House purchase / Equity / Construction financing

My husband and I come from Cologne West and plan to buy a house in the new year. Building a house is out of the question for us because the plots of land are too expensive for us.

We have some equity on hand and we were at the NRW.Bank and with mortgage lenders. We can only afford up to 350,000 euros. More is not possible with our budget.

We have been searching for a few weeks. The prices vary a lot, also depending on the size. As a layperson, I find it a bit difficult to tell if the price is fair or if they just want to sell overpriced. We check various realtors’ websites every day, as well as the well-known site: immo...24. At first, we wanted to do it without an agent because we would save about 10,000 euros and invest it in the home. But in Cologne, that’s impossible, so rather with an agent.

It happened to us twice that we liked the houses (2x), but they were gone so quickly. We haven’t been able to see two properties in person yet. What should we do better?? You can’t look that fast.

How exactly does the energy certificate work? What should we pay attention to? Should a building expert already be with us at the first viewing or rather at the second?? Because coming along the first time makes sense so we can act faster. How much would a building expert cost? And where can you find one?

We thank you for your experiences/tips.

It happened to us twice that we liked the houses (2x), but they were gone so quickly. We haven't been able to see 2 properties in person yet. What should we do better?? You can't look that fast.

Others or I myself have done it like this: View, agree, and send the (non-binding) financing commitment from the bank to the sellers all within one day. Whoever hesitates is out in many areas. Maybe also near Cologne.

How exactly does the energy certificate work? What do we have to watch out for? Should the building surveyor be there at the 1st viewing or rather the 2nd?? Because coming along at the 1st makes sense so that we can act faster. What would a building surveyor cost? And where can you find one?

Energy certificates are hardly worth the paper they're printed on. See it as a rough guide value. Just accept it. Cheap properties are always energy class H anyway.

You can't take a surveyor with you on the first appointment. Do you want to pay him 10x if you always get rejections? No, you have to be able to assess the house yourself and judge whether it's worth the purchase price for you. Decide directly to accept or reject. Afterwards, you still have time to bring someone along for a second appointment.

You haven't been looking long yet. Buying a house can take far more than one or two years. You are still at the very beginning. The more you view, the more you inform yourselves, etc., the easier and faster it will get. Sorry, but you just have to be patient and keep at it. Don't buy anything out of panic because the Baukindergeld will soon no longer be available.

We sold this terraced house in Kaarst. Similar situation as in Cologne West. Since the house belonged to my parents and a smooth process was a priority, we gave it to a real estate agent. The first appointments were quickly made. On the first day, 6 people came to view the house. One couple brought a self-disclosure regarding solvency/financing and were very likable. Another couple offered €10,000 more. We decided on the couple with the meaningful documents because we considered them a good fit for the neighborhood and believed the purchase process would likely be without setbacks. There was no second viewing appointment. Conclusion: House sold within a few days, desired price obtained, one morning of visits, all hassle was handled by the agent – who is happy about a good income and the new owners are also happy.

Why I am writing this – maybe you can also increase your chances if you bring some kind of self-disclosure that demonstrates financing security to the first viewing appointment. How far would you be willing to go into Cologne West? It’s not many kilometers until the price and demand become a bit more relaxed.

In our family, a house was sold, with viewings one after another. The house went to those who gave the verbal commitment first, even though others could have presented better documents early on and presumably more money. The real estate agent didn’t even place an advertisement, only formally in a regional cheesy paper. The interested parties found out about it anyway through village gossip.

I have always done it this way (as a tenant), giving a commitment within 24 hours at the latest and – if appropriate – providing a comprehensive self-disclosure. A seller doesn’t want to hear about any problems with financing or otherwise. You already outshine 50% of the others who don’t have their paperwork or approach clear.

For our plot in a building gap, acquaintances recommended us to the seller. Over coffee and cake, we convinced the conservative part of the seller’s family that the plot would remain beautiful despite the house and that we would be nice neighbors. There were no other applicants; the plot was never on the market.

What helps most are some sort of contacts to the seller, their relatives or acquaintances, or neighbors. Contacts to the agent, manager, or intermediary also help.

Initially, we wanted to do it without a realtor because we would save about 10,000 euros and want to invest it in the house.

We want to sell our house in Baden-Württemberg without a realtor; a realtor was out of the question for us from the start. The interested parties all praise us for it and say how great they find it, but no one buys the house anyway. We will wait a little longer, then we will give it to a realtor after all, because obviously we are doing something wrong as laypeople if it is not possible for us to sell a house in a medium-sized city nowadays, even though we marked the price as a "negotiable basis." I am very reluctant to deal with realtors, but if there is no other way.

The situation is really turned upside down. I am so glad that I quietly found a building plot and did not have to jump through hoops/do a servant for an object that would have been a slow mover before, in order to thankfully transfer a large amount.