The plot must be developed. The general contractor says this is a priority!

So, one month ago our general contractor gave us an offer that we are now accepting with a few changes. Well, apparently so much has happened in this one month that he is fully booked until March next year. What is the most sensible way to proceed now? The general contractor said that everything should now be fully planned and the building site prepared (we have to remove a 30m×4m large wild hedge, the property still needs to be fully connected... or is that done during the construction phase?), moreover, in our region you can expect to wait a few months for the building permit due to high demand. And how should we best handle the financing now? If construction only starts in March? We are a bit at a loss.

The safe option is to finalize the financing now and agree on a correspondingly long interest-free availability period (or recalculate whether it is not cheaper to accept a few months of these interest charges). The risky option is to finalize the financing only in half a year.

Thanks already, Nathi. I think similarly.

But the property already belongs to you, right? Otherwise, only the first option remains. Otherwise, just as you write: building application, development... it all takes its time. Most construction companies also usually calculate with a corresponding winter break, so if you miss November, you basically slide directly into March in terms of planning. If the winter is as mild as this year, things can suddenly go much faster.

Exactly, we already have the plot of land. However, it is not fully developed yet; everything runs along the street next to our property. Our general contractor said that they are totally full now. But maybe you are really right about the winter break. A little more time is personally fine with me... especially with regard to the monster hedge. I hope we can agree on this preparation interest-free period with the bank. Because the house will not be finished until September 2016.

Often, the construction companies only schedule you concretely once the building permit has been approved. Otherwise, the construction crew is there and cannot start,... You don't need to "develop" the plot now because the utilities can't connect anywhere, nor can they install the meter. You can already take care of the surroundings: construction electricity, construction water, which utility provider needs to be scheduled when, detailed planning / selection of fittings, etc. This way, you can pass the time and avoid stress.