Can an average family afford a single-family house at all?

My brother, an industrial mechanic and sole earner, bought a nice terraced house for himself and his family, €130,000.

So why shouldn't it be possible. ☺

As has been described many times, it is a matter of expectations. It wouldn't be anything for me, but my brother is rightly proud of it.

That's exactly how it is, but some keep chasing the horizon without realizing that it is always the same distance away and they will never catch it.

How, for whom am I doing all this??? For me or rather my family, of course.

Well, "of course" isn’t really how it is these days, as you suppose!

I conduct countless phone calls/conversations about house building. The initial dream idea is always planned beyond the actual needs; that is as certain as amen in a church. When I ask "why," the answer is almost always the same: "I saw that here and there/friends/acquaintances of ours have that too/I have to according to the Energy Saving Ordinance." Only when the person opposite me is ready to engage factually in the consultation talks is a economically sensible approach possible. And the result doesn’t have to hide.

And what does luxury even mean? Once a bathtub is installed, nobody cares anymore whether it’s Kaldewei or Villeroy & Boch, whether the staircase is made of beech wood or covered with tiles; whether your tiles cost €10.00/sqm or €100.00 etc. What your visitor recognizes and at best enjoys is the atmosphere that you and your wife create in your home. Atmosphere, however, can be created with quite different means and little effort.

Luxury for me, for example, is having time, being able to spend time with my loved ones or friends. In the future, to be able to go outside and sit in the garden—which my son-in-law has the task of maintaining; I have to be satisfied with my herb corner. Also, no one will later stand in my bathroom marveling at the fact that I installed Steinberg fittings; instead, they will surely notice the wooden bowl carved from a tree stump.

Luxury is certainly many things, but definitely not building a house.

Rhenish greetings

So "natural" it is not these days, as you suppose!

I conduct countless telephone calls/conversations regarding house construction. The first wish is always planned beyond the actual need; that is as certain as Amen in a church. When I ask "why," the answer is almost always the same: "I saw that here and there/my friends/acquaintances have that too/I have to follow the Energy Saving Ordinance." Only when the other person is willing to enter the consultation objectively is an economically reasonable approach possible. And the result does not have to hide.

And what does luxury really mean? Once a bathtub is installed, no one cares anymore whether it’s Kaldewei or Villeroy & Boch, whether a beech or tiled concrete staircase was installed; whether your tiles cost €10.00/sqm or €100.00, etc. What your visitors notice and ideally enjoy is the atmosphere you and your wife create in your home. Atmosphere, however, can be created by completely different means and with little effort.

Luxury for me is, for example, having time, being able to spend time with my loved ones or friends. In the future, going out the door and sitting in the garden – whose care my son-in-law is stuck with; I may content myself with my herb corner. Also, later nobody will stand in the bathroom admiring that I installed Steinberg fittings; instead, they will surely notice the wooden bowl carved from a tree stump.

Luxury is certainly many things, but definitely not house construction.

Rhenish greetings

I agree 100% with that. Whether Kaldewei is expensive or cheap, I really don’t know, but it’s certainly not a luxury tub. However, we have tested many tubs together, so it came down to that one. Also, when it comes to tiles, once they are installed, you hardly see a difference; even at the hardware store I have seen appealing neutral tiles offered for 10.-. Regarding coziness, luckily my wife has good taste, and we even treated ourselves to a Feng Shui consultation. Our floor plan is probably also rather unusual from the outside but everything makes sense (although in hindsight we might have done one thing or another differently).

Well, I would rather call it retirement provision. If you see what awaits you as a pension and then consider that you would still have to pay rent from it, home ownership is not a luxury for me. The rent is definitely gone after x years, and in addition, rents keep rising. The mortgage payment remains the same, and you eventually own the value (the house).

And you really believe that? Then you're just lining your pockets nicely. Have fun later when you realize that "oh wonder" the house costs significantly more maintenance in old age than the little saved rent (adjusted living space!).

A single-family house is and remains a luxury, and it wears out. Similar to expensive cars or other consumables. Anyone who denies this is sugarcoating the world and is a dreamer.

You can then, for example, sell the house when the children have moved out and buy a nice apartment with the money, including management, janitor, etc. Of course, if I build a 250m² house at a young age that I only use 30% later, then the calculation does not add up. However, it is undisputed that the rent is gone for good once the house is paid off, and you have a certain value.

: nice post that truly reflects what one should think about. Especially the "for whom am I actually doing all this stuff". You named many points that we have also been concerned with, which somehow reassures me.

I am not referring to building either. But rather the ownership of residential property in general.