No, every era has or had its challenges. Knowing all the factors that make a sale easier and more secure is still helpful today.

Doing your own work when building a house: the muscle mortgage
Banks often require real estate buyers to contribute 20 to 30 percent of the purchase price as equity. However, many people are unaware that it is possible to increase this percentage through personal contributions, thereby improving their chances of obtaining financing. Many mortgage lenders accept it if buyers or builders contribute up to 10 to 15 percent of the purchase or construction price in the form of their own work as equity.
More savings, but more time
On the one hand, contributing your own labor can secure better loan terms, but on the other hand, you should consider the additional time required. Careful planning with the architects and trades involved should therefore precede any such decision.
What can you do yourself?
Before you tell the bank what you plan to contribute to the construction or purchase, you should make sure that you are actually able to carry out this work. Financiers carefully check what contributions a prospective buyer can really make. For example, they often ask whether the DIY enthusiast already has experience in the relevant field or whether they can devote sufficient time to it alongside their job.
When considering this, you should bear in mind that the work carried out by friends and relatives can also be taken into account when calculating the equity contribution. By the way: before others help you, they must be registered with the employers' liability insurance association. In the event of an accident, there is no protection under statutory accident insurance.
Leave complex tasks to the professionals
Unless you are a roofer, electrician, or plumber, delicate work such as roofing, shell construction, and the installation of heating, plumbing, and electrical wiring should be left to the relevant specialist. You should focus more on the interior design. Laying flooring, painting walls, and tiling are jobs you can do yourself. Experts recommend having the core construction work done by professionals.
What your work is worth
Your construction planner will provide you with a detailed list of the tradespeople involved and the total costs. The latter are broken down into labor and material costs. As a rule, material costs are not taken into account by financiers. Therefore, you can only take the labor costs you save into account for your sweat equity. You should take this into account in your calculations.
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Note
For reasons of better readability, the generic masculine form is used in this text. Female and other gender identities are expressly included insofar as this is necessary for the statement.
Legal notice: This article does not constitute tax or legal advice in individual cases. Please have the facts of your specific case clarified by a lawyer and/or tax advisor.
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