Construction financing in a few years

What speaks in favor of waiting with 170k equity and 10k net?

I would start looking, after all, the dream property doesn't just come along immediately.

Sounds to me like: You neither have to consciously wait nor rush yourselves. Maybe just start looking around to see what's important to you, where you want to go, if there's anything interesting in the area now, etc. Possibly the construction will happen a year earlier then, but maybe you need the time anyway. Just waiting two years and then "hurry, hurry" anyway doesn't sound optimal either :)

Wait, don't buy. Place the comma yourself; it is correct in any case;)

... but what do you think about our situation: Is it appropriate to "hurry" and become active as quickly as possible, or better to "weather the storm," wait until a few aspects relax a bit?

In my opinion, you should neither wait nor hurry, but persistently and continuously inform yourselves, research, and keep your eyes open. In this process, you will also get to know your needs better. Is the current location planned to be permanent, or is a change of location within the realm of possibility?

Thank you for your responses. We returned just over 6 months ago, and my new German job is only starting now (so far still with the US employer). Fortunately, I am not tied to any specific location by the employer; anywhere within Germany works. That makes things quite flexible for us. Of course, we are still initially focusing on our current region, southwestern Germany / Baden and surroundings. Not Munich, but still a very expensive area, which is why we have doubts about whether it will financially work out if we wait a few more years, despite further savings.

Everything is still quite "fresh," so we definitely want to take things slowly. In the last 10 years, we have moved a total of 4 times between the USA and Germany and 3 times long-distance within the USA, so we are especially cautious about committing long-term now, even though we explicitly wanted to when we decided to return. Job-wise, the big step is done; regarding our main living situation and house, we are still waiting. It’s of course reassuring that most of you think we can approach this more carefully and don’t have to panic at the last minute. But I see it the same way: we still want to start actively informing ourselves and keep a watchful eye on the property market. It’s just that I’m still hesitant about whether we would really strike immediately if we actually found something suitable in the next 12 months.

As soon as the right thing is at the door, you have to be quick, otherwise someone else will make the deal. Mentally prepare yourself in advance for what you want. Know your budget (go through theoretical financing), familiarize yourself with the steps to take in case of emergency