Knowing the credit limit one year in advance – is that possible?

Very simple solution. Have the property appraised or agree on a purchase price, now go to the notary. Handover and payment of the purchase price in January/February 2023. This way, you can already finalize financing now.

So basically, there would probably be two areas to address:

1. Clarify with the bank/financial advisor what is currently possible and how exactly your situation is assessed.
2. Determine what the house is worth or what price suits both parties. There are several options here:
- You jointly determine the value, for example based on what is offered on real estate portals and is "comparable"
- The bank grants you insight into their possible assessment (I think this is rather "unlikely")
- You have an expert appraisal (Verkehrswertgutachten) created (costly and possibly also time-consuming)
- You contact the Gutachterausschuss für Grundstückswerte to request information from the purchase price collection; there, with your details (location, house description (own limitations possible)), you receive purchase cases recorded in the purchase price collection and can thus determine the value through comparable prices. Of course, this fails if hardly anything or nothing comparable has been sold in the vicinity of the house in recent years. However, the information is significantly cheaper than an appraisal and can provide good indications if sales are available.

Exactly like this:

They are apparently moving into a new apartment (because of "projects" and the year lead time). Honestly, when I clear out the house, I still want to live nicely, and if I commit now, I also want to be able to afford it later.

But even if it's in an existing property, my parents plan very far ahead and already want to know their budget for the property search, which they are already slowly starting. It’s not about getting as much as possible from us, but about knowing for sure how much the bank will give us.
Regarding the bank: I will approach them; I was missing an idea of how to present the situation meaningfully. In the end, it boils down to me wanting to know today exactly what would be granted to us in 365 days – I find that essentially a “weird” request.

The post from helps me further here.

Why is the option “buy now” (regardless of deadlines etc.) not considered?

Because I’m worrying about other people’s heads over whether, with our current equity situation (enough for ancillary purchase costs, which don’t even include the real estate transfer tax, so 100% financed) PLUS the current deadline PLUS the probation period of the other new job, we would get a reasonable amount.
Also, I know my parents – such a construct with rent until moving out would be suspicious to them, with reasons that are by no means rational.
On the other hand, the income easily fits the loan amount.

What would be the ideal course of this approach branch with the “transitional rent” in the formerly owned house?

I do not find the request strange at all nor unusual. It should be clear to everyone involved that no one has a crystal ball. In other words, if you obtain information about the future now and, for whatever (unlikely) reasons, something significant changes, the construct can no longer stand.

Hmm, I think my initial post was not clear enough. My parents want to know NOW as precisely as possible what we can afford to pay in about a year. Because they want to use the sales price about 1:1 for their new property and want planning security: Which price category can I already look at/apply for? Since we want to finance about 100%, it is interesting how a bank would lend against the property. I have two problems with this: a) No idea how to sell such a story to a bank. Advise me now for a situation in a volatile environment in one year, then I might come back to you? b) Our current job status. That is actually safe, but on paper a fixed-term employment contract ends soon and is supposed to be converted into a civil servant status, and in case two, a probationary period is currently ongoing. It is about a MARKET value estimated at 350k - 400k, income 5,800/month rising, no children present or possible in the future. Thanks for the previous contributions.

What speaks against officially acquiring the property NOW? Interest rates are rising.

My parents already want to know as precisely as possible NOW what we can pay in about a year.

They don't want to take advantage of us, but also don't want to sell below value.

Somehow this seems a bit strange to me for a typical parent-child relationship. To me it says: they want to squeeze you to the limit so that not a single cent is lost (which would anyway stay in the family). Feel free to talk to a bank or an independent advisor, explain the future situation, and then they will be able to give you a number. But I would pay less attention to what you can afford and more to what is reasonable under the given circumstances. Often – especially nowadays – homeowners are very taken by the "value" of their property, which in my view is not necessarily appropriate when it comes to first-degree relatives, but of course not all families are the same.