First of all, I have to say, I believe no one has dared to ask Rick2018 why he and his wife (2 people) need a pure living area of about 435m2, exactly the same area that my child with family (4 people) hopefully will be able to call their own by the end of the month.
Apart from the building style, there are many parallels. His plot is slightly smaller than my daughter's, his pool is twice as large as my daughter's (existing and they wouldn't want to build), he grew up with 4 people in 85m2, my daughter with me in 75m2. And the real estate prices are almost the same, although Rick has top of the range standards, which my daughter can only hope to reach halfway in the next few months. So a run-down shack versus a new build.
Unlike Rick, there will be more rooms, a multi-purpose room with 100m2 is not a desire. More bedrooms are also needed, also because of the parents on both sides who usually live abroad and stay for longer than a day when visiting. The biggest wishes, however, are a large utility room and a proper wardrobe with cabinets. The kitchen and dining room will be one room of probably just under 40m2, the kitchen will probably even be a bit smaller than the old one you probably know (pre-made kitchens). Finally, one gets their own office. The gym will be moved to the garage because the garage can hardly be reached by car anyway.
The living area results a) from the desired residential area (children's school in the next village), b) the wish for more distance from neighbors, therefore the larger plot and c) increased value in a sought-after area if the renovation is done so that it results in added value. And if you want a larger plot, you usually have investors breathing down your neck who want to put several houses on it. But because of the political and economic situation, they are holding their feet still at the moment and you can strike. So basically you buy the plot WITH a house on it, no matter what condition or size.
With all due respect, honestly, I am left speechless. With over 400 sqm, you can accommodate 3 families. We have a 90 sqm living-dining-kitchen room, 3 bedrooms, which are quite small. But give each 10 sqm more and they would be huge rooms. Our hallway is nicely large (due to the bungalow). Only the 2 storage rooms are a bit smaller. But even if I gave the whole thing another 100 sqm so I could dance ballet next to the washing machine, I would "only" come to 250 sqm. Then another 50 sqm for the parents/in-laws, and it would already be a gigantic 300 sqm. But 435??? Well, whoever wants and can. I wouldn't enjoy such a castle at all, I'd have to clean and keep it tidy too.
Since my parents are flirting with a bungalow nearby, I have a bit of an eye on the market prices. You can see that the first run-down shacks are dropping in price. Even if only homeopathically. Many still haven't got the message though. They're still waiting to see if there's a fool who wants to pay.