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
P
philipp19908 Jun 2019 11:30So, we just had a phone call.
We need to clarify the zoning plan / development plan with the city. She absolutely cannot imagine what could be against a new build. The house used to be occupied, so the recreational property designation should be removed.
We are meeting today. To be honest, it seemed like the real estate agent wasn’t really informed.
I don’t feel any wiser than before.
What about the building envelope / building boundary? No.
The following questions are still open:
Is there a zoning plan / development plan?
If yes, does it allow what we want to build?
Is there an approved preliminary building inquiry?
What about contaminated sites?
How was the land used previously?
Could the soil be contaminated?
What do the neighbors say about the soil?
We need to clarify the zoning plan / development plan with the city. She absolutely cannot imagine what could be against a new build. The house used to be occupied, so the recreational property designation should be removed.
We are meeting today. To be honest, it seemed like the real estate agent wasn’t really informed.
I don’t feel any wiser than before.
What about the building envelope / building boundary? No.
The following questions are still open:
Is there a zoning plan / development plan?
If yes, does it allow what we want to build?
Is there an approved preliminary building inquiry?
What about contaminated sites?
How was the land used previously?
Could the soil be contaminated?
What do the neighbors say about the soil?
H
HilfeHilfe8 Jun 2019 11:37philipp1990 schrieb:
So, we just had a phone call.
We need to clarify the development plan with the city. They absolutely can’t imagine what could be an issue with a new build. Since the house was previously occupied, the recreational property status should no longer apply.
We are meeting today. Honestly, it seemed like the real estate agent didn’t really know the details.
I don’t feel any wiser than before.
What is the building envelope? No.
The following questions are still open:
Is there a development plan?
If yes, does it allow what we want to build?
Is there a positive preliminary building permit?
What about contamination?
How was the land used before?
Could the soil be polluted?
What do the neighbors say about the soil?Real estate agents can be worse than intermediaries. So clueless. Clarify this with the building authority.P
philipp19908 Jun 2019 11:52Yes, we will see them later, let's see what they say then. The appointment is probably at 2:30 PM, and I should be able to provide feedback around 4:30 PM.
P
philipp19908 Jun 2019 17:37We are back home now and the matter is settled.
About the procedure:
We arrived, and the real estate agent was 5 minutes late, which is acceptable and can happen.
First, she asked if we had sturdy footwear, then we followed her through the undergrowth onto the property.
She couldn’t tell us precisely where the property boundaries were. We have a natural boundary formed by a stream (very, very low water level) and by the adjacent field.
Then she talked a lot about herself and how beautiful the surroundings are. Afterwards, she offered us to use the informal "you" and brought up the price of the property herself. She immediately told us how much her commission was, both gross and net, and how little remains from the gross amount in the end.
She offered to negotiate the price down with the owner if we agreed to pay her double her commission in cash (in an envelope)...
We expressed our concerns about the fact that the property is in an outlying area. She explained to us how great that is because we are at the end of a street. Presumably, she doesn’t understand what an outlying area means.
We explained that we want to build a bungalow. She said that is totally fine, no problem, even though currently there is a house with a pitched roof on the property that must be demolished.
We asked her for written confirmation that we are allowed to build a bungalow here without building restrictions and without a development plan. She said it wouldn’t be done so quickly within two weeks. She said she’s on good terms with the mayor and would talk to him. But she cannot give us anything in writing, only an oral statement at best...
Then she asked again if paying cash was acceptable to us.
When she noticed that we hesitated, she brought up a second interested party again...
While at the street, an older man approached us. I asked if he was the owner, because apparently the owner has and lives on an adjacent property.
She denied it, laughed, and said he was probably a hiker; she said she would clarify and walked over to him.
They spoke for about five minutes, then the "hiker" left.
She came back to us and mentioned that she also happens to know four demolition companies that would carry out the demolition for little money and an envelope. The residential building is not a garden shed as was written in the listing... a slip-up...
She mentioned that the property has water and electric connections in place — fiber optic is currently being installed — but we would have to build a septic system.
We walked back from the property. She promised she would speak to the mayor on Tuesday. We said goodbye.
We walked to the car and on the neighboring property stood the "hiker" and his wife. They kindly asked us if we wanted to buy the property. We said yes and asked if there were any known problems.
They told us to be careful:
Flooding is an issue, and the soil is contaminated because the previous owner disposed of garbage underground.
Also, the soil is damp, which is why the natural boundary, the stream, is almost dry.
All in all... we drove for an hour, barely slept because of excitement, and then this comes from a real estate agent who probably did a crash course in whatever.
We are disappointed and feel like someone is trying to take advantage of us here...
About the procedure:
We arrived, and the real estate agent was 5 minutes late, which is acceptable and can happen.
First, she asked if we had sturdy footwear, then we followed her through the undergrowth onto the property.
She couldn’t tell us precisely where the property boundaries were. We have a natural boundary formed by a stream (very, very low water level) and by the adjacent field.
Then she talked a lot about herself and how beautiful the surroundings are. Afterwards, she offered us to use the informal "you" and brought up the price of the property herself. She immediately told us how much her commission was, both gross and net, and how little remains from the gross amount in the end.
She offered to negotiate the price down with the owner if we agreed to pay her double her commission in cash (in an envelope)...
We expressed our concerns about the fact that the property is in an outlying area. She explained to us how great that is because we are at the end of a street. Presumably, she doesn’t understand what an outlying area means.
We explained that we want to build a bungalow. She said that is totally fine, no problem, even though currently there is a house with a pitched roof on the property that must be demolished.
We asked her for written confirmation that we are allowed to build a bungalow here without building restrictions and without a development plan. She said it wouldn’t be done so quickly within two weeks. She said she’s on good terms with the mayor and would talk to him. But she cannot give us anything in writing, only an oral statement at best...
Then she asked again if paying cash was acceptable to us.
When she noticed that we hesitated, she brought up a second interested party again...
While at the street, an older man approached us. I asked if he was the owner, because apparently the owner has and lives on an adjacent property.
She denied it, laughed, and said he was probably a hiker; she said she would clarify and walked over to him.
They spoke for about five minutes, then the "hiker" left.
She came back to us and mentioned that she also happens to know four demolition companies that would carry out the demolition for little money and an envelope. The residential building is not a garden shed as was written in the listing... a slip-up...
She mentioned that the property has water and electric connections in place — fiber optic is currently being installed — but we would have to build a septic system.
We walked back from the property. She promised she would speak to the mayor on Tuesday. We said goodbye.
We walked to the car and on the neighboring property stood the "hiker" and his wife. They kindly asked us if we wanted to buy the property. We said yes and asked if there were any known problems.
They told us to be careful:
Flooding is an issue, and the soil is contaminated because the previous owner disposed of garbage underground.
Also, the soil is damp, which is why the natural boundary, the stream, is almost dry.
All in all... we drove for an hour, barely slept because of excitement, and then this comes from a real estate agent who probably did a crash course in whatever.
We are disappointed and feel like someone is trying to take advantage of us here...
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