Building land in the middle of nowhere with the house prices?!

We also thought long and hard about the house search. Because it became clear that we couldn’t buy anything in the city. We then decided: Then we’ll just stay with the rental apartment if we can’t find anything. Moving to the countryside was simply not an option for us. We vacationed in various German rural regions, partly have friends in the countryside, and so we were sure that we didn’t want that in everyday life. In the end, we hit the jackpot, the bargain of the century, the jackpot of our lives, and found and actually got an affordable house in a dream location in the city. I can’t say how happy we were and still are today. But I’m also sure that we would have been happy in a rental apartment, too. Those are also hard to find with children and pets and if you need four rooms or more, but probably easier than a house. I grew up renting and I never lacked anything there. It doesn’t have to be a home of your own at all costs. If you actually don’t want to go there, then better not. You really have to want it, and both of you.

but for us, however, the advantages - as of now - outweigh the disadvantages so much that we have invested several hundred thousand euros more to live here.

but that is exactly the point. I'll take it to the extreme: If I live with two zeros more in my life, then I can also have the detached south-facing villa on the outskirts of the big city. Then I don't have to worry about public transport, shopping, or hobbies. Drivers, housekeepers, and cooks take care of that - this easily works again in the countryside. Several hundred thousand more is a comparison of apples and oranges. Especially since with the saved hundreds of thousands of euros, you can actually afford a housekeeper, nanny, or driver for many, many years. ‘That saved time is worth it to us.’

It all depends on the job and especially the employer. Does he allow [Homeoffice] and if so, how much?

If I could have worked Full Remote during the property search, I might have moved further out after all. Family circumstances still play a role for us, but by now the little one is only at his biological father's place twice a month (if at all).

I don't really see you on this construction site. The commuting is, in my opinion, a deal-breaker. Anything over 30 minutes is bad.

So far, it doesn't read to me as if you have already exhausted all the other options. Larger apartment? Buy and renovate an existing house? Other jobs in a completely different location and build or buy there? Maybe also purchase a bigger house together with a parent and convert it into a two-family house?

If work limits you so much in the search, it should result in being able to live more expensively and comfortably. Asked for a raise? Otherwise, change jobs - that should still be quite possible at the moment.

It was about the children and what one might want to offer them.

What do you want to offer your children that can only be found in the city?

Here it is always spoken of the country and the city. That is completely wrong. There is no village and also no big city. I live 20 minutes by regional train from the nearest big city (500k+) and I am on the highway in 5 minutes, where I am in the city in 30 minutes. Supermarkets, hardware stores, doctors, swimming pools, and schools are all reachable within a radius of 5km (max. 10 minutes). It is called small-town life and is simply wonderful. The advantages of rural life combined with big city life. Move to a small town with 10k to 20k inhabitants in the commuter belt of a big city. There is nothing better. From my house, I sometimes need just as long to get to the football stadium as my friends in the city with two transfers and using bus and subway. We all need 30 minutes. Those who do not live in the city center but outside have the same way as the city dwellers to use the urban infrastructure.