Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

That's true, but I only meant insulation secondarily. I also mean the thickness of the wooden studs, etc. Also the single-layer drywall cladding. Sound transmission. You can also build with heavy components in hot climates; that keeps both sound and heat out and is simply of higher quality.

Are you actually the husband of ?

That's where he stood out. :D
He's been lurking here for years. ;)

The sound transmission is definitely true. His mom also constantly complains about loud neighbors. And I think their house is even made of stone (?). But the windows are very thin.

Everything is currently in transition and I find everything about it beautiful. Since 2015 it went sharply downhill and right now the wind is turning in Europe and recently also in Germany. The only question is whether the economy can still be saved. Such processes, once they start, are hard to control. The polls for the Bundestag election always put a smile on my face.

Even if mortgage rates go down again, it will take time until demand decreases and supply increases. The next 5 years will be difficult for real estate.

Even if mortgage rates go down again, it will take time for demand to decrease and supply to increase. The next 5 years will be difficult with real estate.

And I even know who is to blame, and - surprise (!!!!!) - it is not the AFD!!!

Are you actually @kati1337's man?

That's me, probably flown the coop because of my spelling mistakes :eek:
I actually wanted the username 'DerFreundlicheAusländer'. But that was too long.

Tolentino Holmes ;)

This would only be acceptable to a population that broadly understands it and accepts it without much concern – that is, a population with a well-established stock culture. In Germany, I rather see it going the way that it has to become so bad that the majority of voters swallow it as the lesser evil.

I know, the stock culture here is not good. But politics also doesn’t do much to improve it. One could have certainly created two variants, one with a guarantee and insurance, the other with more freedom. Instead, they added a Rürup on top of the Riester, which repeated almost all the mistakes.
And retirement provision is a long-term matter. When things get really bad, there’s no more spontaneously going to the stock market. At that point, bigger cuts will be inevitable.

If you invest in the stock market for 25, 30, or 40 years – and I mean invest, not gamble – then you will certainly get more out than with other "investment products." Security costs returns – and what the insurance companies take here, sometimes with state approval, is frankly cheeky.

And one thing is clear: If there really is a huge crash in the stock market worldwide and the economy is really broken: Do you seriously believe that pensions will still be safe then? Where would the pay-as-you-go system come from then? ;)