Question regarding the feasibility of financing

The garden is extremely important. That’s why my calculations usually tend toward 1000sqm.

That’s why we almost gave up the search. [..] Take >1 million € in hand or stay a tenant. So, we remain tenants.

But how much does it cost to rent these 1000m²? That will be just as expensive, if not even more expensive. How big is your garden currently?

I’ll say it straight: 1000m² is definitely a special wish that you have to be able to afford if it’s not supposed to be in the middle of nowhere. Your wishes simply don’t match the budget.

But how much does it cost to rent these 1000m²? That will be just as expensive, if not even more expensive. How big is your garden currently?

I'll say it straight: 1000m² is definitely a special wish that you have to be able to afford if it’s not supposed to be in the middle of nowhere. Your wishes simply don’t match your budget.

I’m talking about 1000sqm including the house. That, I think, is clear. So the footprint of the house must be deducted. The 1000sqm were also considered without a basement, because you need more living space there and thus more footprint.

We currently rent >115sqm and the garden or house with garden is very large. If you had your own house with such a garden, you would probably need much more than 1000sqm. But I have actually never measured the garden.

One can definitely say, however, that the rental prices so far are much more reasonable than the purchase prices. Actually strange, but at least from my previous observation, that seems to be the case.

Doesn’t matter anyway. Let’s say 800sqm plot. Then you’re still at >€800,000 plot price without notary, without property transfer tax, earthworks etc. and without interest. 800 sqm is also a very good size. That is also not affordable in the city. If we go down to the more affordable (still way too expensive) 550-600sqm for €600,000, then the garden is so small that the price is no longer in any proportion (in my opinion) and I’d rather stay in my current rental apartment at that size.

So yes, 1000sqm is a size you have to be able to pay for. But this already applies to 800sqm. Elsewhere in Germany with €200-400/sqm, however, I find 1000sqm affordable. So I don’t find it exaggerated. It’s about orders of magnitude here. For the plot prices in Erlangen, you only get 200-400sqm for the same budget. So we don’t even need to think about building. Even at 500-600sqm, I wouldn’t consider building. Because in the end you end up with a €1 million house on 500-600sqm. Then your budget doesn’t matter. Neither for the small nor the large one are those “reasonable” prices.

Put differently: Offer me 4 plots of 600-1000sqm at a price that is normal for most parts of Germany between €200-400/sqm and I’ll take the 1000sqm immediately. Because at those absolute amounts I don’t think twice about my priority.

You know what I mean? At “normal” prices you can cover the extra cost from 600sqm to 800-1000sqm with reduced luxury. Because whether you finally pay €200,000 or €400,000 for a plot (without house) is still somewhat irrelevant, because both are still manageable. But when the range goes from €600,000 (600sqm) to €1 million (1000sqm), then you really can’t talk about a normal budget even if you want a small plot, or you really have to be sure that you can afford it permanently and earn extremely well permanently. Audi, Siemens and Co. of this world must never cut jobs in these cities, otherwise it will get hairy. And in the end you pay huge sums for small houses with high depreciation risk (see comparison in a previous post).

But: you’re right, my wish does not correspond to my budget. Because my wish is to own a home in Erlangen and my budget is for large property “not in Erlangen”.

922 m2 Pinsberg 220,000 is that your area?

I am talking about 1000 sqm including the house. That, I think, is clear. So the floor area of the house must be deducted.

No, that is not clear. On the contrary.

There are two relevant numbers in the first step: plot size and living area of the house. These are never combined. Details like floor area ratio etc. aside, but that is irrelevant.

Adding and subtracting things back and forth makes it unnecessarily complicated and incomprehensible. I already noticed this with the salary figures. They switch after every sentence between gross, net, monthly, and annual income.

You really have to let go of these square meter numbers. What use is a 1000 sqm plot if the building line is far inside the plot? To put it bluntly, a 600 sqm plot with a house directly on the street could allow for a bigger garden.

You know what I mean? With "normal" prices, you can absorb the surcharge from 600 sqm to 800-1000 sqm with reduced luxury.

Yes, but only in the province. Inside the city, 200 sqm more space means that you might be able to fit a terraced house instead of a semi-detached house. And 1000 sqm divided among three houses/families is perfectly fine and financially affordable for a large circle, so 1 million euros is a reasonable price.

922 m2 Pinsberg 220,000 is that your area?

Pinzberg with a "z" is in the area, yes. I have also seen 1500 sqm for €400,000 with a house about 50 km away. They are all just small villages, so currently not interesting. And that’s why I said that my wallet (actually more precisely "my income") would be enough for a large plot with a big house, just not in the place where I want to live.

There are two relevant numbers in the first step: plot size and living area of the house. Nothing ever gets combined. Details like floor area ratio, etc., aside, but that is uninteresting.

That’s why I always referred to plot size, since the living area of the house also depends on the number of floors etc. I didn’t combine anything there, but the figure was always the undeveloped plot size. I could also state the living area, but without details on the planned floor plan, number of floors, etc., that doesn’t help either. Of course, the shape of the plot is crucial, but then it gets even more complicated if I were to say "area X with building line Y and…". So the plot size here is more intended as orientation for the amateur (i.e., me). Of course, 1000 sqm are useless if the plot is 5 m wide and 200 m long. Therefore, a somewhat general figure which I base my building ideas on (preferably with a double garage, house not built directly on the street but slightly set back, etc.). In this thread, we are too vague for an exact specification, otherwise you would actually have to show floor plans and everything here.

Sorry if this was or is misleading.

Adding this and that back and forth makes it unnecessarily complicated and confusing. I already noticed this with the salary figures. After every sentence, it switches between gross, net, monthly and yearly income.

Yes, I give the information because some assume gross and others net. As you can see in the thread, some find gross more comparable and others net. I find net more relevant because gross income doesn’t say anything about what you have left after taxes (single, married, etc.). Therefore, just the indication referring to the current discussion.

Just for your information: as you know, I haven’t built yet and don’t own a house. Since I don’t do this professionally either, I obviously can’t speak from experience about what you can get out of 600 sqm with a perfect shape. But I assume that you won’t find a 600 sqm plot that allows for a bigger garden with the same house than a 1000 sqm plot. I just always assume comparable "suitability." And no, it doesn’t have to be 1000 sqm. I could also live well with a nice 800 sqm. But those are just as "unaffordable." I would probably also buy 600 sqm. But not for these prices. Because then the absolute price no longer corresponds to the performance for me. In other words, at these sums, I want to think in terms of a "dream house" and not a "makeshift solution."

Maybe a small addition: the price per square meter naturally decreases somewhat with increasing plot size, so smaller is not linearly cheaper.

Some of the land prices being asked are already partially outrageous. Soon, the average earner won't be able to afford a house because they can't pay for the land. And it doesn't matter how much personal effort they put into the house.

I find 800 sqm perfect for a plot (assuming a good layout). Here with us (50 km south of Berlin), land prices have already exceeded the 200 € mark. And they keep rising steadily.