Beginner seeking advice - when should planning start?

Yep. Just google boris nrw. There you will find the standard land values as well as the real estate market report of the city of Mülheim. Incidentally, also for the whole of NRW.

Then I wonder what I found there earlier..

I still have to understand this with the waiting lists, so far I haven’t found any explicit websites for the various communities/districts from Mülheim, only the general one for the city of Mülheim itself. There are some plots listed per district there but also very “meager,” maybe 7 or 8 in total.

Basically, it works like this: you contact the municipality saying that you would like a plot of land in the new development area X. They then apply some allocation procedure (ideally first come first serve for outsiders, but usually a points system) and reserve the plots. For all those who did not get a plot, there is the option to be put on a waiting list, which is then used if someone decides they do not want their plot after all.

Alternative facts :cool: : Homeownership rates by federal states as of 2018. Only in 2020 did the rate fall for the first time since 1993, referring to Germany.
From that perspective, I would not call the dream hopeless.

The sums for a new build are already insane. If I take our quotes and remove everything that is extra, I still end up with Town & Country (Bodensee 129 on BP) at a total budget of 450,000 (including 75,000 for the plot). Then you have a house according to the Energy Saving Ordinance with gas heating and radiators, and have almost used up your annual vacation entirely for own work. My sister comes out in a similar range with her semi-detached house from a local developer in a simple standard. It’s not much cheaper, at least not here in the south. And when I then consider that here in Konstanz you can only buy a 3-room apartment (built in 1980) in a residential block for that price most likely through connections but no longer on the open market, then the dream of owning your own home is out for most.
With the current value development, it is also almost impossible to save against it. 5% of 400,000 (for which you can get here in the south rundown 70s houses without additional purchase costs) is 20,000—who has that left? Especially where prices are high and you would need the most equity, rents are also high and prevent large savings.

Yep. Just google boris nrw. It contains the standard land values and also the property market report of the city of Mülheim. Incidentally, also for the whole of NRW.

I took a look and it’s kind of crazy somehow. Logically no one would say no if you could grab a property from the agricultural/forestry areas where the price per square meter is 5€ or 1.9€ respectively. I would probably still break into the bank today and get a loan.
We also just looked at areas where friends of ours live/rent, how can it be that as of 2020 houses are classified in forestry areas? And we’re talking about houses that have stood there for several years, mind you.

Basically, it works like this: you contact the municipality saying you would like a plot in the new development area X. They then apply some allocation procedure (ideally first come first serve for outsiders, but usually a point system) and reserve the plots. For all those who don’t get a plot, there is an option to be placed on a waiting list, which is then used if someone declines their plot.

The amounts for a new build are already insane. If I take our offers and remove everything that is extra, then even with Town & Country (Bodensee 129 on BP) I come to a total budget of 450K (including 75K for the plot). Then you have a house according to the energy saving ordinance with gas heating and radiators and have almost spent your annual vacation entirely on DIY work. My sister’s semi-detached house from a local builder in simple standard also ends up roughly in that range. It’s not much cheaper, at least not here in the south. And when I consider that here in Konstanz for that price you can at most still buy a 3-room apartment (built 1980) in an apartment block through connections but no longer on the open market, then the dream of homeownership is over for most people.
With the current value development, it’s also almost impossible to save against it. 5% of 400K (you can get unrenovated 70s houses here in the south with no purchase incidental costs for that) is 20K, who has that left over? Especially where prices are high and you would need the most equity, rents are also high and prevent large savings.

The question would also be what size one ultimately needs or should generally estimate for a house of 130-140 sqm.

Best regards from Essen!

As some others have already pointed out, with your budget, building new will be rather tight.

Overall, I would advise you not to fixate too much on the Mülheim location and to look around what is still acceptable for commuting to work. For this, you can, for example, use an online tool that calculates travel times (Oalley, for example). Just enter your workplace there and have it show you what lies within an acceptable commuting radius around it (45 minutes, for example). Then you already have an idea of which places might be suitable. Tending to move away from Düsseldorf, so rather towards the northern Ruhr area, Lower Rhine, etc. Also ask yourself if it really is necessary to live close to the city. Maybe now you still go out a lot, etc. (if there is no lockdown), but when you have children, that will be significantly less. After Corona, you might also not commute to the office every day.

Then you can search on the websites of the cities/districts/municipalities; usually, there is a section on the homepage where information about plots and new development areas is provided, or you can simply call directly.

You could also search the local press (for example via Google News search) on the topic of new development areas. That’s how we became aware of the new development area in Duisburg where we will now buy a plot.

You could also look for property developers. They more often sell semi-detached or terraced houses, which might fit your budget better.

Otherwise, there are also some tips in this forum from user 11ant on the topic of searching for plots. Just search for "11ant Barthel".

You need at least €2000 per square meter for a house with a slab foundation, rather more in fact. To be safe, calculate with €2500. Additionally, €40-50k for incidental construction costs, land (+ [Grunderwerbsteuer], etc.), kitchen, garage/carport, and outdoor facilities (possibly + [Gartenhaus]). Garden and carport are good candidates for own work so that it doesn't become extremely expensive. Don't forget the expert. Small stuff like 20 new lamps, new sofa, etc. This roughly results in the following calculation:

Land 400 sqm at ~€300 + incidental costs ~ €135k
House 140 sqm at €2500 = €350k
Incidental construction costs €50k
Rest €50k
---------------
€585k
Adjustable upwards at will, downwards only to a limited extent. With lower standards and some own work (let's say €2300/sqm) and 130 sqm house, the house would cost €300k, so a total of €535k. That should be about your range.

Many greetings from Essen!

As some others have already pointed out, with your budget a new build will be rather tight.

Overall, I would advise you not to focus too much on the Mülheim location and to take a look at what is still acceptable for commuting to work. For that, you can use an online tool that calculates travel times (Oalley for example). Just enter your workplace and let it show you what lies within an acceptable commuting radius around it (45 minutes for example). Then you will already have an idea of which places might be roughly suitable. Tendentially, I would rather move away from Düsseldorf, so more towards the northern Ruhr area, Lower Rhine, etc. Also question whether it is really necessary to live close to the city. Right now you might still go out a lot etc. (if there is no lockdown), but if you have children later, that will be significantly less. After Corona, people might also not commute to the office every day.

Then you can search on the websites of cities/counties/municipalities, usually there is a section on the homepage reporting on plots of land and new development areas, or just call directly.

You could also search the local press (e.g. via Google News search) on the topic of new development areas. That’s how we became aware of the new development area in Duisburg, where we will now buy a plot.

You could also look for property developers. They often sell semi-detached or terraced houses and that might fit your budget better.

Otherwise, there are also some tips in this forum from user 11ant on the topic of searching for plots. Look up "11ant Barthel" for that.

Greetings back from Mülheim! :)
Sure, commuting could be considered, my girlfriend has been commuting to Düsseldorf (north Düsseldorf) for several years now. I myself work in Mülheim, and I should add that I have been working completely from home this past year and in the future will probably be allowed to work from home at least 2 days per week as well.
My girlfriend previously commuted from Oberhausen to Düsseldorf and is more than happy to have avoided the bottleneck just south of Oberhausen. However, how much longer she will keep working in Düsseldorf is uncertain you could say. Something might change in this/next year or so.
I am very happy about having my workplace in the same town because I only moved to Mülheim from Wuppertal at the beginning of last year and was very lucky to get my position right in Mülheim itself.
We are currently set on orienting ourselves towards the outer districts anyway and would not be averse to moving toward Mintard. We both like the area there a lot because we often go for walks. If there were a first preferred location, it would definitely be Mintard.

You need at least €2000 per square meter for a house with foundation slab, rather significantly more. For safety, calculate with €2500. On top of that, €40-50K additional construction costs, plot of land (+ property transfer tax, etc.), kitchen, garage/carport, and outdoor facilities (possibly + garden house). Garden and carport lend themselves well to self-build so it doesn’t get extremely expensive. Don’t forget the expert appraiser. Small stuff like 20 new lamps, new sofa, etc. Here’s a rough calculation:

Plot 400 sqm at ~€300 + additional costs ~ €135K
House 140 sqm at €2500 = €350K
Additional construction costs €50K
Remaining €50K
--------------
€585K
Upwards adjustable at will, downwards only limited. With lower standard and certain self-performance (say €2300/sqm) and 130 sqm house, the house would then cost €300K, overall €535K. That should roughly be your range.

The question would still be what kind of house, from which manufacturer. Not that one/I would want to buy the cheapest crap, but maybe you can get some bargains here as well?