Interview with building contractor Christoph Gröner: Exploded property prices in Berlin

Interview with building contractor Christoph Gröner: Exploded property prices in Berlin

Christoph Gröner, a well -known building contractor in Germany based in Berlin, has not built anything in the capital for two years. Although Gröner made a donation of 820,000 euros to the Berlin CDU and described himself as a convinced social democrat, his retreat from the building is interesting. The exploding property prices in Berlin prompted him to do so. The pure construction costs in the city are around 3,000 to 4,000 euros per square meter, while the property prices reach between 6000 and 8,000 euros per square meter.

As a Greener started building in Berlin in 2010, the property prices were 700 euros per square meter. In just 15 years they rose to almost ten times. The current rental prices in the new building reflect this price increase because the majority of the rent is attributed to the property. However, Gröner makes it clear that it is not the construction costs that make living priceless, but the high property prices and speculations on the real estate market.

GRÖNER emphasized that the purchasing power of the Berliners is no longer sufficient to meet rising real estate prices. Therefore, he has largely withdrawn from construction projects in Berlin in recent years. He argues for a healthy mix of social housing and living space for the free market to meet the needs of different population groups. Despite his retreat, Gröner remains optimistic about the future of housing in Germany.

GRÖNER suggests removing the political ideology from housing construction and instead developing a master plan to quickly create more living space. He emphasizes the need to protect housing from ideological discussions in order to cover the growing need for apartments and prevent social inequality. Despite his own decision not to build in Berlin, Gröner emphasizes the potential solutions for the ongoing lack of housing in the city.