Buying land for a house, please advise!

Well, the price per square meter obviously depends on the location. Here in our area it also costs between €270 and €550 per square meter. And I haven't even left the town.

Ok, that's quite a figure, literally speaking.
The house prices in this area must be steep as well.

Even though many will protest again, maybe you can still manage with a standard provider like Danwood House? That is, of course, only if you're open to wooden houses. Someone else can do the basement. For me, these were the most affordable prefabricated houses I came across during my catalog search, and they offer houses throughout Germany. As a well-known brand, they probably can't afford to make many mistakes. But I haven't looked for references yet – so check first.

Catalog prices say ABSOLUTELY nothing. Just as little as the advertisements in the weekly newspaper. Or ads in the Scout. What matters is what is NOT stated in the [Bauleistungsbeschreibung]. Because that all costs extra. In the end, the providers only differ by a few thousand euros. The best example is the bathroom, I can outfit a bathroom for €1000, or for €20,000. Both work, but do you want the cheap hardware store stuff when you are already spending almost €400,000? Everyone has to decide for themselves.

Catalog prices say ABSOLUTELY Nothing. Just like the advertisements in the weekly newspaper. Or ads in the Scout. What matters is what is NOT included in the construction service description.

Yes, as I already said, everyone will protest again... But I don’t quite see it that way. I don’t know any house provider who does not always offer their most affordable solution in the offers. Of course, you can also choose golden faucets. That is always possible. But if you are really tight on budget, then that just doesn’t work.

The question is, what is still okay? Is laminate a problem or does it have to be parquet? Do you need a roof overhang of 50 cm or does it not matter? Is a simple staircase enough? Or does it have to be made of oak? And so on and so forth. The construction service description is naturally decisive, that is true. But what can be left out in a prefabricated house? Only the floor slab/basement and everything that is extra. That then doesn’t work either. Or only as far as the budget allows. I only wanted to give an example of how you can also build affordably in expensive areas. The equipment is always a question of the budget.

You start saving eventually anyway. But if you are at the very beginning, you should know what’s coming. 250,000€ including incidental construction costs is not a bad number. Because to get around 1,500€/sqm, you have to accept quite a bit. If you hold back, you still have 20,000€ left in the end. Not a big deal, you can return that to the bank free of charge if you negotiate well. It gets worse if you need additional financing. Everyone should plan for this 20,000€ buffer. Sure, you can save a lot on interior finishing, but would you really do that: cheap doors cost you about 100€ per door + installation throughout the entire house. So we are talking about roughly 1,500€-2,000€. Good doors, so not luxury doors, cost between 200 and 250€ per door. In the end, you save 2,000€ or in other words: you spend 1,000€ on poor material. And you have to consider this for every item. We also thought at first that we could easily build a house without a basement with 200,000€. However, we were quickly taught otherwise. The house was offered to us for 190,000€. By the time we adjusted the floor plan inside and installed a ventilation system and a fireplace, we were already at 215,000€. In addition, there were just over 40,000€ in incidental construction costs, which nobody had estimated that way before. If we hadn’t planned very pessimistically and had reserves in hand, the bank would now be happy about a great house. Everyone has to decide for themselves how much risk they want to take, but personally I don’t want to sugarcoat anything. If you assume the worst-case scenario that you can still just manage, and it turns out better, then everything is fine. But what do you do if you run out of money in the middle because maybe the topsoil has to be replaced not with the planned 40 cm but 80 cm? Such considerations are not made at the beginning of planning.

250,000€ including ancillary construction costs is not such a bad number. Because to get around 1500€/sqm, you really have to accept quite a bit.

I see it the same way.

Sure, you can save a lot on interior finishing, but would you really do that:

(?)
Yes. If I can no longer afford it, then yes.

everyone has to decide for themselves how much risk they want to take, but personally I don't want to sugarcoat anything for anyone. If you assume the worst case you can barely handle, and it turns out better, then everything is fine.

But I also think that is nonsense. In the worst case, I break my neck and am dead anyway.
You just have to plan realistically. Write down everything, absolutely everything you absolutely need. Then put a reserve on top and see if it is still feasible.

The soil is known, others have already built nearby — ring their doorbells and ask how the soil is. Minimize risk in everything that is possible. Above all, don’t be shy. Ask immediately about anything unclear and dig deeper or ask builders from the area.

Attached is a list we made **before** construction started (in case anyone is interested):

Plot

Purchase price

Court costs State Treasury

Property transfer tax

Fee District preliminary decision

Fee Pegau preliminary decision

Fee infiltration permit

Notary costs

Fee approval plot purchase

Preliminary decision architect costs 1

Preliminary decision architect costs 2

Preliminary decision fees

Fee deep drilling / heat pump

Building application fee

House

Base price

Paperhanger

Roller shutters downstairs

Electric roller shutters

Roller shutter upstairs

Security glazing ground floor

Underfloor heating

Buffer tank

Chimney

Bay window

House entrance canopy

Geothermal energy

Barrier-free shower

Tiles complete

36.5 Ytong

Electrical work own contribution (-)

Towel radiator

Additional shower downstairs

Large bathtub

50cm elevation of the entire house

OSB boards roof structure

Interior stairs beech

Sliding door

Front door aluminum outward opening

Lightning rod

Colored plaster accents

Fireplace

Architect

Outdoor facilities

Drinking water

Electricity connection

Electricity in the house (rest)

Garage foundation

Telephone

Water connection

Construction supervision

Road / driveway

Surveying

Soil report

Well

Cistern

Sewage treatment plant

Earthworks

Terrace & path

Infiltration

External stairs

Hello,

I started by editing your post to make it readable

The plot we want to buy is taken from an existing parcel and is up for sale. Size approx. 500m², rectangular and sufficient for us. There are currently garages on the site, which will be completely removed by the owner. At the same time, the driveway will also be removed. So we get the plot at ground level. The surveying will also be done by the seller. Up to this point, everything is fine.

Here you should not assume that this completes the entire surveying for the building project. The seller will "only" pay for the parceling or subdivision survey. This means that a further €2,800.00 - €3,200.00 (depending on the surveyor) for the actual house construction including the final measurement is still due.

1) There is no development plan! Is something like this problematic or will the developer apply for this at the office during the house construction?

That is not a problem, you must then build according to §34. That means according to the surrounding buildings. If mostly single-story detached houses are built in the immediate vicinity, you will have to build likewise. If you have special requirements for the roof shape and this is not found in the immediate vicinity of the plot, you can forget about it. So the roof must also adapt to the surrounding buildings.

3) Since we want to build with a basement and all houses around the plot have basements, do I still have to get a soil survey?

Anyone who builds without a soil survey is playing with their existence; regardless of whether neighbors have built with or without one. In addition, a soil survey is needed, among other things, so that the excavation contractor knows how to, for example, slope the excavation pit.

4) What else must we consider that we have forgotten?

You have not yet had a consultation regarding the building project? Then read carefully here in the forum! Contrary to your initial statement, all topics that should interest you are indeed covered here. But you have to read yourself

The plot costs €124,500 ... additional costs such as notary, property transfer tax, etc. will be added ... We do not need a showpiece and have set a limit of approx. €320,000 +- €20,000. All furniture is already available and we even have a kitchen if needed. We want to build as soon as possible

First of all, you should take a look at this:

https://www.hausbau-forum.de/ratgeber/bauherrenhilfe.422/bauherrenhilfe-vor-vertragsabschluss.424/bausumme.662/#Baunebenkosten%20und%20Grunderwerbsteuer

Depending on the federal state and deviations, this list applies nationwide; I based it primarily on the costs for NRW.

Now let’s calculate based on 120 sqm living space plus usable basement and a budget of €340,000

Budget: €340,000
Plot: €124,500
Single-family house 120 sqm/Living space/KfW 70: €186,000 (single-story detached house without major frills)
Usable basement: €38,000
Additional construction costs: €35,000–40,000
Painting work by subcontractor: €10,000
Floor coverings by subcontractor: €10,000
Outdoor facilities by subcontractor: €10,000
Carport or prefabricated garage 3 x 6: €6,000
Reserves extras: €10,000

All in all, this results in an underfunding of €94,500

The users who estimated costs of €400,000 plus "x" are thus quite accurate with their assumption. AND – with the above numbers, there must be no surprises in the ground (soil replacement), otherwise another €8,000–10,000 may easily be added.

If you forgo the basement – which I strongly recommend given your desired budget – you must underpin the neighbor’s basement, founding on soil level under the neighbor’s basement. This requires stepped underpinning and, depending on the soil report requirements regarding execution, will cost you between €8,000–10,000. This means you would save €28,000 if you waive the basement. However, you will probably need a longer prefabricated garage, which costs €12,000 including required strip foundations. Realistically, you would thus save about €22,000 by foregoing the usable basement. Still a lot of money, but even with these measures your desired budget will be exceeded. Have you already consulted an independent financing broker and discussed your financial situation with him?

Rhine-region greetings