Construction costs are currently skyrocketing

I believe the only way to financially come out better with an existing property than with a new build is if you don’t do a complete renovation and can initially live with some imperfections / the lower insulation standards of the older house. Buying an old house and renovating it up to new standards usually costs just as much or even more than building a new one from scratch. That’s not to say I’m against renovations—I find them important and even necessary—but one shouldn’t fool themselves into thinking it’s cheaper. I also think self-performance is often overrated. To really save money, you have to have the time and possibly "take" it at a cost. With 30 days of vacation per year, you won’t get far with real self-performance. And taking unpaid time off is often possible, but if you want to be honest with yourself, you have to convert that into money.

That’s true... With 30 days of vacation, you really don’t get far. The valuable time is the few hours after work and the 12 hours per day on weekends. No one claims that it’s easy. It’s partly hard, tough work. But with that, you can save money very effectively. Nobody was willing to do that in the recent prosperous years because an extra 100k basically didn’t cost anything and you have "expectations." In my circle, I saw how renovation-needy houses were bought and renovated by people with obvious migration backgrounds. They don’t have more money. They got off their asses for self-performance. Now a time will come again when for many people that is the only way to acquire and live in property. If you DON’T WANT to do that, that’s one thing. But in my opinion, almost everyone can do it.

It depends on what expectations I have and how much craftsmanship skill. An old building is not a new building. Without compromises, it becomes expensive. For others, it is a way to get affordable living space and bit by bit everything becomes nice and new. The pace is determined by the wallet, the time, or the failure of the technology.

True... With 30 days of vacation, you really don’t get far. The precious ones are the individual hours after work and the 12 hours per day on weekends. No one claims that it’s easy. It’s sometimes tough, hard work. But you can save money very effectively with it. Nobody was willing to do that anymore in the last fat years because an additional 100k basically cost nothing and people “have expectations.”
In my environment, it was seen how the houses in need of renovation were bought and renovated by people with obvious migration backgrounds. They don’t have more money. They got off their butts for Hartz IV.
Now a time will come again when for many people exactly that is the only way to acquire and live in property. If you DON’T WANT to do that, that’s one thing. But I think almost everyone CAN do it.

I don’t know, for us it really mostly failed because of ability. We have no significant experience in craft skills, my husband grew up completely without a father, he doesn’t even dare to drill a shelf into the wall. I can probably screw a shelf in, but when it comes to lamps, that’s where it stops. I’m not really confident working with electricity.
And those are really just the most superficial things. Painting/wallpapering, I can do that. But otherwise? Plumbing work, etc.?
I can’t imagine that you can teach yourself all that so well that you can replace the services of a specialist company where there are vocational training and master titles.
Imagine it like the profession of a hairdresser: Sure, I can cut my own hair, everyone CAN do that at first. But how it looks afterwards is a different matter. Then to say “people have expectations” because they don’t cut their own hair isn’t quite fair either.

Of course, there are things that need to be done. I don't understand why people always wallpaper and paint themselves; there are masters for that, and every flaw is visible. I had full-surface Q4 filling done, then painter's fleece and a coat of paint. I would never have managed that with nearly 600m² of surface to be worked on ;-) In the end, it's like with many things in life. You just have to want it and be willing to do it instead of just talking. Look for solutions on how it can be done instead of saying "I can't". The absolute will, as well as perseverance and pushing your own limits, have a lot to do with it.

In the end, it's like with many things in life. You just have to want it and be willing to do, instead of talking. Look for solutions on how it can work, instead of saying "I can't". The absolute will and also persistence and pushing your own limits have a lot to do with it.

And maybe also the question of financial possibilities and how well you can finance something if you have it done. I have already suffered quite a bit under cheap painting work in my own house and regretted not taking the expensive painter (we had a painter, but very cheap). I have not regretted the own work in the outdoor area. We had no idea about that either, but you can really get into it. Mistakes don't feel set in stone there either. If you have done something that later turns out stupid, you can change it again with a spade and wheelbarrow. In the house, repairs would usually involve considerable effort.

And maybe also the question of financial possibilities and how well you can get something financed if you have it done. I have already suffered quite a bit under the cheap painting work in my own house and regretted not having taken the expensive painter (we had a painter, but very cheap). I have not regretted the do-it-yourself work in the outdoor area. We didn't know anything about it either, but you can get into it well. Mistakes don’t feel set in stone there. If you have done something that later turns out to be stupid, you can change it again with a spade and wheelbarrow. In the house, repairs would mostly be associated with considerable effort.

That’s exactly my point. I’m saying, if someone still wants a single-family house, they have to check what they can afford to pay. If they can’t finance the purchase and renovation, they have to do the work themselves. And yet: that’s where the demands already begin. If I WANT a renovated house, but cannot fully finance it, I MUST do the work myself, or leave it entirely. Wanting to have a house is already a demand. A renovated house is the next demand. The third is to have the renovation done entirely by tradespeople. And then the options for choosing materials and fittings are open-ended. And here you can save a lot effectively. Whoever can screw in a shelf can also swing a hammer drill. Do demolition work themselves. Anyone can also pull electrical lines including chiseling. Likewise, plastering the walls. Whoever can seal a package with tape can also install insulation between rafters. Hanging drywall level likewise. And so on and so forth. The internet is full of information on how things are done. You just have to want it. Especially when the choice is to live in an unrenovated old building, a (partly) self-renovated old building, or no property at all.