House purchase beginner questions

After years of consideration, I have thought about buying a house, I did some research on the internet and gained some experience.

For example, differences between semi-detached houses, terraced houses, detached single-family houses, etc.

My budget is up to €300,000.

I have decided on a semi-detached house; I would also be interested in your opinion, for example.

Important to me are, for example, a basement and a garden, at least 110 m² of living space.

I am looking for living space in Essen, Ruhr area.

What should I pay attention to when buying a house, what are the advantages and disadvantages.

I would also be interested in the running costs, how high are they, how are they calculated, etc.

What one-time costs will I face.

What is better, new build or old building, what are the advantages and disadvantages.

I would be very happy to hear about your experiences.

Well, most questions are already answered by reading here in the forum. As for the additional costs, only the previous owner of the house can give you exact information. For us, the house has additional costs at the same level as the previous rental apartment (with 70 sqm compared to 200 sqm house). But even with different rental apartments of the same size, there can be deviations of 200%. It probably looks the same for houses. I personally would never throw money to a real estate agent, never buy a house that is too old (before 1970), and definitely nothing other than a detached house on a larger plot. Wall to wall is absolutely not for me, everyone has to decide that for themselves. And preferably a bit further outside. You see, it really depends a lot on personal preferences, also whether you feel like doing something yourself or want everything ready and finished. You simply can't say that in general.

I personally would never throw money down a realtor's throat

I basically agree with that, but many properties are only available through a realtor. And if you happen to have a specific dream that is only available through the realtor, then you probably have to bite the bullet. It also doesn’t make sense to forgo certain offers just because I don’t want to "give" the realtor money.

At the moment, in many areas, you cannot choose to do without objects from real estate agents.

What one-time costs will I face?

Purchase price
+ property transfer tax
+ notary
+ possibly real estate agent
+ not mandatory; but highly recommended a building surveyor for inspection before purchase

+ possibly renovation costs
+ most likely renovation costs (painting/wallpapering/new floor coverings)
+ possibly new kitchen/furniture/etc.
+ moving costs
+ double burden (still paying rent; but already have to service the loan)

I would also be interested in the ongoing costs, how high are they, what are they based on, etc.

Banks calculate with €2.5-3 per sqm monthly. This is a first good benchmark.

Otherwise, these are very dependent on the property and location (fees for garbage/sewage for example can vary greatly depending on the municipality).

My budget is up to 300,000€

I am looking for living space in Essen Ruhrgebiet

Total budget 300k? Have you already surveyed the market a bit? Already secured financing?

From the bank side, there is no problem; a down payment is also possible.

Total only for the house purchase. All furniture and tiling work will be done by ourselves.

I have already looked around, but haven’t found anything suitable yet. For example, there is a newly built terraced house without a basement for 289,000, but I also find old buildings with basements averaging around 250,000. It depends on condition, size, etc. For example, if I see a house for under 200,000, I see a lot of work in it, which makes me wonder if a new build might be better after all.