Location Location Location! Or not?

Hello,

some time ago I already started a thread here about whether it would be possible for a well-paid divorced woman with a child to realize the lifelong dream of owning a house. The answers were very nice, as long as I continued to approach this dream realistically.

Now the very arduous search for a plot of land is coming up and I quickly found myself back in the current reality...

I currently live in a small town in the Ostalb district about 65 km from Stuttgart. In this small town, the price per square meter for plots in new development areas is about 250€ with an upward trend. I currently have a commute of about 15 km to my workplace. My workplace is in another nearby small town and has prices per square meter from 220€ (suburbs) upwards (city center), depending on the location. The fact is unfortunately that I cannot afford these prices! No amount of calculating helps here.

The more I look around, the more I notice that there are well-equipped small towns with good infrastructure and connections to Stuttgart or Ulm about every 20 to 30 km. Thus, the prices per square meter in the villages are also beyond reasonable (usually from 200€ per sqm). In addition comes the so-called local resident model.

Now a new development area is being designated in a nearby village with about 1200 inhabitants. I like the surroundings. Shopping opportunities are available by car. There is an elementary school and kindergarten on site (one should never say never) and good bus connections to secondary schools for my son. Hobbies require driving, I am used to that and willing to do so. I myself come from the absolute countryside. The price is 150€ per sqm, also with an upward trend. For me, actually the upper limit...

I am now considering applying for a building plot. The disadvantage is the significantly longer commute to my workplace of about 25 km. Since I am civil servant for life, I see hardly any necessity to have to sell the house again, unless something happens to me and I have to sell. Then I anyway see other problems. My son will probably not necessarily move into this house when he is grown up. If he inherits something, lucky, if not, tough luck.

How important do you estimate the location of the plot to be when you are simply financially limited? My parents got their house about 35 years ago that way. Away from the metropolitan area, into the countryside. Would you look for plots further out to be able to realize your dream? I am simply uncertain...

If you can imagine the area and you like it there, that doesn't sound bad at all! 25km to work is not much, in my opinion. Of course, it depends a bit on what the route is like (100 red lights or something) and how the traffic is during rush hour. Is the area near your parents? Or are they not around in the area anyway?

I think it is now 25km more! So instead of 15km, 40km... I find that quite a lot, unless those are highway kilometers!

We saved about 50% with the [Einheimischenmodell], so instead of €500 only €250/sqm.
Of course, that is a crazy amount of money, but it’s only about 30 minutes on country roads to Nuremberg.

Location costs money and it has to be worth it to you!

No, no. It is currently 15 km and would then be 25 km. But it goes completely through the countryside, also through the current small town. Google Maps says the driving time would then be just under 30 minutes. There is also a route via the federal highway, but then in the morning you might easily drive.... an hour.

Yes, location costs and it has to be worth something to you. But you also have to be able to afford it! And this is exactly where I struggle! I only have a limited budget and of course want to get the optimum for myself in the end, just like everyone else here probably does.

Oh, with us the term Einheimischenmodell means that only locals can apply for a building plot at all. So I would first have to live in this place for several years to have any chances at all.

Yes, with us too. I had lived in that town as a child (<10 years requirement) and with my two children I was then in the Top 5!

But in the town where you have 25km to work, you get the sqm for 150€? And you could afford that then? Then I would definitely take it. It certainly won't get cheaper!