Interest rate development current situation. Build now or wait?

For a basement with excavation in WW you can add another 70-80k ;-)

So you don’t have to be a "community type."

I also loved my townhouse. But good neighbors can quickly become bad neighbors ;)
Anyway: I stand by townhouses, like them, and they are one way to live in a manageable and affordable place with a garden.

Here, however, townhouses are mainly built very centrally, so the land is of course significantly more expensive and therefore the total price is equivalent to a detached house.

Only houses located in already very expensive areas are for sale here. So the price is somehow about the same. At least that’s what I imagine, please don’t laugh.

Research shows that a prefabricated house here (in our imagination) from e.g. Rensch-Haus or Bien-Zenker costs 230,000k, plus additional costs as well as incidental building costs.

We are not completely naïve either, so we did not inquire anywhere or go to a bank.

You should have done that. Then you would have a number.

You mean that townhouses, older houses (your quotes) are more expensive than new builds. And you’re wrong. On top of that comes the "unpredictable factor x" with a new build. But you’d have to have read here and there in this forum to understand that. Building a house involves risk – those who cannot fall back on reserves might end up living in an unfinished house because the money ran out. And then there’s no savings rate left to improve anything. There won’t be a lawn mower for the lawn, no garden shed for bikes or garden furniture… you’re basically broke if you miscalculate.

A Bien-Zenker for 230,000 does not include a floor slab. Including incidental building costs you’re at 300,000. And then we are again, including purchase incidental costs, kitchen etc., at 400,000.

I also loved my terraced house. But good neighbors can very quickly turn into bad neighbors ;)
Anyway: I stand by terraced houses, like them, and it is a way to live in a clear and affordable way with a garden.

You should have done that. Then you would have a house number.

You mean that terraced houses, older houses (your quotes) are more expensive than new builds. And there you are wrong. On top of that comes the "unpredictable factor x" with a new build. But you would have to have read here and there in the forum to understand that. Building a house involves risk – if you can’t fall back on reserves, you might end up living in an unfinished house because the money ran out. And then there is no savings rate left to expand anything. There is also no lawnmower for the lawn, no garden shed for the bikes or garden furniture... you are basically broke if you miscalculate.

A Bien-Zenker for 230,000 has no base slab. Including incidental building costs you are at 300,000. And then again including additional purchase costs, kitchen, etc., you are at 400,000.

I am aware that unexpected costs can arise. I also know enough houses where no outdoor facilities exist at all. We have always said that this would not be an option for us.

That’s why I said "please don’t laugh." It just gave me the impression. Very rural plots are cheap, but there almost never is a house to buy there. In our area, houses are already very expensive. Of course, you can initially postpone cosmetic repairs, which are definitely advantages.

Regarding a new build, I still have to mention:
We could manage a lot through our own effort. Even the base slab wouldn't be a problem thanks to friends. Aside from the fact that surely not every company would agree to that and then of course there could be warranty issues.
All just thoughts.

So I’m not from the financial sector. But I see that despite a really good savings rate, you can hardly keep up with the construction prices. In my opinion, you should urgently go to your house bank and set the framework. Then you’ll know the range in which you can operate. If you’re looking for existing properties, it can easily take 2 years until something suitable comes up. The same goes for building, by the way. There are companies with waiting times of over 12 months. The good thing is that until then, you only pay interest on the drawn money and can continue saving in parallel. I wouldn’t bury the project outright considering the good financial overview and prudence. You don’t seem to be rushing into a financial disaster anyway. So you can safely take one or two steps forward.

For us, a house and the garden attached to it mean a piece of "freedom".

Just thoughts.

It is the right thoughts to consider how one wants to live and what that could do to oneself. The object alone does not contribute to the joy of life; only when it is a good home for life does satisfaction set in. The size, level, or equipment of the house or apartment does not play a superior role. A comparison of prices or properties elsewhere is completely irrelevant with regard to joy of life. Material things are often overrated. For this reason, I would not base the question of the right time on prices and the market – as already recommended on page 1 – but rather on one’s own life situation and personal balance of, for example, feeling of security, courage, and trust in one’s own competence. As long as you do not overextend yourself and do what contributes to joy of life, it is pretty irrelevant whether something might become cheaper later. Think about what really matters and you will make a good decision. Money is not as important as many other things. Money only becomes important when you have none and it is demanded of you. That should be kept in mind, nothing more.

For me, it also comes down to every terraced house I have visited (about 3–5 in my life) had rather a narrow, dark floor plan. I had the feeling someone had set an apartment upright. And then there’s this little towel garden where everything is basically already filled with patio furniture, grill, garden shed, and bicycles.

We were very happy in a terraced house for many years. The switch from the rental apartment was a milestone which we enjoyed to the fullest. A bit dark at the dining table? Bikes in the way? That didn’t matter at all. Moving into the residential area together with others and building a good neighborhood, on the other hand, was worth its weight in gold. Over the years money accumulated, with that our expectations rose (we didn’t take good care of ourselves there), and we just built again. It could have gone differently. With my wife, I could also happily live again in 35 sqm rented accommodation, but due to favorable conditions, I have no reason to do so.

The financial advisor has gotten back to us and we have scheduled an appointment for Saturday.