Question regarding the feasibility of financing

Why does "see something of the world" always mean that you need long-distance flights somewhere? Have you already seen everything within a 1000 km radius?

That doesn't exclude the other. If I want to see the Big Five in the wild, I have to go to Africa. You just don't find that in Mecklenburg-Western Pomerania. Or skyscrapers in Beijing..

In my thought experiment, effectively only two parties were affected. Namely me and the family in the second semi-detached house. Because the other properties are already built on and would then have more rather than less distance from us.

We also only have 2 parties affected. Us and the neighboring plot that has not yet been developed. There will now simply be 2 single-family houses on relatively small plots each. Our other neighbors have joined together accordingly and now have more useful garden space and also saved at least a little on construction costs by building simultaneously.

I don't see it that way at all. High earners often complain. They simply don't know what it's like to get by with less... We pay about €3600 per square meter and currently have an income of €3400. We were able to save equity and have always gone on vacation. Never had loans running...

I also believe that many simply want EVERYTHING. They don’t want to limit themselves when shopping, want to go out to eat/movies... and take a long-haul trip every year. Then in more expensive areas 5k net definitely isn’t enough for a house anymore. In Munich, an old 3-room apartment costs more like twice your €3400/sqm, and there you can already feel “poor” with 5k net.

Why does “seeing something of the world” always mean you need long-haul flights somewhere? Have you seen everything within a 1000km radius?

I see it exactly the same way. We have friends who have been to Australia, America, the Dominican Republic, and the Caribbean. They don’t know the Colosseum in Rome, the Leaning Tower of Pisa, the Eiffel Tower, the Zwinger in Dresden, the Atomium in Brussels, and I could go on like this for a very long time. There are so many beautiful things within driving distance here, so traveling far every few years is really enough for me. But of course, people are welcome to see it differently. It’s just that if you also want to buy a house, you have to earn very well instead of just well.

I assume you are talking about a condo? Nowadays, you simply don’t get a condo in a metropolitan area for €3,600/sqm, rather calculate €6,000 - €10,000/sqm. At least that’s how it is here near Mainz/Wiesbaden/Frankfurt. You just can’t finance that healthily with your income. Vacation can also be done in very different ways. I am not assuming that every year you took 10 days of skiing vacation in Tyrol with the kids and 14 days summer long-distance trips to the Caribbean or SE Asia (or similar). With a low budget, at most 10 days a year in Turkey or Italy are possible. Sure, some people are fine with that already. But if you want to see a bit more of the world, you need a bit more budget. And it is actually true, with a net income of 5k, you are not a high earner in any of the aforementioned cities. There are also plenty of statistics on that. So they are not complaining without reason, at least when it comes to ownership and real estate prices.

Now I have to smile, guess where my father comes from the Caribbean.. but we were always on the move, really always! We have no restrictions. With 5k€ net we would live like kings. Our condo is financed otherwise it wouldn’t work ... But don’t worry, we are doing well. It’s sad that some people still have worries with an income of 5k€.

Our grandparents after the war had it the hardest. They managed everything with their own hands and gave up a lot. Houses were huge but simply furnished. Meanwhile, our parents with construction years from the 60s had the best opportunities. Very well-paid jobs, low prices, and support from their parents. Huge houses with good equipment were built despite vacations. Only one person had to work back then.

Generations today have more luxury, but much smaller houses and both have to work full-time. Leisure time suffers as a result.

I am therefore of the opinion that we must move away from 40 or 35 hours. I think a 25-hour week would be appropriate with partial wage compensation. Companies also no longer need so many workers. Instead of cutting jobs, working hours should be reduced.

Since we have no inflation and money costs nothing, the state can massively subsidize.

5TEuro is nothing in Bavaria. You can forget about having a house with that. No chance!

Only 2 parties are affected for us as well. Us and the neighboring plot that hasn't been built on yet. It will now just be 2 single-family houses on fairly small plots each. Our other neighbors have joined together accordingly and now have more sensible garden space and have also saved at least a little money during construction by building at the same time. I also believe that many simply want EVERYTHING. They don't want to restrict themselves when shopping, want to go out to eat/cinema... and take a long-distance trip every year. In more expensive regions, 5k net definitely isn't enough for a house anymore. In Munich, an old 3-room apartment costs more like twice your 3400€/sqm and you can already feel "poor" with 5k net there.

But that is a matter of attitude. People who feel poor with 5k€ come from families where money often never played a role or generations of inheritance... We are happy and I just wanted to say that with our income we were able to afford an apartment for 380k€ and we still don't have that much money. Most probably drive fancy cars, have several loans running, etc...