No building plot can be found in the southern part of Schleswig-Holstein

Hello forum members,

We are in our mid and early 30s with 2 not very big children and have been wanting to build a house for about 2.5 years.
This post is mainly about the (non-existent) plot of land and the price.
First the most important thing: Together we both earn 6250 euros net. Child benefit is extra.
We are quite satisfied with the salary, it is still growing, but very slowly.
We both work in the Hamburg Stellingen area. We currently live in a good 4-room shared apartment in Elmshorn.
The apartment costs 980 euros all-inclusive plus electricity etc.

We have saved about 60,000 euros in equity.
There are a few small financings running and a car is leased at 650 euros per month (remaining term a little over a year).

Now to why I am here.
That Hamburg is expensive is no question. We are not looking for anything there either.
We are not tied to a location and would "gladly" accept a commuting distance to work of 40-50 km.
For 2 years we have been trying to find a plot of land, and it seems almost impossible.
We do not want to go to the village for ourselves and because of the children. Doing a child taxi every day is not a pleasant prospect.

The places that come into question: Elmshorn, Norderstedt (but only obligatorily mentioned), Quickborn, Kaltenkirchen, Henstedt-Ulzburg, Rellingen, Ahrensburg.
To summarize:
There are no plots of land from the municipalities, and it seems there will soon be none.
There are only a few plots available on the free market, and they are mostly where you do not want to live (not even for free) and on top of that extremely expensive.
Extremely expensive means 550,000 euros :eek::oops:. Moreover, the plot is not even full value. Often a narrow strip.

So the only option left is to buy a fixer-upper and tear it down.
It does not look much better there either. One has to reckon with 350,000-400,000+ euros. The selection is not large, in all the above-mentioned places maybe 2-3 in total.
Absolutely overpriced. Including notary, demolition, land transfer costs, you are at 500,000 euros just for the plot. And I repeat, there is nothing like "I really like it", "Everything is perfect". For that money you basically get a plot. No matter how the sun rises, no matter what neighbors are there. If you also focus on that, you won’t find anything even in 10 years.

Let’s establish: plot 500,000 euros all-in for approx. 700-800 sqm. Whoever disagrees with me now, I would be willing to buy something good.
We are still looking because simply nothing is there, and we do not want to pay 500,000 euros for junk.

Then comes the house construction.
Roughly estimated, we will need realistically at least 400,000 euros (more likely more) for 160-180 sqm living space including garage without basement. Kitchen included.
All the exterior facilities, ancillary construction costs, and house furnishings with furniture and lamps etc. will also cost their 100,000 euros.

So we are at one million.
A whole million. For a normal house. Okay, with the planning how we would like it.

We have spoken with the bank, we would somehow be able to finance it.
Our goal is to be done in 25 years. The monthly rate is tight. We can manage it, but what if someone becomes unemployed in 10 years?
Our jobs are actually secure, but only actually. Nothing is secure anymore today.
My wife and I have extreme respect for such a huge loan for a property that (if we are honest) is overpriced and does not reflect the value.

Now the question to the great forum.
Do you have to accept the plot price of 500,000 euros, or would we be the only fools to fall for it and pay these prices?
Tried to negotiate. At most a few thousand euros are possible, which basically changes nothing about it.

Has anyone perhaps built here in the area not long ago? How did you find your plot? We have tried all the "tips and tricks" for searching for plots. Without success and without a real prospect of success.

Thank you very much for reading
Frank and Jasmin J

Building in existing structures is not an option for you? There are so many beautiful, well-modernized old buildings that don't look like they're from the prefab house catalog. A friend bought a small settlement house in Elmshorn a year ago and paid a total of just under 600,000 with an architect and core renovation for about 160 sqm of living space (my estimate).

There are only a few plots available on the open market,

The plots are often just very well hidden in the Deep Market. Take a look here "11ant Barthel" ;-)

We have tried all the "tips and tricks" for searching plots. Without success and without any real prospect of success.

Which ones were those?

Building within existing structures is not an option for you? There are so many beautiful, well-modernized old buildings that don’t look like they’re from the prefab house catalog. A friend bought a small settlement house in Elmshorn a year ago and paid just under 600,000 in total with an architect and full renovation for about 160 sqm of living space (my estimate).

Thank you very much for your answer. Of course, buying an existing property was an option. I don’t want to come across as picky with the attitude of "we don’t like anything." It’s much more about the fact that these properties are terribly expensive and the asking prices don’t even remotely correspond to their value. We keep wondering how the seller comes up with this price. I think it happens because everyone looks at comparable offers, and they don’t want to sell their "little treasure" cheaply, since they think they can get a lot more money for it. As I wrote above, a complete dump costs 400,000 euros. Something that looks like a house AND resembles our dream house in its design already costs at least 650,000++ Much too expensive. It’s not that we can’t afford that. It’s simply about deliberately buying something intentionally overpriced from the start. Then there’s the renovation on top of that. You’re almost! at the same price as a new build. And honestly, whether I take out a loan for 900,000 euros or 830,000 is basically the same amount to me. Because it’s an extremely large amount either way. With the new build, you actually get exactly what you want. Only minimally more expensive. But at these sums, it doesn’t matter o_O

The properties often just hide very well in the Deep Market. Take a look here for "11ant Barthel" ;-)

I entered "11ant Barthel" in the forum search. I will click through links with (I have figured that out by now) your tips.

Which ones were those?

What you can find on YouTube and Google. Asking neighbors, going for walks, talking to people, etc.
People tend to look at you strangely – "I'm not selling my house" (although it wasn't about their house at all) and "leave me alone." All asked very nicely :rolleyes:

Well, you can either keep burying yourselves in bitterness or look at what is available for you in this market. That means finding compromises and allowing imagination. Don’t think in terms of a dream house in principle, but rather living quality. You are looking in a region with a lot of purchasing power competition. 40-50 km from Hamburg, slightly urban - it feels like every second young family wants that. And yes, it is completely frustrating when you are not poor and still it’s not enough for a modest dream house.