Condominium purchase - feasibility study

Have you ever weighed the pros and cons? I would go for a new build. Why? You determine everything, from the colors of the tiles and floors to the fixtures in the bathroom, etc... You have peace of mind for a long time at first. With a "used" property, you always make compromises. Additionally, there is a warranty from the developer and so on.

Don’t get hung up too much on prices, because in the end it’s yours and the rent is gone, plus you have a completely different quality of life (priceless) and due to intentional inflation, and here I’m not talking about the sweet EU shopping basket, but the real one, everything, including salaries, will move upward in the long term. A payment of €1,800 today is from today’s perspective at most €900 in purchasing power in 20 years, many people forget that. Your money is not gone and there is always an equivalent value behind it.

I assume that with modern windows in the apartment, you do not hear car noise as long as the windows are closed. It can be disturbing on the balcony. This is currently the case with us: I hear the noise of the highway plus a fairly large intersection almost right next to the house. The traffic noise is so loud that I do not want/cannot lie down in the deck chair to relax.

Exhaust fumes should no longer be an issue from 500m away from the highway. There are studies on that.
Regarding fine dust as well - recently read something about it. 10m from the measuring station on the main road (in the city) only a fraction of the fine dust pollution remains.
I would also be more concerned about noise. It also depends on what else is in between and in which direction the important rooms are oriented.

For a property built in 2015, make sure to also request the minutes of the homeowners' association meetings beforehand and search them for hints of contentious co-owners. Also check the amount of the maintenance reserve fund. There are now different rules of thumb for calculating it. But if it has been less than €2.50/m²/year, I would consider this carefully even with the relatively young building. At least ask whether an increase of the reserve fund is already planned/decided, since after 5 years the developer's warranty expires. So exactly this year.

Your good point... Is it usually increased significantly after the warranty expires or does it usually continue normally?

The [WEG] then decides this together.