On the topic of saving: you can do that. Paying off Bafög is also a form of saving, just not for yourself ;) Property is the first step.
What I would be thinking about in your place is your wife's fixed-term contract. A direct "boss" cannot create permanent positions in the public sector, even if they would like to. That and the leased company cars should be sorted out. Even a used Golf "Schlurre" will get you to the office.
it might be advisable to already complete the house planning etc. and have it ready in the drawer.
I don’t know how much sense that makes as long as the budget is not clarified. Currently, a reliable construction cost calculation is hardly possible. No one can predict how things will develop over the next 2-3 years. The embargo on Russian wood alone will cause quite a stir again. And who knows what will come the week after next that will affect the construction...
But I have to agree with , securing the plot is the first important step. That’s why I also don’t consider the proposal with the interim house suitable. With an interim house, you waste a lot of money on ancillary purchase costs, and in an area where plots cost the municipality €100, an interim house will certainly cost around €400k if it’s not going to be a fixer-upper. That would be €40-50k just for ancillary purchase costs, which the two do not have, by the way.
By the way, I know people who invest in the Bund Futur instead of Forward.
If the interest rate was high, they short the amount (so if he needs €500,000 for his investment in 3 years)
if the interest rate goes up, he makes quite a bit of money with the short, which he can then use as capital for the higher "interest" he has to pay later... cheaper than the "Forwardaufschlag" ;)