Rough estimate of renovation effort / costs

Especially the old heating system with a new heat pump sounds to me a lot like a heavy fender flare on a Golf I

Thanks . I curled up laughing, the image with the Golf 1 fits well right now because such a car is parked on the street around here. But on the topic. I heard about the house through an acquaintance from the neighborhood and actually the seller didn’t say a price. But he will probably take whoever offers him the most for it. I personally would only consider the house because it’s just around the corner and our friends live in the neighborhood. Otherwise it would be too much effort for me.

depending on the year of construction and the federal state, you can have iron pipes/radiators and clay pipes for plumbing

Yes, those are definitely clay pipes. I know that because the neighbor also has them. I had asked as well. He nodded modestly. But wasn’t sure. The electrical system also needs to be replaced. I’m sure about that. I would have made an offer at least to keep a slim chance. I probably won’t get it for that anyway. I guess there’s definitely someone who will pay 600k. Otherwise, I have two other properties that I will look at in the next 2 weeks.

Otherwise, I have two other properties that I will look at in the next 2 weeks.

That's how much time you have with you to view properties and make a decision. That only works for us with properties that a) are no good, b) are offered at prices that are too high even for current market conditions, or c) have some other catch.

...no. But before there were no viewing appointments, at least not for property 1. For property 1, the realtor called me directly and that is the first appointment. Property 2 is indeed a slow seller. I suspect it's because there haven't been any photos of the interior so far; the ones from the outside are not particularly good. It was previously rented and I have been inside once. Otherwise, the key data is okay and I don't understand why no one has taken it yet. Now the tenant is out.

I also renovated, but still had to rebuild and convert. Then a new roof frame, roof done, heating, windows, doors, exterior plaster, interior plaster, floors, electrical.

Today I wouldn’t do it again. I’m honest about that. For the money, I could have built new. The effort would have been less. And I was lucky that the layout of the old house was very good.

And the purchase price for me was almost nothing. But if I had already paid 200,000 euros plus the renovation costs, it wouldn’t have even paid off.

I think it is impossible to calculate a renovation in advance. On the other hand, with today’s prices, you can be glad if a roof is newly covered and solid walls are installed. I know many houses that have been renovated top-notch and look like new.

In the end it is always a question of cost and also of one’s own abilities.

...thank you very much for your answers. I had only written to the seller that my offer would be below what he had told me from others (620k-630k). He did not get back to me. Honestly, I am also glad, I think if it had been done properly, it would have required almost a complete renovation. In the neighborhood, 2 similar houses were bought by young people or a large family respectively, who spent weeks clearing out container after container and then replaced all sorts of things including windows.
On the weekend I looked at a property from the 60s, the same problem. The agent had also aimed for 600k with the statement that an energy renovation would have to be carried out. That was too much for me as well.
Tomorrow I have a proper viewing marathon (3 properties) that sound good, although one is rather small (terraced house), another is not exactly in our preferred area, but has a great plot (early 90s), and another one we have already looked at and which would be our favorite, even though I personally still have some doubts about the location. My question would be: do you have any tips on what I should pay particular attention to? With our favorite, it is a mid-terrace house, but relatively large (almost 190 sqm). From the mid-90s including heating from the 90s, but according to the energy certificate (consumption-based) class A, which pleasantly surprised me and probably indicates very good insulation or a resident who never heated. I think the heating might need to be replaced at some point. Do you then have to install photovoltaics? I have only heard that with a new heating system you have to generate part of it from renewable energy. Otherwise, the carpets on the upper floor and attic would have to be removed and replaced with parquet or similar. On the ground floor we would also prefer parquet. It is tiled, but apparently parquet can also be laid on tiles. But now I am probably putting the cart before the horse. Is there anything specific to watch out for with houses from the 90s (solidly built)? Many thanks and best regards!

I have now looked at 3 properties and all three are actually good, although we would probably have good chances with two of them; the third one will likely have quite a bit of competition, but from my point of view, that is also the most interesting property.

A semi-detached house, built in 1978, but continuously renovated and modernized (windows, roof insulation, photovoltaics, solar collectors for hot water). Great plot (400 sqm) with a beautiful garden and a granny flat (actually my dream, but the family is not so happy with the location). The heating will surely need to be replaced at some point (25 years old). The carpets on the upper floor would still need to be replaced. However, the price is pretty much at the upper end of our budget. Maybe some negotiation is possible. I think I would have to calculate another 15k here for removing the carpet and installing parquet. Then it should be okay. Both bathrooms still have the original tiles... which is very much a matter of taste, but everything works.

A semi-detached house from 1991, great plot, but on a slope with a little stream, and with a small separate granny flat. The house itself mainly needs new floors and walls. Otherwise, a new heating system is required. A new heating system with 15% renewable energy is mandatory when changing owners and if the heating is over 30 years old. This house is the cheapest price-wise, but with renovation, I think surely 30-50k (depending on whether the heating is included) will bring it to a similar level, maybe 20-30k cheaper.

A mid-terrace house, built in 1995, this is the family favorite, but the garden is quite small (about 50 sqm). The living area is huge (185 sqm). The energy consumption is below 50 (Class A), energy certificate. How they managed that, I don’t know, or it might just be extremely well insulated for that time.
I have a few questions about this house because it is probably the one that is most suitable and where we probably have realistic chances. I don’t know whether I should start a separate thread for this, but I’ll put the questions here anyway.

Since the house has been rented out since the beginning (to the same tenants the whole time), it is in good condition, but of course not much has been invested (compared to the 1978 house above). What we definitely need to do is repaint everything, possibly also replace some wallpaper in certain places. The tenant has poorly filled some holes in the wall (see photo) and also a few tiles are cracked as they have probably settled. Generally, the tiled floor on the ground floor seems somewhat uneven to me. We would therefore like to lay parquet on the ground floor and replace all the carpets upstairs with either parquet or vinyl (which is better?). The carpets can be removed relatively easily (the pile), but a foam/adhesive layer remains on the screed. Can parquet or vinyl be laid over this, or would it have to be removed?
Regarding the tiles on the ground floor, parquet can probably be laid over them; I had looked into this before in another context. But I don’t know if that generally applies.
The attic is open at the top; we are considering whether to divide it or close off the room with walls. That will depend on how a door can be installed because of the sloping roof. Around the stairwell, wooden stud walls could probably be built somehow.
Another point is the windows (see photo). While the lower part has a roller shutter, the upper part does not (at least I have not seen one). So the question for me is what solutions there are here.

Many thanks in advance and best regards,

Hubi