Financing comparison: past vs. today

Tell me, what was it like for you or you all back then? Prager91… born in '91???
"My parents built in 1978: without inheritance, financed hard with life insurance. My mother’s pension was paid out and from that, the kitchen was paid for. Since I was 8 years old, I was a latchkey kid because my mother also earned money. My father did other people’s taxes in the evenings on the side to bring money into the house. A few years ago, when my father was 75, the house was finally paid off.
there was no such thing as “over 30% repayment”

Ok, but nobody can be blamed for your parents having put themselves through that. That doesn’t really sound like solid financing. How often did they go on vacation, for example?!
My in-laws built their house around the same time and only the husband worked, and they had paid it off well before retirement.
My parents, for example, lived their entire lives only renting because they probably couldn’t have afforded to build.
If it was worth it to your parents, e.g., to invest the mother’s pension in the kitchen, that’s fine, but it’s not everyone’s thing and is either the consequence of financing that might have been a bit too ambitious or their decision to severely restrict themselves in everything else, which I absolutely respect, but as an example of financing from 1978 it’s not necessarily representative.

Tell me, what was it like with you or your family back then? Prager91… birth year 91???
"My parents built in 1978: without inheritance, financed hard with the life insurance. My mother’s pension was paid out and from it the kitchen was paid for. I was a latchkey kid from the age of 8 because my mother also earned money. My father did tax work for others in the evenings on the side so that money came into the house. A few years ago, when my father was 75, the house was finally fully paid off.
there was no such thing as "over 30% repayment"

I don’t know – I can only speak from my own feelings or reflect what I have seen around us – you would have been the exception (as a homeowner) at least.

Also, the house was already paid off at 50-60 years old. If you experienced it differently or your parents had to work "hard" in another way for it, then that’s probably the case – in my opinion, however, it was more the exception to be a homeowner in that time.

These categories, as you mentioned, have always existed and still do, but often those people did/do not own their own home.

I would very, very confidently claim that many who were in the situation earlier – as I described (for example with my parents) – would not be able to build a house today, at least not without the additional income of the wife and even more earnings.

This is also rather new - since last year. One or two years earlier, you could still find enough threads here where, in affordable areas with "low" incomes around €3500 - €4000, people wanted to start construction projects.

One point is certainly also that there is simply less to discuss when you put up your Flair120. The floor plans are predetermined and you can only choose whether to have an office or a large kitchen on the ground floor. The equipment is also essentially predetermined, no 15-page discussion about which heat pump or ventilation system is better now. Accordingly, mainly those who build with individual planning are likely to frequent forums due to this preselection. However, that is usually also more expensive.

Ok, but nobody can help it that your parents did that to themselves. It doesn't really sound like a healthy financing.

Uh, my father was a high earner, authorized signatory, and later self-employed. They didn't do anything different than others.

How often did they go on vacation, for example?

Every year beach vacation, Italy or Mallorca. And the parents also sometimes spent a week apart with a boyfriend/girlfriend. My parents come from a working-class family, they themselves were aspiring. You can't say nouveau riche; too much work went into it. Architect house of 160 sqm, two cars, we were doing well. (Now they are doing well too.) You seem to have very little insight into the "back then" and "before."

One point is certainly also that there is simply less to discuss if you go for your Flair120. The floor plans are predetermined and you can only choose between an office or a large kitchen on the ground floor. The equipment is also basically predetermined, no 15-page discussion about which heat pump or ventilation system is better. Accordingly, mainly those who build with individual planning are likely to hang out in forums. But that is usually more expensive.

Good point. It also shows that this discussion here is not very representative. Here in the village, land prices are still reasonable. Many people are building. Also, some children of my friends/acquaintances are building. About 75% of all builders go with Massa Haus, Allkauf Haus, Danwood or Town & Country. And these houses are also good, and they offer the builders exactly what they need/are looking for. But yes, they orient themselves more on the catalog than on a forum like this one.

The whole comparisons from earlier to today simply cannot be made overall. The times are just too different to say whether today or earlier was better.
- The requirements for a house were different both from a public-law perspective (topic energy, heating, etc.) and from the builders' wishes (size, equipment)
- The family structure was somewhat different earlier than today
- Own contributions had a different significance
- "Life" looked different with different priorities and different expenses

It was just as easy or difficult to build a house earlier as it is today. A different house was built in a different time with different conditions.