In Belgium land can be privately owned (and most of it is), nut it can be taken away for the the public 'good'. You get some money for it, but nor nearly what it's worth.

As for how easy it is to own your own house, I'm guessing around $500 000 gets you a decent house with a garden here these days. Depends on what you want of course. People take loans from 10 years to (I think) 40 years, with 20-25 being considered normal.

And yes, a lot of new houses are built and most people want to own their own house and end up doing so (often buying up old houses and renovating them). Even lower middle class (honestly, I don't know much about a 'lower class' in Belgium).