Disadvantages of prefabricated houses: Not every builder has good experiences with a prefabricated house

Heavenly to tricky Builders should know these prefabricated house traps

A single-family home is the dream of many families. Prefabricated houses promise short construction times, fixed construction costs and the highest quality. But there are also some disadvantages and pitfalls that builders should be aware of.

The dream of owning your own home. Is a prefabricated house right?

The prefabricated house is called “Petit Palais” with up to seven rooms on 230 square meters, three bathrooms and a stately entrance area with a gallery above the hallway. The exclusive mini property by star designer Harald Glööckler has been available as a manorial off-the-peg residence since 2012. Price for the palace of Prince Pompös: around 400,000 euros without floor slab or basement - depending on the pomp of the equipment, it can also be significantly more expensive.

Thirty years ago, many prefabricated houses were designed very soberly, the furnishings were often sparse, the building services were simple, but they were cheap compared to classic solid construction. But those times are over. Today, prefabricated houses are available in countless variants and all possible equipment - and also in all price categories. Every weekend, thousands visit the prefabricated house manufacturers' show home parks or leaf through their thick catalogues. The dream of your own house - more and more often it leads to the dream house from the assembly line. Almost every sixth approved single or two-family house in Germany is a prefabricated house.

Ancillary construction costs for a prefabricated house

Anyone who buys a house or property through a broker usually has to pay the brokerage fee of three to six percent of the property price plus VAT. Under certain circumstances, the providers allow themselves to be bargained with, especially since brokers are to be paid by their clients in the future (principle of ordering). The seller may pay half of the cost.

A property purchase or a house purchase must be certified by a notary. He also takes care of the land register entry. The buyer and seller each pay half of the notary fees and the entry in the land register. Costs of 1.5 to 2 percent of the purchase price can be assumed.

The tax office also earns money when you buy a property. Here, too, the object value is used as the basis for calculation. If the property is bought without development, this reduces the tax liability. Anyone who buys a prefabricated house including the property from the manufacturer pays the real estate transfer tax on the total amount, which is between 3.5 and 6.0 percent of the purchase price, depending on the federal state.

Development costs are incurred for the connection to the public water, gas, electricity and telephone system, but also for traffic areas such as streets or sidewalks. Development costs are usually calculated as a lump sum, at around seven to ten percent of the land value for properties up to 600 square meters in size. Some regions also calculate the proportionate development costs according to the property's street frontage. It is therefore better to ask the municipality and utility companies beforehand what the costs will be. Caution: It can take years, even decades, for the cities to calculate the costs of road construction in a new development area - i.e. pass them on to the owners!

The development costs only include the connection of the supply and disposal lines up to the property line. For the connection of the house additional fees are due. These vary from municipality to municipality and can be requested from the respective municipal utility.

In order to receive a loan from the bank, a future builder must provide evidence of collateral. These are usually mortgages and land charges. Registering a land charge in the land registry costs 0.5 percent of the loan amount. This amount is charged by both the notary and the land registry.

In addition to the security order, other costs may arise depending on the bank and the type of mortgage, such as processing fees, appraisal and valuation costs (0.5 percent of the loan), preparation costs for the loan (0.25 percent per month) and partial payment surcharges. Partial payment surcharges are due if the loan is paid out in several installments.

Many house buyers move into their new building in the middle of a construction site. The costs for the installation of the outdoor areas should better be co-financed at the same time. As an average, around €5,000.00 can be calculated to bring the garden and access to the house into shape.

Fire insurance is essential for the shell of the building and subsequent residential building insurance after completion against fire, water and storm damage. If you take out a construction loan, you have to take it out anyway. Buyers of prefabricated houses often get it cheaper because the shorter construction time also reduces the risk of damage. Then the insurance companies grant discounts of up to 30 percent.

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