Defensive offer, or have house prices become so expensive?

At the top left, there is a toolbar. Among other things, there is also a ruler. With it, you can measure lengths and there is also a tool for height indications.

If the parents are going there anyway, I would rent a construction laser for €30 (if none is available) and survey the property for elevation at the same time.
Also take a big hammer and a pipe to take a soil sample.
Usually, you can visually determine what type of soil is present, or if it is bedrock.

Regarding bidding procedures and price development, it was also the case in the USA that many paid completely nonsensical prices and the banks financed any amount. Prices kept rising and the financing sums kept increasing.

At some point, it then went boom.

We are slowly approaching those conditions again. However, here in Germany.

If you now look at the development of electricity or gas prices, then prices for houses have really only increased moderately.
And as I have read elsewhere. It is not construction or land prices that have risen. Of course not. The currency has just become less valuable. That is the reality.

In the USA, it was and is normal to state offers on real estate. This is not a cause of price exaggerations and bubbles.

We are slowly approaching those conditions again. However, here in Germany.

You reduce the 2008 real estate bubble in the USA purely to price increases. That is too simplistic to be true.

If the parents are going there anyway, I would rent a construction laser for 30€ (if there isn’t one available) and measure the land's elevation right away. Also get a big hammer and a pipe to take a soil sample. Usually, you can visually tell what kind of soil it is or if it’s bedrock.

That sounds good, if I had any idea about that. :D Can my sister do something like that? Big hammer and pipe, and then just hammer into the ground and see if you can get something out, or how?

What do you think your current place is worth ... In the circle of acquaintances it was already said that young used ones are worth more than new builds, because there are no more plots of land. Eat or die (or keep living in 3-4 rooms renting).

That means: The additional costs that scare you now, you will be able to recoup at least 1:1 when selling the current property. Auction procedures are your friend.

What you describe is the situation of 2019 / 2020 – now we are long in a different phase. And its shape is still completely open. The "place" is only ever worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. Unless it is black money, most normal buyers will have to work for this money and also finance it. Both wages, lifetime work, and credit limits are limited and not unlimited – and also location-dependent.

The fact that the OP can get a cheaper plot elsewhere, and theoretically could still manage a fresh building project today thanks to increased salary, does not mean that there is an army of solvent buyers for the house at the old location. Prices for used homes in the area currently, of course, also have the same hot air inside.

What you describe is the situation in 2019 / 2020 – now we are long in a different phase. And its shape is still completely open. The "place" is only worth as much as someone is willing to pay for it. Unless it’s black money, most ordinary buyers will have to work for this money and also finance it. Both wages, lifetime work, and credit limits are limited and not unlimited – and also location-dependent.

The fact that the OP can get a cheaper plot elsewhere, and thanks to a higher salary could theoretically still manage a fresh building project today, does not mean that there is an army of solvent buyers lined up for the house at the old location. The prices for used properties in the area currently obviously contain the same hot air.

How much someone is willing to pay, however, you won’t find out if you underestimate your property (in ignorance). Only a bidding process can prove that to you. Your thought patterns prevent you from achieving a good price.

You completely underestimate the financial situation of many fellow citizens. They possess more money than ever and most still don’t know what to do with it. Especially considering the inflation at work.
Maybe Kati still remembers how huge the rush for new building plots was at her place. That can serve as an impulse on how big the "army of solvent buyers" really is. But they don’t stand by the roadside and are transparently countable; you have to attract them, then they will come ;-)

I also have neighbors where one wondered, hm, how do they actually do it? The trick is: inheritance and/or dowry. And not just a little.
You can currently close 500k€ for 1666€ on 10 years, for example with 3% repayment. Plus a six-digit amount from mom, dad, grandma, and the money is there. That’s how it works, even today and not only in 2019.