is also fundamentally different from simple "construction supervision"—is not limited to "x site inspections for a flat fee of € ...". Renovations of existing buildings are even more complex.
B
Bauexperte11 Jul 2016 16:32wpic schrieb:
Renovating an existing building is fundamentally different,No doubt, Will – that wasn’t my point; I just wanted to warn the original poster about the possible objections from their financing bank.wpic schrieb:
Renovations of existing buildings are even more complex.Exactly – that’s why you need not only an experienced surveyor but also an engineer – sometimes additional specialists too – … but that wasn’t the question 😀Best regards, Bauexperte
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