Enlarge image
Single-family houses with solar cells in Baden-Württemberg
Photo: Werner Dieterich / imago images / Westend61
"If you want to make God laugh, tell him about your plans," wrote the 17th century French mathematician Blaise Pascal. Pascal must have been a property owner. That would also explain his early death at the age of 39. As you can see, I am apparently inclined towards November fatalism, but Pascal's core of the insight is: A property, whether a house or a condominium, has surprises in store, against which the plot twists in "Game of Thrones" make you yawn.
But first things first: as I write these lines, I am not sitting in the house we bought seven years ago. Not even in the editorial office (thanks, Corona). But in the house of a neighbor who died in the spring, outside a squirrel with acorns hops past, and when I open the window I hear the dark growl of a jackhammer. With this, craftsmen are removing moldy plaster from the walls of our house next door. A water damage (you are interested in the whole story? Please, this way), everything had to go (we too, for three months), from the softened parquet down to the bare concrete floor.
Why am I telling you this? Although all you really want to know is whether you can afford the house that your search agent just put on your timeline? Don't worry, we'll get to that in a moment, but lesson number one in buying property is: You no longer have a landlord! Make yourself aware that from now on there will be no one left to call if a window handle has broken off. Or the boiler fails. Or it drips onto the parquet in the bedroom during an autumn storm. No. The house or apartment is now your baby. And that wants to be pampered appropriately. From you. Not scared off yet? Very good. Because lesson number two is: You no longer have a landlord! Do you want to rebuild, add to, dismantle? Go ahead! Are you tired of linoleum or rustic oak parquet? Out with it!And by the way, you do something for your own retirement provision - and no longer sponsor that of your ex-landlord.
Too much house for too little account?
What that means in numbers, how much house you can (and should) actually expect from your income and account balance, what additional costs you have to calculate depending on where you live, what banks are currently financing and what not, let's go through all of this together - and at the end you can use our interactive installment calculator to calculate when you will be debt-free again.
Understood?
Here we go:
Read on now with SPIEGEL +
Read on now.
With the right SPIEGEL subscription.
Special reports, analyzes and background information on topics that affect our society - from reporters from all over the world.
Try it now.
All articles on SPIEGEL.de are freely accessible.
DER SPIEGEL as an e-paper and in the app.
Try one month for € 1.
One month for € 1
Try it now for € 1
Already have a digital subscription? Register here
Read more with SPIEGEL +
More perspectives, more understanding.
Free access to all articles, videos, audio content and podcasts
All articles on SPIEGEL.de are freely accessible
DER SPIEGEL as an e-paper and in the app
Until June 30th, 2022 including audio:
DER SPIEGEL to listen to
Only € 19.99 per month, can be canceled at any time
Buy now
Already have a digital subscription? Register here
Restore iTunes subscription
SPIEGEL + is processed via your iTunes account and paid for with a purchase confirmation.
24 hours before it expires, the subscription is automatically renewed by one month at the current price of € 19.99.
You can cancel the subscription at any time in the settings of your iTunes account.
In order to use SPIEGEL + outside of this app, you must link the subscription to a SPIEGEL ID account immediately after purchase.
With the purchase you accept our general terms and conditions and privacy policy.
