ᐅ Who should you build with? Is that the right approach? Many questions...

Hello everyone,

after reading along here for a while, we have now signed up and of course already have some questions ready.

We are still at the very beginning of our house-building project. We had an appointment with the first company on Saturday. The person seemed quite well-informed and competent. First, we were asked about our wishes and what is important to us in the house. We are thinking of a bungalow with about 80-95 square meters (860-1,020 square feet) of living space, with underfloor heating, a large kitchen, and my wife would like a small porch with two columns (I think you know what we mean). The representative will prepare an offer for us, which we will receive next Sunday.

What surprised me at the end of the conversation was that he insisted on receiving documents for possible financing right away and explained that we should sign this year (there is a withdrawal clause) because prices will increase everywhere next year, and we would then have to pay about 4,000-5,000 euros (4,400-5,500 US dollars) more. I’m feeling a bit pressured. The company has been on the market for several years.

What do you think about this?
How many companies have you researched beforehand?
What should we pay attention to in such meetings?

Hello,

when I read something like this,

Bauherrinnen schrieb:
What surprised me at the end of the conversation was that he also immediately wanted documents for possible financing and explained to us that we should sign this year (there is a cancellation clause), because prices will rise everywhere next year and we would then have to pay about 4000-5000 euros more.

all alarm bells go off for me...

Sorry, when it comes to probably the biggest investment of your life, rushing, pressure, and externally generated stress are the worst advisors imaginable.

Before signing anything containing the "cancellation clause," I would have it reviewed by a specialized lawyer – you often hear that withdrawing from the contract can result in paying up to 25% of the building cost.

For example, we researched 20 (!!!) companies and then proceeded to more detailed planning with four of them.

If you are interested, I can gladly share our construction blog – we have described the selection process there in detail.

One of our four favorites is currently building our dream home.

In such discussions, you should never allow yourself to be pressured. Sellers who tried that with us were promptly refused.

We also had advisors at the table who informed us about upcoming price increases, but with reputable companies, this did not create any pressure – it was just information.

In my opinion, financing is none of the seller’s business.

Some companies offer a financing service, but these advisors have nothing to do with the seller.

Best regards,

Dirk

We spent about six months discussing our requirements with the construction company, adjusting floor plans, reviewing prices, and so on, until we had a finalized draft of the building contract, which was then renegotiated with our external expert. If they had pressured me, the construction company would have been out immediately.
Overall, we obtained quotes from three construction companies and compared their building service specifications.

Do you already have a plot of land, and if so, is it even allowed to build a bungalow there?

With a statement like that, along with the demand to sign immediately, I would have clearly made it known that this would end the collaboration right away.

Don’t let yourself be pressured. You pay, so you decide.
That’s definitely not very professional, and I would (regardless) get additional quotes first to have a basis for comparison.

Fully agree. We also got rid of such a home representative (the contract offered was poor as well, including a withdrawal clause of this kind).