Desirable property affordable? Experiences?

I can certainly prefer the new building and still see that not every house built before 2000 is equivalent to a slum dwelling, in which one definitely cannot live like that. You do not die a painful death if you do not have underfloor heating and triple glazing and 10 sockets per room.

I always find it funny when people in this forum act as if every house that is not newly built has the living value of a tin hut in a refugee camp.

Not this time, but I think if you go into debt for decades, then there should also be a proper living value. And not 2 sockets per room (connected with two wires), mold on the walls, a €5000 gas bill, and pipes suffering from copper corrosion that can burst at any time. We would have liked to take something existing as well, but for most old buildings, the price-to-condition ratio just doesn't add up. And on top of that come the significantly higher incidental purchase costs.

I always find it funny when people here in the forum act as if every house that is not new construction has the living quality of a tin shack in a refugee camp.

Not the living quality, but roughly the same insulation value ;-) and with the current energy costs, that is never negligible and can, in the worst case, break your neck. Our acquaintance pays nearly 600 euros per month for electricity and gas combined for his townhouse starting this month. You have to be able to afford that in the long term first. Personally, I don't care how cheap the house was when purchased if the purchase price is effectively paid again through the ancillary costs.

I would also advise against such an old house. You end up spending a lot of money and there's no end in sight for now. Of course, it doesn’t always have to be a new build, but still, I would only look at houses built from around 1980 onwards. You’ll have to renovate quite a bit there too, but it is still more manageable and affordable because the building standards were already significantly better then.

According to my acquaintance (a real estate agent), that age is even quite a dangerous age for houses. Why? Because the building standards around 1980 were not particularly high. Because the prices are often still very high since the houses are only 40 years old and thus relatively young. And: basically, you have to carry out the same (energy-related) renovation work as with an old building from the 1930s if you want to achieve a good living and insulation standard – usually meaning a full renovation. When it comes to heating/plumbing/electrics, we generally don’t even need to talk about a 40-year-old house. The difference is that one buyer is usually aware that a full renovation is necessary, while another thinks “it will still all be fine as it is.”

I know several people who live in houses that are now 45 years old (38 years old at the time of purchase) and have a nice life there without a complete renovation. The electrical system works, and the heating costs have also been addressed through modernizations (window replacement, etc.). Of course, more is always possible, but if someone is still okay with the 40-year-old tiles and then installs a subsidized pellet heating system (if there was oil heating before), they still save a lot compared to building new. You don't have to tear everything out just because it is no longer stylish.

I know several people who live in houses that are now 45 years old (38 years old when purchased) and have a nice life there without a complete renovation. The electrical system works and the heating costs were also addressed through modernizations (window replacement, etc.). Of course, more can always be done, but if the 40-year-old tiles still suit someone and they then install a subsidized pellet heating system (if there was oil before), they still save a lot compared to new construction. You don't have to tear everything out just because it’s no longer trendy.

Sure, you can be happy there too, no question about it. But in doubtful cases, I would rather buy the house from the 30s for €150,000 than the house from the 80s for €300,000.