Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

There are even more vacant apartments and houses outside the metropolitan areas in the countryside. Everyone is flocking to the cities, where nothing works.

Just to throw a few numbers into the room, showing that we overall have an oversupply of living space in Germany (source empirica):
- In total Germany, about 1.7 million (yes, the number is correct – I did not mistype) apartments are vacant
- Of these, about 900,000 are old and dilapidated (maybe something can be done with replacement new builds?)
- About 800,000 could be occupied immediately

Maybe we should simply make the countryside and rural communities more livable again? It should be easier (also thanks to home office) and above all much, much cheaper than promoting high-priced new buildings with billions of euros in state gifts.

The idea of using existing apartments is fundamentally correct. But the problem is a bit more complex than a simple balancing. The vacant apartment in East Germany doesn’t help someone from Stuttgart, not even with home office. Geography alone excludes most apartments from the equation.

And even if we stay regional, one has to want to move to the countryside. Longer distances, most of which have to be covered by car. A family usually consists of two adults; only rarely can both work from home. Many companies also don’t offer 4-5 days of home office, but only 2-3 days. Then it’s not so fun. Where there are few people, many things simply aren’t worthwhile. A supermarket needs a certain number of customers in its catchment area; places with 1,000 inhabitants simply don’t have that. You can find the village shop as romantic as you like, if it’s 30% more expensive with a fraction of the selection compared to a supermarket, it will have a very hard time.
I don’t believe we have great potential within commuting distance of Stuttgart/Hamburg/Munich/... I have seen myself how things look around Konstanz. Everything close to the B33 or then A81 or near the railway line is expensive.

But the problem is a bit more complex than a simple netting. The vacant apartment in East Germany does not benefit someone from Stuttgart, not even with home office. Geography alone excludes most apartments from the calculation.

That’s why I said that the vacant regions should be supported. After all, people once lived and worked there. The attractiveness and pull to the swarm cities was simply too strong. There was a reason why two million "Ossies" left their region. In this respect, I wouldn’t want to live there currently either. But not because it’s rural, rather because the countryside has fallen behind metropolitan regions in the last 2-3 decades. If politics creates incentives for companies there, you get jobs. Then people come and also infrastructure (housing is already available). The issue of "commuting distance" no longer arises, because you don’t have to commute to the big city. Yes, noble idea...

The thing with apartments - infrastructure - employers - family-friendliness is unfortunately currently quite a downward spiral and honestly, I have no idea how to break it. When starting a company, I once thought: Hey, for the money we invest here in Munich in a timeshare office, we could buy an entire street in Bad Langensalza (there was the experience with the 1B street completely boarded up with wood) and everyone could live and work there - following the principle of the Italian villages that sell old houses for 1.- so that someone moves in again. Of course with the hope that something develops from this seed - the new people bring money into the shops and occupancy to the daycares/schools, maybe someone after school doesn’t go to Berlin but stays here. That’s the idea.
After a brief research and calculation, we realized: it doesn’t work. People with families need daycare, school, secondary school. Everyone needs shopping facilities, doctors, etc. The renovation costs would have been absurd. Everyone said either between the lines or explicitly: I don’t want to be out there at night, I don’t want my children to grow up there. And now don’t hit me for this statement from other people, it was simply the rejections we received and we respected them.
While I was writing this, KarstenausNRW wrote something which in my opinion is not that far off. I think somehow a start has to be made. We as a small company can’t manage that, we can’t build a school in advance and settle doctors and simply create a feel-good atmosphere.

Math 6. Set ;-)

Funding T€ 100 per apartment x something over 300 = approx. € 32 million (total costs € 60 million - small plot, high utilization). KfW 297/298

I just looked it up. There are 367 apartments with 12,200 sqm of living space. It only requires 7,700 sqm of land (costs with building rights at €1,400/sqm)

Oh yes, since we are also talking about construction prices. The pure construction costs are over €3,000/sqm.

Then this is the best example why it was exactly right to stop the KFW funding. So that there is an end to squandering this dubious and outrageous taxpayer money.

One would somehow have to get companies to make teleworking possible up to 100% in those job profiles where it is feasible. I don’t mean it as a mandate, more like savings opportunities on [BG contributions] and covering the costs for workplace inspections or something like that. And of course plenty of training for managers who are afraid of losing their privileges and control.

One would have to somehow get companies to allow up to 100% remote work where possible in the job profiles. I don’t mean a mandate, rather something like savings on accident insurance contributions and coverage of costs for workplace assessments or something like that. And of course plenty of training for managers who are afraid of losing their privileges and control.

Why not a mandate? It existed during Corona and worked wonderfully. As soon as companies no longer have to, they don’t anymore. This could also save a lot of CO2, less public transport would be needed... it has so many advantages.