Negotiating with tradespeople - Price advantage like in the bazaar?

Hello everyone,

I just wanted to ask around and see how you handled negotiating / haggling with the different trades / craftsmen. From A to Z (so from shell construction to plumbing to plasterer to photovoltaic system).

There are people who find "bargaining" rather inappropriate / rude towards the craftsman / the respective trade company. What is the usual practice in Germany when building a single-family house?

Does the craftsman / company (e.g. the electrician or plumber) maybe always include a small percentage in their price that they can easily reduce when asked to negotiate? If the customer simply doesn’t ask for a better price, then they are happy about that. However, that is not the profit, since they obviously don’t want to come out of negotiating without a profit.

Some might say "We’re not at a bazaar here." Is it rather rude in Germany to try to get a few percent off the price, or is it common practice in the single-family house construction industry?

Let me hear about your experiences.
I just don’t want to come across as unpleasant with local companies, because it’s quite frowned upon in the single-family house construction industry.

Regards
annab337

How is it usually when building a single-family house in Germany?

Yes, it is. Germans live by the motto "stinginess is cool!" The main thing is cheap – but cheap often doesn't lead to the goal. Two possibilities: 1: Negotiate the price with every craftsman – it's exhausting. 2: Open communication with the craftsmen. Please submit a good offer. I don't haggle if the price is good (and I get the feeling that the performance fits). I've been using Varia for a long time

If offers are overpriced, look for new contracting partners.
A fair price is acceptable to both parties, so one should neither have to nor want to bargain.
Live and let live.

I have always negotiated a little. 2-5% discount or cash discount often worked.

if you are not an expert, you don’t know if the offer from the local provider is overpriced.

And if, as just wrote, I always get 2-5% discount, then the cheap offer can become even better for your wallet. But even a supposedly "overpriced" offer from the local provider will be better for the wallet.

Various offers were obtained and in the end there were only one or two companies left anyway. There wasn’t much room for bargaining. You can be glad if anyone at all sends an offer or has time within the next few weeks.