ᐅ Buying Land: What Are the Crucial Considerations? Any Tips?
Created on: 7 Jun 2019 21:26
P
philipp1990
Good evening everyone, we’re hoping for strong support.
Background: My partner and I don’t feel any pressure to build a house or buy a plot of land. We wanted to take advantage of this "no pressure" situation by calmly looking at different properties until we both experience the WOW factor and then make a move.
On May 1, 2019, we inquired about a plot of land that already looked promising in the pictures in terms of location and size. We submitted our inquiry but unfortunately did not receive any response. This morning, on a whim, we decided to call the real estate agent to ask about it. She apologized and told us exactly where the plot is located. She also mentioned that she had shown the property to another interested party last week.
We jumped in the car and drove to the site... and as expected... the WOW factor was there.
We called the agent and told her we had a good feeling. She was happy but mentioned that the other interested party had also expressed interest again during a call today.
We are meeting with her alone at the plot tomorrow afternoon to talk in person.
On the way back, we spoke with the bank; financially, this is not an issue.
There is still a house on the plot that would need to be demolished.
The listing says the following:
The plot with the existing garden house is very quiet, romantic, and located at the end of a small access road. Nevertheless, all daily necessities can be reached within a few minutes, and the highway entrance is only a few kilometers away.
The garden house requires renovation or demolition. If you are planning a new house, nothing stands in the way.
The garden house looks bigger than a typical garden shed. It seems to be an old, dilapidated residential building.
It is not clear from the listing whether the plot is connected to utilities, but a telephone connection appears to be present. The telecom provider was already able to confirm what type of internet service we can get there.
Are there any important points we should urgently clarify or ask about tomorrow? Also, do you have any ideas on how we can secure the plot?
Thank you very much
Ina & Philipp
Background: My partner and I don’t feel any pressure to build a house or buy a plot of land. We wanted to take advantage of this "no pressure" situation by calmly looking at different properties until we both experience the WOW factor and then make a move.
On May 1, 2019, we inquired about a plot of land that already looked promising in the pictures in terms of location and size. We submitted our inquiry but unfortunately did not receive any response. This morning, on a whim, we decided to call the real estate agent to ask about it. She apologized and told us exactly where the plot is located. She also mentioned that she had shown the property to another interested party last week.
We jumped in the car and drove to the site... and as expected... the WOW factor was there.
We called the agent and told her we had a good feeling. She was happy but mentioned that the other interested party had also expressed interest again during a call today.
We are meeting with her alone at the plot tomorrow afternoon to talk in person.
On the way back, we spoke with the bank; financially, this is not an issue.
There is still a house on the plot that would need to be demolished.
The listing says the following:
The plot with the existing garden house is very quiet, romantic, and located at the end of a small access road. Nevertheless, all daily necessities can be reached within a few minutes, and the highway entrance is only a few kilometers away.
The garden house requires renovation or demolition. If you are planning a new house, nothing stands in the way.
The garden house looks bigger than a typical garden shed. It seems to be an old, dilapidated residential building.
It is not clear from the listing whether the plot is connected to utilities, but a telephone connection appears to be present. The telecom provider was already able to confirm what type of internet service we can get there.
Are there any important points we should urgently clarify or ask about tomorrow? Also, do you have any ideas on how we can secure the plot?
Thank you very much
Ina & Philipp
philipp1990 schrieb:
Good evening everyone, we are hoping for strong support.
Background: My partner and I do not feel pressured to build a house or buy a plot of land. We wanted to use this lack of pressure to calmly look at plots and only make a move when we both have a “wow” effect.
On 01.05.19, we inquired about a plot that looked promising in the pictures — the location and the plot itself seemed suitable. We submitted the inquiry properly but unfortunately did not receive a reply. This morning, we spontaneously decided to call the real estate agent and ask. She apologized and told us exactly where the plot is located. She also mentioned that last week she had been to the plot with another interested buyer.
We jumped in the car and drove to the plot... It happened just as expected — the wow effect was there.
We called the agent and told her that our feeling was good. She was happy but mentioned that the other interested party had also expressed their interest on the phone today.
Tomorrow afternoon we will meet with her alone at the plot to talk in person.
On the way back, we spoke with the bank — financing is not an issue.
There is still a house on the plot that would need to be demolished.
The listing states the following:
The plot with the still standing garden house is very quiet, romantic, and located at the end of a small driveway. Nevertheless, all daily necessities can be reached within a few minutes, and the highway entrance is only a few kilometers (miles) away.
The garden house is in need of renovation or demolition. If you plan to build a new house, nothing stands in the way.
The garden house looks bigger than a typical garden shed. It seems to be an old, dilapidated residential building.
It is not clear from the listing whether the plot is fully serviced (connected to utilities), but a phone line seems to be available. The telecom provider was already able to tell us what kind of internet we can get there.
Are there any unresolved issues we should urgently clarify or ask about tomorrow? Also, do you have any ideas on how we can secure the plot?
Thank you very much
Ina & Philipp We had a similar experience back in 2005. We were absolutely thrilled with the location of the plot. The issue—that this great overall property would be divided to build 16 semi-detached houses and that our single-family home would be managed in trust by the homeowners’ association (HOA) appointed administrator for incoming and outgoing funds—only became clear to us in 2011. Now we will try to legally separate our special usage right from the remaining larger part of the property.
Unfortunately, during the construction of our single-family home, the area granted under the special usage right was approximately 18 sqm (194 sq ft) smaller than planned, which resulted in a gap of only 10 cm (4 inches) between our building and the next one. For quite some time, we have repeatedly requested the HOA’s support to withdraw from the community and to obtain a special exemption permit from the planning authority / building permit office.
Unfortunately, during the construction of our single-family home, the area granted under the special usage right was approximately 18 sqm (194 sq ft) smaller than planned, which resulted in a gap of only 10 cm (4 inches) between our building and the next one. For quite some time, we have repeatedly requested the HOA’s support to withdraw from the community and to obtain a special exemption permit from the planning authority / building permit office.
MadameP schrieb:
Is there a zoning plan / development plan? If so, does it allow for what you want to build? What are the building boundaries? Access isn’t the problem; that can all be provided. The only issue would be if you can’t build what you have in mind. What about contamination? How was the land used before? Could the soil be polluted? You won’t have time to get a soil report at this point. Ask the neighbors if they experienced any issues with the soil when building.P
philipp19908 Jun 2019 08:29Okay, great – to summarize:
Is there a zoning plan?
If yes, does it allow what we want to build?
Is there an approved preliminary building inquiry?
What are the building setback requirements?
Are there any contaminated site issues?
How was the land used before?
Could the soil be contaminated?
What do the neighbors say about the soil?
These are the questions we would ask today and share the feedback here.
Is there a zoning plan?
If yes, does it allow what we want to build?
Is there an approved preliminary building inquiry?
What are the building setback requirements?
Are there any contaminated site issues?
How was the land used before?
Could the soil be contaminated?
What do the neighbors say about the soil?
These are the questions we would ask today and share the feedback here.
I inquired further and, for privacy reasons, will only share as much as I have already communicated to Phillip via private message:
The plot is located on the outer edge of a small area that apparently contains only a few residential houses, situated between agricultural businesses and industrial facilities. It seems somewhat isolated by green spaces and clusters of trees, and it is at the end of a road.
I consider a zoning plan unlikely. It appears to be purely an outlying area. If the real estate agents are correct in saying that new buildings are permitted, it would only be under the conditions they mentioned.
So, if you want to build a beautiful gable roof house anyway, I would look into it more closely. Any questions should be directed to the building authority / planning office, not the real estate agent.
Otherwise, I think the authorities probably haven’t issued many regulations for this part of town.
Connecting utilities might be possible, but also might not. I can’t imagine there is a sewage system. I would be cautious about the information provided by the telecommunications company (online?), especially regarding internet service.
All of this remains uncertain. A lot of information found online is often confirmed without verification.
Is clearing the existing trees for a garden allowed?
- You should expect that there will be no street cleaning in winter.
- The remaining area to the south might be suitable for a wind farm?
- Agricultural businesses to the east could expand and become a nuisance.
- There is an alpaca farm, numerous livestock, and poultry: be aware that this is not only idyllic. Animals make noise. The area could also be expanded, meaning you might have industrial neighbors later.
What you should be aware of: such a plot may seem romantic and, compared to “boring, regulated plots,” appear like a real gem. Above all: affordable.
However, this romantic life without neighbors and infrastructure can also bring many disadvantages for a family: as already mentioned, you will probably have to clear snow from the driveway yourself, and there will be no neighbors to rely on for help.
The children will have plenty of space to play outdoors, but what about later? How will they get to daycare, school, or sports clubs? They might resent you for this idyll.
A dreamlike sleeping beauty castle (in the form of a rectangular gable roof house) fits perfectly here—but do you really want to live a dream? Personally, I think that would involve too many compromises, to be honest!
The plot is located on the outer edge of a small area that apparently contains only a few residential houses, situated between agricultural businesses and industrial facilities. It seems somewhat isolated by green spaces and clusters of trees, and it is at the end of a road.
I consider a zoning plan unlikely. It appears to be purely an outlying area. If the real estate agents are correct in saying that new buildings are permitted, it would only be under the conditions they mentioned.
So, if you want to build a beautiful gable roof house anyway, I would look into it more closely. Any questions should be directed to the building authority / planning office, not the real estate agent.
Otherwise, I think the authorities probably haven’t issued many regulations for this part of town.
Connecting utilities might be possible, but also might not. I can’t imagine there is a sewage system. I would be cautious about the information provided by the telecommunications company (online?), especially regarding internet service.
All of this remains uncertain. A lot of information found online is often confirmed without verification.
Is clearing the existing trees for a garden allowed?
- You should expect that there will be no street cleaning in winter.
- The remaining area to the south might be suitable for a wind farm?
- Agricultural businesses to the east could expand and become a nuisance.
- There is an alpaca farm, numerous livestock, and poultry: be aware that this is not only idyllic. Animals make noise. The area could also be expanded, meaning you might have industrial neighbors later.
What you should be aware of: such a plot may seem romantic and, compared to “boring, regulated plots,” appear like a real gem. Above all: affordable.
However, this romantic life without neighbors and infrastructure can also bring many disadvantages for a family: as already mentioned, you will probably have to clear snow from the driveway yourself, and there will be no neighbors to rely on for help.
The children will have plenty of space to play outdoors, but what about later? How will they get to daycare, school, or sports clubs? They might resent you for this idyll.
A dreamlike sleeping beauty castle (in the form of a rectangular gable roof house) fits perfectly here—but do you really want to live a dream? Personally, I think that would involve too many compromises, to be honest!
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