Experiences buying a terraced house?

I don't have a direct opinion on the house, but here we also pay €1047 for a reasonable apartment in cold rent. With a small family, two rooms are no longer enough. Additional costs are probably similar if you don't change your standard of living much in the first year. What, of course, might still be added here are maintenance measures, but you can probably bridge that for a year. If she goes back to work after that, it's all much easier. Then you could also consider increasing the repayment a bit, if desired.

But just increase the repayment? Is that possible? That's why we definitely want the 5% special repayment.

But just increase the repayment? Is that possible? That's why we definitely want the 5% special repayment.

Often, for example, 2 repayment rate changes between x and xx % are possible... Just ask/negotiate.

That’s why we absolutely want the 5% special repayment.

How many, including those who are not so tight on money, can say that there is often spare money for special repayments. And if there is, it usually goes towards materials or maybe a new refrigerator, vacuum cleaner, car inspection, etc. So expect to not make any special repayments. I believe that these 5% and twice in 10 years repayment changes are standardized in every financing.

As already mentioned, changes in repayment are usually possible and special repayments are actually included in almost every financing. But of course, it is important to pay attention to that. If you can and it doesn't make much difference, fix the nominal interest rate for as many years as possible; after 10 years, you can legally switch to a cheaper loan anyway if the interest rates are lower by then. Otherwise, making special repayments does not always make sense, especially in times of high inflation. It is smarter to invest the money in ETFs and use it as equity in the follow-up financing. In the end, that can mean more capital overall. I personally am rather risk-taking and would try that in your position if you are a good team (which is not given in every relationship) and both are willing to tackle the project. Communicate well and listen sincerely to each other, that is the ABC. In the very worst case, you sell the house again in a few years; nobody has died from that yet. And you also have the prospect that the woman will bring money home in a year. A year goes by quickly and that does not feel like too many sacrifices in my opinion. A construction phase is usually similar and we all managed that as well. We were busy with our construction for over a year and had to manage rent + interest and all the other bills that came in at the same time. Vacations, etc. were not possible, but you know what you're doing it for. Now we have been living here for half a year and the time passed by very quickly. Especially at the beginning, you are busy with all sorts of things to make everything nice. However, that can also cost a lot of money, you must not forget that. And prepare yourself for a lot of stress. That personally affected me a lot. You must not forget to take care of yourself in between and also to rest sometimes. I completely forgot that until about a month ago when I was in the emergency room with atrial fibrillation. Well, lesson learned, now we're taking it a bit slower.

As already mentioned, repayment changes are usually possible and special repayments are actually included in almost every financing. But of course, it is important to pay attention to that. If you can and it doesn’t cost much, fix the nominal interest rate for as many years as possible; after 10 years, you can legally switch to a cheaper loan anyway if the interest rates should be lower by then.
Otherwise, making special repayments doesn’t always make sense, especially in times of high inflation. It’s smarter to invest the money in ETFs and use it as equity in the follow-up financing. In the end, this can be overall more capital.
Personally, I am rather risk-tolerant and would try that in your place if you are a good team (which is not given in every relationship) and both are willing to take on the project. Communicate well and genuinely listen to each other; that is the be-all and end-all.
In the worst case, you sell the house again in a few years, no one has died from that yet. And you also have the prospect that the woman will bring money home in a year.

One year goes by quickly and in my opinion doesn’t feel like that many sacrifices. A construction phase is usually similar and we all managed that. We were busy with our construction for over a year and had to handle rent + interest and all the other additional bills at once. Vacations, etc. were out of the question, but you know what you’re doing it for.
Now we have been living here for half a year and the time has gone by very quickly. Especially at the beginning, you are busy with all sorts of things to make everything nice. However, that can also cost a lot of money, don’t forget that.

And prepare yourself for a lot of stress. That personally affected me a lot. You must not forget to take care of yourself in between and to rest for a while. I completely forgot that until I ended up in the emergency room a month ago with atrial fibrillation. Well, lesson learned, we’re going a bit slower now.

- We have fixed it for 15 years with this offer. The advisor also said that we can change after 10 years but don’t have to, thus having more "security."
- Selling is always an option, but you usually lose money doing that, and that’s not the plan :)
- The nice thing about the house is that everything "visual" looks good so far and "only" the furniture has to be moved over, but of course you still have the normal everyday life with family, work, and then the moving/renovation stress.

The appearance can conceal defects. Get an expert!