Hello everyone,
I’ll admit right away that I am a beginner when it comes to housebuilding. My partner and I want to move to the lovely Köln-Dellbrück area. At first, we looked at houses for sale and thought: with those prices, why not build our own?
I have noticed two things:
1. It seems that the city of Cologne no longer sells plots of land to private buyers, but in the future will only work with investors/developers. (Currently, no plots are being offered; the city’s final decision will be made by the end of the year.)
2. As a result, building a house with an architect is practically impossible—you are bound to a developer?!
Could you please share your opinions on this? Am I completely wrong in my conclusion?
Best regards,
kati79
I’ll admit right away that I am a beginner when it comes to housebuilding. My partner and I want to move to the lovely Köln-Dellbrück area. At first, we looked at houses for sale and thought: with those prices, why not build our own?
I have noticed two things:
1. It seems that the city of Cologne no longer sells plots of land to private buyers, but in the future will only work with investors/developers. (Currently, no plots are being offered; the city’s final decision will be made by the end of the year.)
2. As a result, building a house with an architect is practically impossible—you are bound to a developer?!
Could you please share your opinions on this? Am I completely wrong in my conclusion?
Best regards,
kati79
D
Doc.Schnaggls17 Aug 2016 10:22Hello Kati,
You’re right, the city of Cologne’s website currently doesn’t provide information about city-owned plots that are up for sale, at least not at first glance.
Everything available there is already several years old...
However, buying directly from the city is only one option to acquire a plot.
I would recommend you walk or drive through the neighborhoods you are interested in and specifically look out for gaps in development—there might even still be some available lots in the residential area established in Cologne-Dellbrück back in 2011.
If you find a plot you like, I would first try to find out who owns it by asking the neighbors, and then contact the owner directly—asking doesn’t cost anything...
If the neighbors can’t or won’t give you any information, it becomes a bit trickier. The land registry office will most likely not provide owner information, as they usually don’t consider an interest in purchasing a valid reason for disclosure.
That’s when you need to be creative to find the owner through other means.
If you need a tip on how to do this, just get in touch again.
Good luck with your search for a plot!
Best regards,
Dirk
You’re right, the city of Cologne’s website currently doesn’t provide information about city-owned plots that are up for sale, at least not at first glance.
Everything available there is already several years old...
However, buying directly from the city is only one option to acquire a plot.
I would recommend you walk or drive through the neighborhoods you are interested in and specifically look out for gaps in development—there might even still be some available lots in the residential area established in Cologne-Dellbrück back in 2011.
If you find a plot you like, I would first try to find out who owns it by asking the neighbors, and then contact the owner directly—asking doesn’t cost anything...
If the neighbors can’t or won’t give you any information, it becomes a bit trickier. The land registry office will most likely not provide owner information, as they usually don’t consider an interest in purchasing a valid reason for disclosure.
That’s when you need to be creative to find the owner through other means.
If you need a tip on how to do this, just get in touch again.
Good luck with your search for a plot!
Best regards,
Dirk
R
R.Hotzenplotz16 Oct 2016 22:42It is true that currently no plots are being offered on the City of Cologne’s website. However, I have always assumed this is solely due to a lack of available land and not because the city has fundamentally decided to sell only to developers.
I am registered with the City of Cologne as a prospective land buyer and receive automatic notifications when new plots become available. Unfortunately, there is nothing at the moment. I have been registered for about two years and have only been contacted once—when they wanted to sell five rather suboptimal plots in the Chorweiler district. Those plots were then listed on the website for months with little interest until they eventually disappeared.
My hope currently rests on the announced new development area Rondorf-Northwest.
The big question will be whether they will sell to end users again here or, as you pointed out, possibly sell everything to developers. Since demand far exceeds supply, the City of Cologne allocates sought-after plots through an application process. The following factors are positive in the allocation:
- Owner-occupiers are prioritized over investors
- The applicant already lives in Cologne
- The applicant works in Cologne
- The applicant has children
- The applicant has been registered as interested with the City of Cologne for as long as possible
Fortunately, all of this looks very promising in our case.
If I knew for sure that they definitely sell only to developers once the area is finally designated as building land, I would seriously consider taking the risk of buying a plot currently classified as agricultural expectation land within this area and currently offered for sale.
Ideally, I would prefer to buy a house in the western part of Cologne, but that is hopeless unless you can put down at least €1,500,000. Even for the option to buy a house in need of demolition, suitable offers are almost never found, and if they are, a professional buyer usually moves faster.
But before moving to the northern Eifel or the Bergisches Land (Overath would be a nice option with small children, for example) and commuting 45–60 minutes daily, it will remain a rental.
I am registered with the City of Cologne as a prospective land buyer and receive automatic notifications when new plots become available. Unfortunately, there is nothing at the moment. I have been registered for about two years and have only been contacted once—when they wanted to sell five rather suboptimal plots in the Chorweiler district. Those plots were then listed on the website for months with little interest until they eventually disappeared.
My hope currently rests on the announced new development area Rondorf-Northwest.
The big question will be whether they will sell to end users again here or, as you pointed out, possibly sell everything to developers. Since demand far exceeds supply, the City of Cologne allocates sought-after plots through an application process. The following factors are positive in the allocation:
- Owner-occupiers are prioritized over investors
- The applicant already lives in Cologne
- The applicant works in Cologne
- The applicant has children
- The applicant has been registered as interested with the City of Cologne for as long as possible
Fortunately, all of this looks very promising in our case.
If I knew for sure that they definitely sell only to developers once the area is finally designated as building land, I would seriously consider taking the risk of buying a plot currently classified as agricultural expectation land within this area and currently offered for sale.
Ideally, I would prefer to buy a house in the western part of Cologne, but that is hopeless unless you can put down at least €1,500,000. Even for the option to buy a house in need of demolition, suitable offers are almost never found, and if they are, a professional buyer usually moves faster.
But before moving to the northern Eifel or the Bergisches Land (Overath would be a nice option with small children, for example) and commuting 45–60 minutes daily, it will remain a rental.
Hey Hotzenplotz,
thanks for the tip about the website! I’ve seen it before.
By the way, I got the info about the land sale directly from the city of Cologne—I contacted them by email. Since 2017, city-owned plots are supposedly only sold to developers or investors… unfortunately.
I’ve been commuting 70–90 minutes every day for several years now, which is really exhausting. Unfortunately, searching for a suitable property isn’t getting any easier either.
Yes, houses in the western part of Cologne are expensive. It’s unbelievable how much they want you to pay.
thanks for the tip about the website! I’ve seen it before.
By the way, I got the info about the land sale directly from the city of Cologne—I contacted them by email. Since 2017, city-owned plots are supposedly only sold to developers or investors… unfortunately.
I’ve been commuting 70–90 minutes every day for several years now, which is really exhausting. Unfortunately, searching for a suitable property isn’t getting any easier either.
Yes, houses in the western part of Cologne are expensive. It’s unbelievable how much they want you to pay.
Well, then it’s off to the beautiful outskirts. There are areas there where you can commute just as quickly. Cologne is not just Cologne. The address alone does not guarantee a quick trip to the city center. Although it’s not much easier to find a good place in the outskirts, you do expand your search area.
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