ᐅ Plot Selection in a New Residential Development for a Single-Family Home – Prioritization
Created on: 15 Apr 2025 21:22
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-Malte-
Hello everyone,
After a long wait, our city (North Rhine-Westphalia) has finally started marketing a new residential development area on the outskirts. As part of the application process, plots for single-family homes and semi-detached houses are allocated according to a certain distribution logic. We expect to have the opportunity to purchase and will then need to choose quickly from the remaining available plots. The exact timing of when it will be our turn is unclear, so as a preparation, we would like to establish our personal ranking of all the plots.
What are our requirements?
As a family of four (38, 35, 5, 2), we want to build a single-family house (~150-160m² (1600-1720 sq ft) preferably without a basement, with a pitched roof) including a carport/garage. Basically, no special requirements that would directly affect the choice of the plot.
Regarding the plot, we primarily want a location for a single-family home that is as quiet as possible within the development area (noise/through traffic) (priority 1 requirement). Of course, orientation and overall size are also important, but come after the first factor.
What does the development plan specify?
Here are what I consider the most important details from the development plan, which apply equally to all offered plots:
Since linking is not allowed here: the full development plan can be quickly found online by searching “Bocholt Bebauungsplan 8-23 Loikumer Weg”.
Which plots are for sale?
There are 21 plots for single-family homes and 7 plots for semi-detached houses on sale. The price is uniform at €220/m² (€220 per sq m) including development costs. The plots are currently farmland and completely flat. I have attached an aerial photo, an excerpt from the development plan, and a non-binding building concept (only the numbered plots are available for sale).
For more information, the full brochure can also be found online by searching “Bocholt Wohnbaugrundstücke Mussum - Loikumer Weg”.
The development area will be a mixed-use zone: alongside single-family and semi-detached homes, there will be a daycare center, apartment buildings, and a playground. To the west of the development is a federal road, so the western section will be built as continuous development (noise protection facing the road; exact design still unknown). There are three larger apartment buildings to the north. Given the apartment buildings in the north and west, I expect increased through traffic and activity within the development — it will not be a purely quiet single-family home neighborhood. Therefore, when selecting plots, our main focus will be on achieving as much quietness as possible.
Questions for you?
We have been considering which plots have which advantages and even have a few favorites. I’m deliberately not naming them yet to get as unbiased feedback as possible. What would be your favorites, and what aspects would you focus on to best meet our requirements?
Best regards,
Malte
After a long wait, our city (North Rhine-Westphalia) has finally started marketing a new residential development area on the outskirts. As part of the application process, plots for single-family homes and semi-detached houses are allocated according to a certain distribution logic. We expect to have the opportunity to purchase and will then need to choose quickly from the remaining available plots. The exact timing of when it will be our turn is unclear, so as a preparation, we would like to establish our personal ranking of all the plots.
What are our requirements?
As a family of four (38, 35, 5, 2), we want to build a single-family house (~150-160m² (1600-1720 sq ft) preferably without a basement, with a pitched roof) including a carport/garage. Basically, no special requirements that would directly affect the choice of the plot.
Regarding the plot, we primarily want a location for a single-family home that is as quiet as possible within the development area (noise/through traffic) (priority 1 requirement). Of course, orientation and overall size are also important, but come after the first factor.
What does the development plan specify?
Here are what I consider the most important details from the development plan, which apply equally to all offered plots:
- 2 full stories with floor area ratio of 0.4 and total floor space ratio of 0.8
- Base height max. 0.5m (1.5 ft), eaves height max. 6.5m (21 ft), ridge height max. 11.0m (36 ft)
- Roof type:
- If two full stories:
- Flat roof or shed roof with pitch between 22° and 30°.
- Alternatively, stepped stories with flat roof or low-pitched roof up to 16°.
- If one full story: no specification regarding roof type or pitch
- Dormers, roof extensions, and loggias are not allowed
- Garages, carports & outbuildings only within the building zone or adjacent to the side boundary. A 5m (16 ft) clearance must be maintained before garage driveways (excluding carports). Exceeding the garden-side building line is permitted up to a depth of 2m (6.5 ft).
Since linking is not allowed here: the full development plan can be quickly found online by searching “Bocholt Bebauungsplan 8-23 Loikumer Weg”.
Which plots are for sale?
There are 21 plots for single-family homes and 7 plots for semi-detached houses on sale. The price is uniform at €220/m² (€220 per sq m) including development costs. The plots are currently farmland and completely flat. I have attached an aerial photo, an excerpt from the development plan, and a non-binding building concept (only the numbered plots are available for sale).
For more information, the full brochure can also be found online by searching “Bocholt Wohnbaugrundstücke Mussum - Loikumer Weg”.
The development area will be a mixed-use zone: alongside single-family and semi-detached homes, there will be a daycare center, apartment buildings, and a playground. To the west of the development is a federal road, so the western section will be built as continuous development (noise protection facing the road; exact design still unknown). There are three larger apartment buildings to the north. Given the apartment buildings in the north and west, I expect increased through traffic and activity within the development — it will not be a purely quiet single-family home neighborhood. Therefore, when selecting plots, our main focus will be on achieving as much quietness as possible.
Questions for you?
We have been considering which plots have which advantages and even have a few favorites. I’m deliberately not naming them yet to get as unbiased feedback as possible. What would be your favorites, and what aspects would you focus on to best meet our requirements?
Best regards,
Malte
H
hanghaus202317 Apr 2025 10:37I hope for your sake that with two children you are ranked high on the list.
-Malte- schrieb:
In marketing, a clear distinction is made between plots for single-family houses and semi-detached houses. [...] I will ask the city whether there is a contractual requirement for a single-family house to be built on these plots. If it were really the case that a neighbor could theoretically be the first to obtain a building permit for a semi-detached house and thus set a precedent, that would be completely illogical. The more I think about it, the more I assume that this would be contractually excluded. I don’t think so, and such a requirement would probably be easy to challenge. A joint application by multiple parties would be the best way, but unfortunately it does not fit well organizationally into a process that is meant to be completed in just one round and where applications are allowed for both plot types.
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
I hope that you, with two children, are near the top of the list. What is definitely important – and this applies to all questions of the “which one should we choose” type! – is to consider this question not in isolation but always in the context of the allocation procedure. It is less important here to detail how individual parameters (income, number of children, years of residence, community involvement such as volunteer fire service) are weighted. More crucial is understanding how the process actually progresses: for example, does the highest-scoring or first-drawn candidate choose first, with the remaining candidates selecting from the leftover options (nine, eight, seven, and so on); or does each plot go to the candidate with the highest points, with ties decided by coin toss? Without clarity on this, any strategy could be the wrong one!
The problem is that such procedures are usually developed by committees whose members are new to organizing this kind of “children’s party game” and who have limited exchange with other municipalities. Then applicants come well prepared expecting the process to be straightforward like musical chairs, but suddenly it’s more like a game of musical chairs with extra twists or an egg-and-spoon race. If you go to a shooting competition, even the sharpest knife won’t help!
https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
M
MachsSelbst17 Apr 2025 14:32Almost all point systems I’ve heard of from acquaintances looked something like this:
Married: 1 point
Children: 2 points per child
10 years living in the municipality/county: 10 points
20 years living there: 20 points
And so on.
I would assume it works similarly to how companies handle applications. You apply for Position A, and if you’re not selected, they offer you C or F instead, since those positions have fewer applicants.
The municipality wants to sell the plots, and given current interest rates, the demand isn’t as high as it used to be.
In the end, some people also drop out because the bank won’t approve financing.
So the best approach is not to go into this with a fixed idea like “Plot 20, 22, or none at all,” but rather keep an open mind, see what you get, and only then start planning the house in your mind...
Married: 1 point
Children: 2 points per child
10 years living in the municipality/county: 10 points
20 years living there: 20 points
And so on.
I would assume it works similarly to how companies handle applications. You apply for Position A, and if you’re not selected, they offer you C or F instead, since those positions have fewer applicants.
The municipality wants to sell the plots, and given current interest rates, the demand isn’t as high as it used to be.
In the end, some people also drop out because the bank won’t approve financing.
So the best approach is not to go into this with a fixed idea like “Plot 20, 22, or none at all,” but rather keep an open mind, see what you get, and only then start planning the house in your mind...
W
wiltshire17 Apr 2025 15:23MachsSelbst schrieb:
The best approach is not to go in with the idea of “plot 20, 22, or none at all,” but rather to stay open, see what’s available, and then mentally plan the house accordingly… That is a good mindset if you generally want to move to that area.
When we bought our terraced house, we were told the end units were already taken. We bought a middle unit. Later we realized we were among the first buyers. The developer’s strategy was to sell the prime properties only once time started to run out. Smart for them, unfortunate for us. Today, I would have pushed a bit harder and insisted. The market situation is no longer one where every plot attracts a large number of applicants.
wiltshire schrieb:
The market situation is no longer such that a lot of applicants show up for every plot of land.There are actually two different market situations – one private and one public. For municipalities, the market situation is that they initially have very limited resources to develop residential areas and to participate in the land market. The funds tied up in purchasing land need to be turned over quickly. During the time it takes to develop such a residential area, the demand situation also changes (towards increased demand pressure for semi-detached house plots, which often leads to originally “E” designated areas being reclassified as “E/D”). Applicants for the “E only” plots usually compete quite calmly and have good chances of being next in line – however, within this category there are significant differences in demand pressure between northern access points and southern access points (or, for sloped sites: upper access and lower access), as well as between corner plots, mid-terrace plots, and cul-de-sac plots. A good strategy is to “put yourself in others’ shoes,” that is, to assume game-theoretically that your competitors have the same criteria, and then to distribute your tokens deliberately among the “best,” “okay,” and “better than nothing” plots. So, with five preferences, two go to your “top pick” plots, two to “okay” plots, and one to a “consolation prize” plot. If you have the freedom (for example, because you are not under pressure to live in a specific school district), you can take a risk with the fifth token and place it on a “top pick” or an “okay” plot. Rarely do many applicants compete for the spot next to the trash bins, as they expect little competition there. But, as said: don’t develop a strategy without first understanding the rules of the game!https://www.instagram.com/11antgmxde/
https://www.linkedin.com/company/bauen-jetzt/
Several posts have gathered here concerning questions about the allocation process, which I would like to address.
You can never be sure, as the allocation process ultimately depends on how many people apply and who they are. However, with two children and a relatively long time on the waiting list (more on that below), we do have a good chance.
That probably depends on the location of the municipality. For us, the demand remains high.
There is a non-binding waiting list for building plots, currently with 1,300 individuals/households registered. In recent years, there have been almost no plots available: The private market is quite empty, and municipal plots were last offered in 2019. All new development areas have been delayed for years, and only a few months ago were 13 plots allocated for the first time again. Now this area with 28 plots is coming up, and it is clear that no further plots will become available before sometime in 2027 at the earliest.
The application procedure here is quite straightforward: anyone can apply, and applications are not for specific plots. Points are assigned to each applicant (for example, +10 points per child, -20 points if owning property within Bocholt). Within each point category (for example, all applicants with 20 points), the waiting time on the list determines the order. This creates a clear sequence in which choices can be made. Number 1 has the full selection from all plots, then number 2 is called and can choose from the remaining plots, and so forth. Since there is no lengthy time to deliberate after being called, we want to prepare a ranking of all plots in order of preference.
Regarding the number of applicants: For the 13 plots allocated earlier this year, there were 240 applications, with 12 applicants having 30 points or more alone. Ultimately, you never know how much interest there will be for a specific development area. It is expected that applicants without children or with only one child will likely not be successful or at best receive offers only for plots with low demand (for example, two very narrow plots with a width of 9cm (3.5 inches) each, which hardly anyone wanted, were available recently).
hanghaus2023 schrieb:
I hope you, with two children, are high up on the list.
You can never be sure, as the allocation process ultimately depends on how many people apply and who they are. However, with two children and a relatively long time on the waiting list (more on that below), we do have a good chance.
MachsSelbst schrieb:
The municipality wants to convert the plots into cash, and demand is not that high anymore with the current interest rates.
That probably depends on the location of the municipality. For us, the demand remains high.
There is a non-binding waiting list for building plots, currently with 1,300 individuals/households registered. In recent years, there have been almost no plots available: The private market is quite empty, and municipal plots were last offered in 2019. All new development areas have been delayed for years, and only a few months ago were 13 plots allocated for the first time again. Now this area with 28 plots is coming up, and it is clear that no further plots will become available before sometime in 2027 at the earliest.
The application procedure here is quite straightforward: anyone can apply, and applications are not for specific plots. Points are assigned to each applicant (for example, +10 points per child, -20 points if owning property within Bocholt). Within each point category (for example, all applicants with 20 points), the waiting time on the list determines the order. This creates a clear sequence in which choices can be made. Number 1 has the full selection from all plots, then number 2 is called and can choose from the remaining plots, and so forth. Since there is no lengthy time to deliberate after being called, we want to prepare a ranking of all plots in order of preference.
Regarding the number of applicants: For the 13 plots allocated earlier this year, there were 240 applications, with 12 applicants having 30 points or more alone. Ultimately, you never know how much interest there will be for a specific development area. It is expected that applicants without children or with only one child will likely not be successful or at best receive offers only for plots with low demand (for example, two very narrow plots with a width of 9cm (3.5 inches) each, which hardly anyone wanted, were available recently).