Is new construction under 400k€ still actually possible?

The initial question cannot be answered as such.

What is certain, however, is that only a few can still afford a single-family house. Twenty years ago, almost everyone in our area who wanted one actually had one. And of course with 300m2 and top equipment.

Euro, immigration, and the construction boom have destroyed the dream of owning a house for many. It remains to be seen if anything can still be saved. The consequences will be very poor pensioners and widespread devastating old-age poverty.

20 years ago, practically everyone in our area had one of those. And of course with 300m2 and top equipment.

You don't really mean that - do you?

Bookstar, this is a new but also interesting topic. Currently, several things are coming together. Boom times. Zero interest rates. Rush to metropolitan regions. This makes land scarce and very expensive in these areas. Boom times allow for cherry-picking, you no longer build things like RH or DH, preferably condominiums or stately Tuscan villas instead. What promises relief? Death. The death of my baby boomer generation, which will bring significant space to the real estate market in the future. In my profession, out of 76 full-time positions in our area, two-thirds will retire between 2020 and 2030, and since there are far too few young people, the pool of full-time positions will have to be reduced to 46 by 2030. That also means something for the real estate market. Of course! And in addition, in my opinion, digitalization will make home office and e-commerce possible from remote areas, which will benefit rural regions that currently still have locational disadvantages. But.... only if 5g also reaches the milk cans out there! Whereas in SH Fiber to Home is being built out almost everywhere or already is. Karsten

Really, you don’t know any houses without roller shutters? It must be something regional. Here with us, roller shutters are normal, not just in new buildings; in the north, where our second home is, roller shutters are the exception, but there the power outlet tornado including it, which I didn’t know here a bit further south

Yes, that vacuum installation was quite an extra cost for us. In return, I am now happy about our highly luxurious platinum equipment (i.e. with roller shutters). But again about this roller shutter phobia: how do you North Sea people actually shade the house in summer? Then you can almost save on insulation if the sunlight just hits right through the windows...

But back to this roller shutter phobia: how do you North Sea people actually shade your house in summer? Then you can almost forget about insulation if the sunlight just blasts through the windows...

One could now say maliciously that there is no real summer up there I honestly only know houses here with roller shutters... at least on most windows. But I can well imagine that the wind in the north is often so strong that the roller shutters rattle and the summer is indeed not comparable to more southern regions (according to a North German who moved here to Hesse and according to a Hessian who now lives in the north)... so roller shutters might actually be unnecessarily expensive purchases there

Our house 163. Garage 8. Earthworks 7, connections etc. 10, kitchen 5. Painting and floors 7

That gives 1833/sqm. Without furniture.

Why Karsten (well, just by one person) was picked on here is beyond me considering these numbers.
We quote 2000/sqm as the calculation basis for houses with more features here in the forum. So it is completely within range and not even unfairly cheap.

The discipline was just in being modest with fewer sqm overall and fewer upgrades. That's it.

So for the initial question that means: Yes, building a house is still possible for under 400k (minus land).

I can only agree with the analysis that the cost explosion also lies in things that are nowadays seen as a standard by feel. A controlled residential ventilation system is simply more expensive than opening windows yourself. Surprise...