Building with prefabricated house companies in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania

I must confess that I did not know the difference between prefabricated and solid houses. But after everything I have read about the two construction methods, I think that Town & Country mostly builds prefabricated houses.

Town & Country builds solid with Ytong blocks, but according to prefabricated plans. This is then called a model house. On the other hand, there are houses made of prefabricated parts (usually wood, but sometimes also concrete or brick elements) that are "only" assembled on the construction site. And of course, with some prefabricated house manufacturers, you can come with your individual architect's plan and have it built by them. All very confusing ;) If you buy the plot from the construction company, remember that you will have to pay real estate transfer tax on the entire package and not just on the land. Especially for plots at €35/sqm (are they even developed at that price?), this is a real difference.

You forget the ancillary construction costs. These are, for example, earthworks, surveying, permits, connection fees, etc. They come on top, amounting to about 30,000 for flat, dry terrain and you don't see them. Also real estate transfer tax, but is that what you mean by property tax?!

I can't find the offer from Town & Country. Town & Country is a solid builder. Solid construction is fast nowadays, you don't have to concrete terraces. At 31 you don't have to settle yet, especially if you're still mobile: anyone who might make a career or see themselves elsewhere shouldn't buy REAL ESTATE. Imagine you commit to a house and in 2 years an offer in SH becomes interesting...

What I advise you: save some money! Those who dream must also do something for it. We're not craftsmen here, but we try to keep costs low through personal contribution. With YouTube and a right hand you can also lay floors and build a carport if money is tight. With 3600€ net without children you can save too. Where does your money go?

I don't see you with a property – financially and otherwise not.

Yes, I meant the real estate transfer tax.

The offer from Town & Country (the plots) is on the local franchise partner’s website. I am not allowed to link it but it is available.

Since we want to remain employed in the public service, we have no objection to tying ourselves to a region in our early 30s. Jobs simply aren't being sought in SH. There will be enough jobs in West Mecklenburg.

We are saving, but – where else do we spend the money? We both drive 60 km to work in different directions and live relatively expensively because in Wismar there are mostly prefabricated buildings, which we don’t like. That’s also the urgency... Better to pay off a 900 euro loan than to throw the money after the landlord.

Both drive 60km to work in different directions

Do you want to do this forever? It's a lot of time lost after all. If I were you, I would first see if you can shift your jobs so that you have to drive less, and then look for a good place to live. Building something now and then waiting 15 years for a transfer in the right direction doesn't sound so great to me.

Town & Country builds solidly with Ytong stones, but according to prefabricated plans. This is then called a standard house. On the other hand, there are houses made of prefabricated parts (usually wood, but sometimes also concrete or brick elements) that are simply "assembled" on the construction site. And of course, with some prefab house manufacturers, you can come with your own individual architect’s plan and have them build it. Very confusing indeed ;)

If you buy the plot from the construction company, remember that you then have to pay property transfer tax on the entire package, not just on the land. Especially for plots priced at €35/sqm (are they even developed at that price?), that's a real difference.

Thanks for the clarification. That is indeed confusing. :)

That thought bothers me too. We have to calculate whether it's worth paying more taxes if we save even more by buying a cheaper plot. And yes, they are indeed developed. In Wismar, we would then be at €120-150 per sqm. Even with the property transfer tax on the plot, that's ultimately more expensive than €35 per sqm and transfer tax on everything.

Do you want to do this forever? After all, a lot of time is lost. If I were you, I would first see if you can arrange your jobs so that you have to drive less and then look for a good place to live. Building something now and then waiting 15 years for a transfer in the right direction does not sound so great to me

Fortunately, we are not civil servants and are therefore more flexible when it comes to changing jobs. In the long term, we at least want to work in the same city in order to be able to commute together. The long driving times are not so dramatic at the moment, since it also took us almost an hour to get from A to B in Berlin. Of course, we don’t want to do that forever, but I don’t think we want to commit to *the* one job until retirement in 10 years either. And as long as we live relatively centrally between the three larger cities in the region, we are still flexible. If we move near Schwerin, for example, we need over an hour to get to Rostock...

Now let's be frank: Tight financing only works if you are willing to contribute your own labor. The €30,000 equity is just enough for the kitchen, some lamps, and the real estate transfer tax. What the construction company does not do, you have to do yourselves. Flooring, terrace... you can’t enjoy a house if you haven’t laid out a garden and terrace. Go to your house bank and get a non-binding offer for how much credit you can get. My opinion is anyway that someone with two left hands can only maintain a house with sufficient income. Owning a house means sometimes doing some handiwork. Either you pay for it or you do it yourself. Keeping a household budget would also be quite useful. Much is doable, even with the installment, but only with your own enthusiasm. While others here say they can enhance their small savings by doing a lot of [EL], you are completely putting yourselves down. In my opinion that is also not possible then. One overestimates, you don’t trust yourselves even though these [EL] are necessary. My tip: save as much as possible for a few years. You are still young after all...