Newly built condominium advice on construction description etc.

Good morning everyone,

we have finally found a condominium that is suitable for us, after coming to the conclusion that it is nearly impossible for us to build a house. Now I have a few questions and I hope you can help me.

1. "Contract structure":
There is a developer who has commissioned an architect to build a multi-family house with 6 residential units on her property with separate trade contracts.
The developer has also appointed a "real estate agent" to sell the newly created apartments. We are in contact with this man. He is also a building surveyor and financing broker.
Is this kind of arrangement common?

2. Process:
We spoke with the real estate agent and found him basically trustworthy; we asked many questions and he answered everything well. He said we would have to give him a purchase commitment, then he would reserve the apartment for us and prepare the contracts. Afterwards, the appointment at the notary. A withdrawal before the notary appointment would cost a few hundred euros because of the costs for preparing the contract documents.
Is this normal?

3. Construction description:
This point unsettles me the most. Since we initially wanted to build a house, I have read some construction descriptions of prefabricated houses, which were in part very detailed. This one is quite roughly designed.
For example, it says "Construction of an Effizienzhaus 40+ basement made of precast concrete parts, ground floor/upper floor in solid construction," but details such as data for soundproofing or thermal insulation are not included. Likewise, technical data for the air-to-air heat pump or the decentralized ventilation system. I will write down a few points as examples (if relevant, I can also provide it in full):

[*]Base plate: gravel layer, 25 cm concrete slab, stainless steel ring earth electrode, drainage pipes KG2000 DN100, PE foil under foundation slab, continuous perimeter insulation
[*]Basement: exterior wall prefabricated two-shell elements with in-situ concrete core, waterproofing, 120 mm perimeter insulation, dimpled membrane with fleece. Interior wall 12 cm precast concrete parts
[*]Ceiling above basement, ground floor, upper floor: reinforced concrete ceiling
[*]Stairs: concrete stairs, covering "rosa beta"
[*]Elevator
[*]Ground floor/upper floor: exterior walls: masonry wall 36.5 cm insulated, lime plaster interior paint, silicate plaster exterior paint. Interior walls Olanz brick 24 cm, 11.5 cm, lime plaster white paint.
[*]Windows: plastic window systems triple glazing with warm edge according to DIN EN673, number/size see plan
[*]Front door: aluminum main entrance door
[*]Heating: air-to-air heat pump, underfloor heating
[*]Ventilation: decentralized
[*]Photovoltaic system: generation including power storage 6.5 kWp, 6.5 kWh
[*]Sanitary: UP support for washbasin + WC, HT pipes as wastewater pipes, cold/hot water pipes made of plastic composite material, bathroom fixtures see plan, execution program Clivia.
[*]Interior finishing: window sills artificial stone, tiles and floor coverings €80/sqm including labor, interior doors hollow core, apartment entrance doors fire-resistant doors.

He said that nothing is written about the values of the walls, windows, etc., because it meets the requirements of the Kfw 40+ standard and is built accordingly. Regarding the technical equipment, I wanted to know the manufacturer/model, but he said that is not specified more precisely either because the manufacturer might no longer exist at time X or the model may no longer be produced.

What do you think about this? Do you have any helpful tips for us? What should we pay attention to?

Is this composition a common construct?

What should be unusual about someone building a house with apartments and having them sold through a broker? Whether they build it with a general contractor or an architect and individual trades is ultimately irrelevant to you, because you only have the seller as your contact person.

Is something like this normal?

Yes. In most cases, the reservation fee is not legally sound and is therefore very often successfully reclaimed by customers.
Or should the costs only be incurred if you do not go to the notary? If you commission the notary (or the broker to act on your behalf at the notary) to create contract documents and then cancel the appointment, you must of course bear the incurred notary costs. It is normal at the notary that he receives payment for his work.

3. Building description:
This point unsettles me the most. Since we wanted to build a house before, I have read some building descriptions of prefabricated houses that were sometimes very detailed. This one is designed quite roughly.

He said that nothing was written down about the values of the walls, windows, etc. because it meets the requirements of the KfW 40+ standard and is built accordingly. Regarding the technical equipment, I would have liked to know the manufacturer/model, but he said that is also not specified more precisely because it could be that the manufacturer might no longer exist at time X or that the model might no longer be produced.
What do you think about that? Do you have helpful tips for us? What should we pay attention to?

The landowner is also right there. That is common with such small/unprofessional projects. In larger developments it isn’t much better either, as then it says "windows according to energy specifications, Veka, Kömmerling or similar," "heating system including underfloor heating according to respective calculation, heating models Vaillant xy, Daikin or similar," "sanitary fittings Renova No. 1 or comparable." What is installed is usually what is available and fits the budget. Otherwise, the entire project must be calculated with higher costs and longer construction times. Then the customers complain though.

Is it essentially important for you to know the manufacturer of the heating or windows?

Hello,

thank you very much for your detailed answer. That already helps me since I unfortunately lack any experience and only have information that I have read on the internet. Of course, these cannot always be applied to the individual situation of others, so thank you for that.

Regarding the costs in case of withdrawal: No, this is not a reservation fee, it would really only be costs for document preparation and the notary, i.e. the expenses already incurred which he will be stuck with if we withdraw contrary to our verbal commitment, for whatever reasons.

Regarding the building description: No, of course this is not essentially important to me, as long as the standard required by Kfw is met. Whether it is heating system X or Y does not matter, as long as it is not rubbish and heats properly.

I probably wouldn't have a problem with that, as long as the standard is met. Does the agent take a commission from you?

Hello ypg,

no brokerage or commission is due. Only the pure purchase price of the apartment and parking spaces, plus tax/notary/land registry.
He also said that since it is a purchase contract and not a work contract, we would be "protected" from any price increases of the trades, which would have to be borne by the client.

That is also a developer for you. Looks fine to me, the construction description is also clearly more detailed in the shell construction descriptions than that of my condominium. Looks pretty good to me. What is even more interesting with condominiums is the question of special and common property, declaration of division, initial house rules, whether a property management is already assigned, etc. You should also commission your own building expert early on to accompany you.