Beginner seeking advice - when should planning start?

Then I'll give it a try: michele.wenske@me.com

We are currently in Holsterhausen, but have searched for existing houses and plots in Essen, Mülheim, Duisburg, and the Mettmann district (workplaces for me and my wife in Düsseldorf). Indeed, there are only very few plots on the open market. However, we did not apply the Barthel tips, so I don’t know how much is sold off the record.

We were lucky and got a plot in a new development area in the south of Duisburg for €720/sqm, but unfortunately everything else is far from cheap. There is a very restrictive design statute there, but it matches our ideas, so it’s no problem for us.

I must also say that we have not yet excluded houses in the existing stock, but the market hardly offers much there either. And if something is available, it starts at €400,000 and then may still require renovation.

We are also looking in the Ruhr area, but in the eastern part. However, I also know the Mülheim/Essen/Duisburg/Niederrhein area very well. For your budget, it will be very, very difficult to find a detached single-family house anywhere in the metropolitan area! The Niederrhein has already been suggested, but Moers/Krefeld etc. as a commuter belt have also become really expensive. Commuting from there into the Ruhr area is really no picnic either....

We have been searching for a long time (with significantly more budget and equity) and there are also an incredible number of bad apples around. We are now looking at terraced houses, as we want to stick with one child and the space is sufficient for us.

My advice would be to spread the word everywhere (!) that you are looking. Everything here is sold through word-of-mouth. Even the new terraced house development with 33 TH was not advertised; it simply became known by itself. Only the junk at unrealistic prices ends up on the open market here...

Good luck :-)