Old building or new building?

Yes, I saw an interesting report the other day... It was mainly about demographic change. That fewer children are being born and that the real estate boom will decline in the coming decades. Prices will drop sharply in rural areas because everyone has found their properties in the metropolitan areas... Then there will be a lot of vacancies and an increased demand for age-appropriate properties! Currently, there is low interest... Who knows if everyone can afford the follow-up financing.. ... It’s not easy at all...

Exactly. And unfortunately, such overarching trends are really interesting, but often not very helpful for today. You have to live somewhere – but currently you have a problem with the current housing situation. Alternative – rent again & sell. Can you get something reasonable right now? Or buy again and renovate or build new. This option is only open to you because of the semi-detached house. That also belongs to the trend. With your current salary alone, (expensive) renting would be the only option. What speaks against an initial plan for a complete renovation & extension, parallel to further monitoring of the market? You see the properties – is there a better house, and what does it cost? How much needs to be invested then? All the sums side by side, and roughly calculate with a calculator what rates you would have..

You have a plot of 350 m2 and that is too small for you with a semi-detached house?

So in new construction, in Nuremberg you have a terraced house with less than 200 m2 of land (the garden is really small) at at least 600 TE and with a semi-detached house at 750 TE, the latter with rather 300 m2.

Outskirts of Nuremberg

. Realistically, existing houses up to 450 k are definitely possible..

450 TE purchase price in Nuremberg means a terraced house in need of renovation or a small semi-detached house like yours to renovate... including additional costs and renovation you’ll probably be back at 600 TE, advantage is that plots in existing stock are often larger than in new builds.

And the prices in the immediate surrounding area are practically identical. To achieve the reported 300 euros/m2 for building land you have to go about 50 km out, districts WUG, NM, NEA or AN, in LAU or ERH maybe still Pommersfelden or Pommelsbrunn. : And even if you are willing to pay that, you first have to get an offer – difficult!

Where exactly is your "Outskirts of Nuremberg"? And where is the geographical pain threshold?

First. Form your own opinion and preferably not from Bild or any reports. Only the crystal ball can say what will happen in 10 years. Mine is at least defective.

Did anyone think about Covid19 or the massive refugee wave 10 years ago? There are too many variables to plan that seriously. You are sure? I am sure that you know nothing about the future! One can only make assumptions that are as certain as 14-day weather forecasts.

You are sure that you don’t like the house? Then you have a pretty high hit rate at least
Then: sell it! Even if it sounds arrogant to some here. A built house can also be a punishment!
I also tinkered for many years in my parents' house and in the end was not satisfied.
If the finances are not enough, it might be enough at first to look for a suitable plot without a building obligation and then, when the salary situation has improved, build. In the meantime, an appropriate apartment and keep saving.

Then: Sell it! Even if it sounds arrogant to some here. A built-up house can also be a punishment!

How built-up is it?
: would you like to post floor plans? Maybe we can come up with useful ideas here on how to achieve a bathroom initially without adding a storey.

Moreover, it would probably cost a fortune to have the street closed with school and buses, believe me, I have already inquired extensively and have also thought about it..
Besides, the house is located on a busy main road. Opposite are 3 schools. From 7 am to 4 pm there is a lot going on here with easily 8 buses in front of the door, etc.

What should something like that cost? There are plenty of school holidays. In summer even six weeks. It is important here to take reputable specialist companies that have a good reputation for keeping schedules. Three months of closures with self-performed adding a storey will probably not be approved for you. But if you start the planning now with an architect, building permit, etc., the addition can take place next summer.

We have renovated complete walls, floors, and windows in our semi-detached house entirely by ourselves. I am not afraid of work.

I always admire that very much. I have also tried a lot on my own labor. Still, you have to spend money on craftsmen at some point, and also an architect is worth more money than many think. In retrospect, I would have booked my architect for more than just the building application.
You would have needed the architect right at the beginning to properly plan floor plans, sanitary, etc. Now you still need one for the addition. And he has to create proper floor plans for the building application anyway. You should have done this input and floor plan discussion before the renovation started, but now it is as it is. A structural engineer will also have to work properly. Now in hindsight, where floors have already been laid, much is no longer possible without renewed demolition. I can understand well that you are a bit frustrated and would rather want a new house instead of finishing this house.

But as I said, just post floor plans here first. Especially the floor plan section of the forum is very helpful and creative. They will certainly show you useful solutions, I am sure of that.

First of all. Form your own opinion and preferably not from Bild and some documentaries. Only a crystal ball can say what will happen in 10 years. Mine is at least broken.

Would anyone have thought about Covid19 or the massive refugee wave 10 years ago? There are too many variables to plan this seriously. Are you sure? I am sure that you don’t know anything about the future! You can only make assumptions that are as reliable as 14-day weather forecasts.

Are you sure you don't like the house? Then you have a pretty high hit rate at least. Then: sell it! Even if it sounds arrogant to some here, a built house can also be a punishment! I also tinkered around in my parents' house for many years and ended up not satisfied. If the finances aren’t enough, it might be enough to first look for a suitable plot without a building obligation and then build when your salary situation has improved. In the meantime, find an adequate apartment and keep saving.

Sure, there’s some truth to that! Certainly, nobody knows what will happen... Nevertheless, I fear that houses in the countryside will continue to be not particularly attractive...

Thanks already for the ideas ✌️ I will calculate everything through

Who knows what will happen in 20 or 30 years? Why put so much energy into it now? Of course, real estate prices can fall. For various reasons. Likewise, the opposite can happen, as digitization is being driven forward by Corona and people are moving to rural areas. Think about the present. Right now, you have an income of 2500€. Right now, you have a more or less comfortable living situation. Increase your income, finish renovating your place, and then see what happens. 150k with an addition is not a high debt given the location. In the meantime, you can look for an affordable plot and possibly buy it immediately. But again: in this location, you certainly won't get a new build with land for under 700k. Personally, I wouldn't do it

I would never build new for 700k!! I don't want to take on that debt