House Building Forum - Would you buy or build a house again?

It was the sum of accusations, a bitter aftertaste, additional charges that cannot be justified, the statement that certain things are taken over by the general contractor (e.g., surveyor, by the way standard in the construction service description) but then are supposed to be passed on to us, many promises that were never kept, etc. All this led to the loss of trust along the way.

It is quite astonishing when I speak with 14 GCs and then choose the one with whom the trust is immediately gone. If I have dealt with the matter for so long, then I know what I’m talking about and don’t need trust. Trust is only needed then that the GC actually carries out the work, but with such abundant information one is already legally advised and secured.

I see it differently. I need trust. The feeling that I am facing an honest person. If I don't find that, then I just don't.

I see it differently. I need trust. The feeling that an honest person is in front of me. If I can't find that, then just not.

If I can't find trust with 14 GUs, I will never find it. And if I know the situation inside out and have studied it, I could theoretically also build with a Russian (nothing against Russians). I know exactly what I get for what and pay, what costs what and no money without performance.

kaho, that's not true. as the client, you always have the shorter end of the stick. if suddenly extra costs are demanded and you refuse, he simply stops building. period. just happened here. the house is paid up to the last 15k. the air-water heat pump and interior doors are missing, everything else is done. the interior painting was terrible. there's an argument. result: the builder plays dead, he simply doesn't show up anymore. doesn't answer the phone. hangs up on you. he doesn't care about the last 15k at all. the heating plus the doors cost more than 15 anyway. desperate client has to move on. his old house is sold, the buyers want to move in. result: he leaves the painting as it is, buys interior doors himself at OBI and installs them with help. he orders heating from the local heating installer himself. Karsten

Hello,


I'll give you the other side to consider ....

With every interested person we currently conduct (mostly) 5 conversations + site visits + reference talks - not rarely involving experts, e.g. geotechnical engineers - until only the option of signing the contract remains on the table. That means they know absolutely everything to be able to make a decision; including a fixed price based on a detailed offer.

In the past, the rule of thumb was to conduct 10 negotiations with 3 appointments each and "1" interested person would become a customer. In the last 2 years, the "3" became "5+", this year until the end of Q3 there was a clientele on the move who, on closer inspection, should have been politely turned away in advance. They carried, sucked, took, used, and walked - thus equipped with valuable information - to the cheapest competitor.

Serious clarification was not appreciated by the vast majority of potential builders until the end of Q3; therefore – as we certainly are not the only ones to have had this type of experience – I can fully understand that quite a few saleswomen are frustrated and occasionally vent their resentment. Each of us knows that not every conversation leads to a contract, that we have to provide a lot of advance work, the chemistry must also fit – but what happened this year ... sometimes I simply lack the words.

What I can’t hear anymore “It says so on the internet, it was written …” – before I recommended signing a contract with the consumer center; today one on the internet.

Now it’s your turn:


Thank you very much!

Morning Bauexperte,

please don’t take it the wrong way, but my experiences do align quite well with those of xycrazy.
The salespeople I have encountered are simply awful. Poor style, false information, deliberately not informing, putting on pressure, all of this is daily business for them. Even if you have no clue about a subject, you usually notice when you’re being taken for a ride. (At least I do.).

The rule of thumb you mentioned from earlier is interesting. But, that was earlier! Back then the house cost the customer only a fraction of what it costs today.
Those who want a lot now simply have to hustle a lot as well. That also includes the higher volume of offers, etc...

The fact that some customers then take all the information to the cheap provider and build with them confirms my opinion.
1) Obviously, the sellers fail to treat a customer in such a way that they feel completely comfortable and stay! (One wonders why that might be?)
2) How can it be that the cheap provider can build exactly like "you" at the end of the day? (You mentioned that customers take all the info to the cheap provider... Daihatsu, despite all info about how a Maybach looks and is built, can’t build a Mercedes and offer it cheaply. Quality is crap in direct comparison).

I always find it amusing to see... Construction is booming! No one has time to take on new orders! Everyone is busy and treats customers accordingly.

At the same time, sellers grumble that no deals are closing...

All very strange indeed.

Stromberg: Those who do not keep up with the times must keep up with the times.

It currently costs us 36% of our total income. But only as long as I am not working. When I start working again, we will be at around 22-28%.

What is a normal average or where should one be? For us it is 22% before the child and 28% since the first child with parental allowance...

On the subject of trust. We also only work with craftsmen whom we absolutely trust. For example, I would not talk to 14 GCs. We do individual contracting and ask only one craftsman for many trades. Just craftsmen we know (or craftsmen with a very good reputation and reference in the circle of friends). Trust is essential for me. You are simply too seldom on the construction site and as a layperson you also lack sufficient knowledge across all trades to want to deal with any botched work or other issues. Surely it costs us a few euros more... When you have the time, the knowledge, and only a few gray hairs, it certainly makes sense to take the cheapest and trim him to the desired quality.