House buying - No idea what one can afford

then you don’t buy the property because of the rental income - you can hardly factor that in. Financing used properties without equity is by the way an entirely different level of difficulty, since renovation work is not fully credited as value-increasing (at least not at all banks).

yes, it is really not an easy topic, that is of course known to everyone. Older houses have the renovation risk, new houses are very expensive and difficult with plots of land, especially in NRW (area Essen) and good not quite so old ones hardly exist anymore.

At first I was enthusiastic about prefabricated houses, but what I have partially read here about all that comes together and the risk with civil engineering etc. (cellar is a must for us) - financially that is all very very difficult to calculate in advance...

It's not for nothing that people say that building a house is THE life project for many people.
Looking back, I didn't find it that dramatic - what you need is money; or rather a good understanding of what you can really afford / will be able to afford.
You also eventually realize that the whole thing will be a compromise (at least for most people) - location, size, amenities - it's important that in the end you are satisfied and don't constantly look left and right to see how great everyone else has it (this is generally something many people need to improve on).

What unsettles me the most with new construction - and at this point it doesn't matter whether it's a prefab project or solid construction - are the potential problems with the underground work for the basement... I have very often read that it can then become significantly more expensive if there are problems there...

But we also have to take a look at such a provider, have discussions and so on...

What unsettles me most with new construction - and at this point it doesn't matter whether it's a prefab project or solid construction - are the potential problems in the civil engineering for the basement... I've read very often now that it can become significantly more expensive if there are problems...

But we also have to check out such a provider, have talks and so on...

You simply can't look into the ground, if you hit rock or have to take special measures against water, it gets more expensive...

But you can reduce the risk by having a soil survey done... blindly buying something is not the best choice. It also helps to simply ask around the neighborhood what all had to be done there.