Nowhere in Germany are single-family homes more expensive than in the district of Miesbach.
Local models can help - but here, too, builders don't have it easy.
Hausham
– On average, the big dream of a single-family home in the Miesbach district costs 1.45 million euros.
The real estate portal Immowelt calculated the seven-digit number from advertisement prices in 2021.
The district of Sonneberg appears just a few rows below Miesbach.
Here, single-family houses should cost an average of 75,000 euros.
Interested parties could buy 19 houses there and have 25,000 euros left - compared to a single house in the Miesbach district.
The problem: Not everyone would like to move to a district in Thuringia that forecasts attest to “future risks”.
Markus Auer, who has been rooted in Hausham for 22 years, has no plans to leave his homeland either.
The 46-year-old has been looking for a house for his family in the district for years.
"I've wanted to own a home for a long time," he reveals.
The decision: "Let's do it"
The rented apartment in which Auer lives with his wife and their children is simply too small.
The offspring is now one and three years old.
Like many others, the family man wants to detach himself from the monthly rent as quickly as possible.
For Auer, the big opportunity in an area where houses cost more than in Munich was the locals program in Hausham.
"We immediately made the decision to apply for a property." The Auers sent their application in September 2021.
Then it was time to wait.
"You keep hoping for the letter, waiting for a call from the community," says Auer.
The municipality had 300 interested parties on the list at the time – for 40 plots.
But it was almost a year before the promise was made.
"In May 2022 we received the information that we were shortlisted," says Auer.
But nobody in the family could really breathe a sigh of relief.
The Auers had to decide: "Do we do it - or don't we do it?"
Interest and construction costs have multiplied
Not easy.
In the meantime, it's not just loan interest rates that have multiplied dramatically.
"The war in the Ukraine has postponed everything." Before that, Haushamer had spoken to friends and acquaintances about the construction costs.
But the prices suddenly exploded.
"You think twice or three times whether you can afford it" - despite the roughly halved property price of 500 euros per square meter in the locals' program.
Many of the 300 applicants have withdrawn their request.
The Auers still want to make their dream come true, but they have to build cheaper.
"I spoke to companies from all trades," says the 46-year-old.
The information, sobering, was the same everywhere.
"Extremely expensive." Larch wood for the formwork or windows?
"Not available.
The electrician didn't even want to commit himself.
"His prices go up weekly and monthly."
As a result, the Auers will probably do without one or the other detail and save in some places.
Auer says: "You just don't build your house the way you would have built it two or three years ago." He doesn't want to get angry about it.
"That's no use."
Balancing between economy and ecology
However, he knows that many builders are now weighing up between economy and ecology.
Air source heat pumps - very popular - are more expensive than ever due to demand.
For the Auers it will therefore be gas heating, supported by a photovoltaic system.
This middle ground is still feasible in terms of price.
Other builders would perhaps accept additional costs for heating, but would then have to save elsewhere.
"I think we've found a good solution." Despite the price jumps, the family doesn't want to save on the wood-burning stove either.
Nobody knows how much the firewood will cost when the house is hopefully finished in spring 2024.
A residual risk remains in all areas.
"It's hardly worth waiting," says Auer, pointing out that according to the contract, the house must be five years after the purchase of the property.
However, the considerations will only really start in the middle of the construction site.
The family only had the notary appointment for the property purchase a few weeks ago.
This year the development should be finished, later it's about little things like the choice of tiles.
In the end, the price must remain realistic
Other land buyers have similar problems.
"We want to contribute a lot of our own work," reveals one of the builders.
He cannot afford a turnkey order, he expects around 500,000 euros for the construction.
"But everyone lends a hand, from friends to aunts to my cousins."
The hope of everyone, summarizes Auer, is a reasonable price for the family home in the end.
To this end, the family wants to join forces with other builders and, if possible, award contracts together.
"I'm confident that it will be something," says the 46-year-old.
To this day he still looks at listings for houses in Hausham.
A semi-detached house was recently included – for 1.2 million euros.
"Our house would never be built for that money." nap
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