ᐅ Sloped Plot of Land: Is It Worth Buying?

Created on: 22 Apr 2021 21:16
E
EmKaJaBe
Good evening,

After a long search, we have now found a plot of land with a location that completely convinced us.
Now that the initial excitement has worn off, we have been thinking about a few things.
The plot is on a slope. The house would be situated above the slope, and the area where it would be built is flat. However, what concerns me is that on the right side, where the plot ends, it drops very steeply in a near-vertical line. I would estimate the height difference to be about 3 meters (10 feet). Next to this side, there are no buildings, just fields. This side would definitely need to be stabilized. Unfortunately, we have no experience with this and are wondering what additional costs we should expect.
We are also wondering if the overall sloping location could be problematic in terms of requiring further ground support or reinforcement.
Although we have really fallen in love with the plot, we definitely want to avoid any unpleasant surprises.
I have attached a photo showing the general location. Unfortunately, I did not photograph the slope on the right.

We would be very grateful for any tips and advice.

Best regards
H
hanghaus2000
12 May 2021 08:24
The advertisement sign on the property is still there, right?
Good luck with the bidding process. Please let me know how it turns out.

If you want to build without a basement, then in my opinion the groundwater is less of an issue. But you can ask a local geologist to clarify what the statement means.
E
EmKaJaBe
12 May 2021 08:45
The "For Sale" sign was still up last time we checked, but we haven’t been there for a while. The contact person said they are not accepting any more interested parties for now because there are already so many. Of course, that could also be a tactic 😉

Some interested parties apparently want to build a multi-family house, but the seller doesn’t want a multi-family building there and prefers buyers who want to build a single-family home. Ultimately, the best price seems to be the decisive factor.

We will also participate in the bidding and try to convince the seller to allow us to conduct a soil survey beforehand.

I’ll keep you updated 🙂
H
hampshire
12 May 2021 08:52
If you really want the plot, expect unfavorable ground conditions and include this in your budget. This way, you can buy the property without creating any "complications" beforehand or pricing yourself out. If the risk doesn’t materialize, you can be pleased; if it does, then you are still on track.
H
hanghaus2000
12 May 2021 09:45
hampshire schrieb:

If you really want the plot, expect unfavorable soil conditions and include this in your budget. That way, you can buy the plot without causing any "annoyance" beforehand and getting yourself ruled out. If the risk doesn’t materialize, you can be happy; if it does, you are still on plan.
The idea is certainly quite reasonable. However, I can hardly imagine that it would be successful nowadays.
H
hampshire
12 May 2021 09:53
hanghaus2000 schrieb:

I can hardly imagine that this would be successful nowadays.
Are you saying it is not successful today to include a risk in financial planning? Either I’m not understanding you correctly, or you have interpreted my post differently.
H
haydee
12 May 2021 09:59
Can you afford the worst-case scenario or not?
If the finances don’t work out or you want to adapt the land to the house, then I would advise against buying the plot beforehand.