First talks with home fertilizer manufacturers - tips?

After the first offers were clearly above what I could and wanted to spend, I approached the initial meetings like a Swabian/Scot, deducted about 30,000 euros as a buffer from what I could and wanted to actually spend, and told the providers that I had to build very budget-oriented. I then mentioned basic ideas regarding size, heating technology, and the basement. This led to quite different results:

At one company, the salesman snapped at me that I couldn’t ask the Mercedes dealer for a small car and expect prices like Opel. Interestingly, their sales department later called me because I had ordered a catalog from them. This allowed me to give feedback on their extremely courteous salesman in the show house.

One or two salespeople then said that my price expectations were very ambitious but still (apparently) put together quite reasonable offers with detailed construction service descriptions, floor plans, and additional construction cost calculations that were acceptable in terms of price (possibly nicely calculated up to my limit?).

Others completely ignored my price expectations and made me offers that were 50,000 to 120,000 euros above my price expectations, explaining that quality always has its price and that Eastern Europeans just handle the construction site at the other companies...

Then there were some who wanted to close the deal in 2017 due to upcoming price increases. Someone wanted to give up 2,000 euros of their commission, another wanted to give away a “high-quality” kitchen worth 12,000 euros, and yet another thought I would sign immediately after a two-hour presentation of the – not too spectacular – offer...

The salespeople are there to present the house construction with their company, and you can ask how and with what they build, etc.... what is possible with the house. You have the opportunity to get to know the company's philosophy and weigh whether your house could be built by them. A salesperson is not the right recipient or discussant for possible difficulties in the development plan; only an architect is responsible for that. Possibly the salesperson is plitsch (like us) or well trained or actually a studied architect and can say something about the property or development plan. But usually, a salesperson is just a salesperson. You can meet the architect at later appointments.

Then I mentioned basic ideas regarding size, heating technology, and basement. This led to very different results:

And that is exactly what the first round is primarily about: processing one’s astonishment at 1. how different answers one gets based on the same foundation, 2. with what mixture of expertise and conversational technique they are presented, and so on. That is already a concentrated load of impressions, without the reference point for the eave height having been mentioned at all.

The architect can be met at later appointments.

So you receive the construction service description after round 1, which serves as a basis to discuss the details of the development plan with the architects? The architect from the provider is therefore involved in round 2, or does this happen in the background and we receive a construction service description after round 1 that has already been internally coordinated with the architect (and hopefully takes our priorities into account, e.g. slightly angled shed roof instead of flat roof, etc.). Theoretically, this can only be the logical and sensible process. Letting an architect interpret the development plan later, after the seller and we have worked out the construction service description in 2-3 rounds, makes little sense in my opinion.

That will already be a concentrated load of impressions without even mentioning the measurement point for the eaves height.

I think so too But I don’t want to leave it unmentioned either. Then the seller creates our individual construction service description for weeks and in the end (if the process is different than described above), the architect throws 30% of it out again and the seller says annoyed, "Why didn’t you mention that before?". In principle, he would be right.

When exactly is a surveyor involved and is this usually part of the offer for ancillary construction costs? The height points and exact location of the building on the site must be precisely sketched, right? It also makes sense to do this as early as possible, or is that the last step before the final drawings for submitting the building application?

I can't believe it. Not even my wife creates that much mental imagery. Go there, don’t rack your brains about the company, don’t write down fantasies here, but talk to those who are an option for you. And then let it sink in... by the way. Placement and measurement come at the very, very end. The drafts are in the middle. The construction service description evolves from the drafts, the price too. Only one thing is clear from the start: a ready-made house. At the beginning of individuality is the feeling that says, I trust them to build our house for reasonable costs.

I can't believe it. Not even my wife brings so much daydreaming. Go there, don't rack your brains about the company, don't talk or write fantasies here, but talk to those who are relevant to you. And then let it sink in..

Well, if it eventually helps others who read this, it was quite good to explore the topic here in detail It doesn't always have to be the seller walking away from such conversations with a big grin.