When the dream of the house bursts

Low wages and land priced at €30K do correlate, so another assumption can be made: existing buildings may be cheap to buy but need some tender loving care to shine again. Since you seem to be a DIY person, that might be your option. But without a war chest, it won’t work; you have to finish paying off your debts and have purchase-related costs plus a little something in reserve so it doesn’t turn into harakiri. Without children, it should also be easier. New construction with 180sqm, well, maybe that’s the wrong size after all.

To call 130 small, that always makes me feel dizzy. That's where the problem starts, everyone feels that it is small.

Further education Other job search. I also come from the farming and working class, my husband as well. What we have has been hard-earned by us. With your income, you should definitely look at where and how you can change professionally. I wouldn't build with debt instead of equity. Debt that leaves no breathing room will not make you happy. Just because everyone is building doesn't mean you have to. Here in the village, some are no longer owners of their houses but tenants. 180 sqm is not necessary either. In this forum, you will repeatedly find smaller houses.

I can't say anything about the salary, except that it is low, although I am lucky that my husband earns quite well. But about the house size - think again about what you a) would like b) really need I once had 160 sqm in mind because that was the common size in many model houses. Of course, that is spacious, but also a lot of space to fill up and accumulate things that you don't necessarily need. It failed because even here in popular areas there are hardly any plots that are big enough for that, and the existing ones are simply too expensive. So sat down again and thought about whether it really needs to be that much space. No, it doesn't, 140 is enough. That already makes a significant price difference. In addition, we ended up with a semi-detached house, which was never my dream. However, it has the advantage that on a smaller plot you have more useful garden space left. So everything has pros and cons that you often don’t think about at first. So maybe honestly consider: what do I want for MYSELF, what do I want because "everyone" has it, what do I want to show off/keep up with/boast about Do I even have to build when I am still so young that I could still change my living situation easily, wouldn’t owning property be a hindrance? Do I have to stay in my residential area - where are regions where I might also get better paid maybe additional qualifications that bring a salary jump? And - respect for the almost paid-off debts, not everyone manages that.

We started with a 110 sqm townhouse. Twenty years ago. We were happy, we had each other and three rooms, kitchen, bathroom. And a basement. And a small garden. And a carport, which was 100 meters away. When we sold it five years ago, many prospective families wanted this house. Not too big and low maintenance. Affordable!

I have to say: the idea of 180 sqm already seems somewhat unrealistic when you realize that you are not among the top earners. And on top of that, you have debts. Mortgage and debts don't go together.

What do you do for a living? Craftsman or commercial employee? Employer medium-sized or rather small?

I just noticed that you are from my area.

I am currently also in the planning stage but already a bit further along than you are.

A plot for 30,000€ is daring. I wouldn’t know where to realize that near us except maybe towards Limburg, or Seeheim-Jugenheim, Heppenheim area.

Just our plot with nearly 800 sqm costs around 200k including all expenses, meaning land transfer, notary, etc.

Regarding the house, we are still planning, maximum 290 sqm or so. So more than double your desired size.

My wife is not a top earner, but that was not taken into account since my salary is completely sufficient. Of course, it could always be more, but you have to know when to stop somewhere. I’m around 4,800 net minimum. Currently, the bank has approved a rate of 2,500€ with a fixed interest for 20 years at 2.51%. I think that is reasonable.

But I’m only 25, so there is still room for improvement with further training, etc.

If I were you, I would also advise pursuing further training or postponing the house plan if equity is available. Of course, no one can say how prices will develop in the future. In times of low interest rates, it is naturally ideal to build a house.