Buying land to build a house
Discussion
If I could just add my two penneth; you've got to be disciplined, need a bit of luck and you mustn't give up. speaking to an estate agent once (and thinking job done) isn't enough for example.
If you really don't like the thought of doing the approach yourself (ie literally door knocking or writing a hand delivered letter to the owner of the bit of land you've found and posting it through their door) then the only way, really, you're going to find land is via an agent.
Register with land registry so you can download titles (within land registry is a map search function - it gives the boundaries of every piece of land in the UK, with the title number. it's £3 to get the ownership details (and you don't need to spend another £3 initially for the boundary title as the map search function already gives you that). If the land is held in a foreign company (BVI or something) then you're stuffed - you can't find out whom the directors or owners are - sometimes happens with farm land as well as more often with sites in towns/cities so you'll have to go back to trying to find out the hard way - meeting the neighbours (they'll know if there's a local agent looking after the land or which farmer has perhaps). if it's uk owned, either write to them or preferably go and see them or door knock. It might mean travelling (taking a day off etc etc) but that's your risk (and more important; sometimes those situations puts people off, which is your angle).
Walk the streets (or mountain bike! as someone said - good idea as you see the backs of places as well as the front); get out the car, knock on neighbours houses if it's not immediately obvious. Some people find this bit tough but if you really want it then that's what you've got to do.
If you're speaking to agents then once wont be enough; you've got to ring at least fortnightly (something that was under offer 10 days ago might have fallen through for example) in my opinion.
You can buy the planning policy and maps for a given region or borough (they are online too but sometimes it's easier to have the physical maps laid out and then use the pc for searching without having to switch back and forward all the time) about £35 to £75 depending. online - sometimes it isn't as easy to ensure you've not missed anything online but with the paper copy you can ensure you haven't missed anything.
If you're going to choose a planning consultant - make sure they they know the borough well (ask them to demonstrate this in terms of recent examples of sites won at planning). RICS website will help finding initial companies but I tend to ring estate agents and ask them whom they'd recommend - if the
same name keeps coming up....they're either brilliant or s
t (but they've been going a long time, in an area with no competition!!). check that the sites they demonstrate are similar in feel to yours in my opinion. Choose three you like over the phone and go and see them and make a decision thereafter.
Also - rain attenuation/rain water run off - sometimes it can be a big problem for many of our boroughs - if there is a built structure and/or hard standing on the piece of land you've identified - perhaps you could demonstrate that your new house reduces this issue..... and if it doesn't you can always argue that it's only a slight percentage increase....!
An agent will be motivated to call you if he knows there is a fee from you (call it an acquisition fee say) in it for him. why else will he ring you rather than someone else otherwise? especially if it's going to be your forever home and there's no chance for him to pitch for the re-sale of the unit once completed (which he'd try to get automatically from a developer).
I'd also get a list of local architects and ring them - ask them if anything they are working on might be for sale/available. Same with planning consultants; 99% of the work these people do are for clients so you never know. Got to think laterally sometimes. Tell them there's a fee in it for them if you decide not to use them going forward (for the project).
There's always a cost - in simple terms it's either your time invested or someone else's. Always a cost; it's just easier to quantify others than yours.
But at the end of the day; you've got to drive the search; you can't leave it to others to do it for you, especially after just one phone call for example. You've got to keep your foot on their necks....figuratively speaking of course. so follow up phone calls or pop ins (perhaps with donuts or whatever is allowed in this PC world these days for the team). You've got to try and stay at the forefront of people's minds; you're quickly forgotten so regular phone calls keeps you in mind.
But I still feel doing it yourself is the way to go. if possible of course.
Sorry bit rambling but there we are.
If you really don't like the thought of doing the approach yourself (ie literally door knocking or writing a hand delivered letter to the owner of the bit of land you've found and posting it through their door) then the only way, really, you're going to find land is via an agent.
Register with land registry so you can download titles (within land registry is a map search function - it gives the boundaries of every piece of land in the UK, with the title number. it's £3 to get the ownership details (and you don't need to spend another £3 initially for the boundary title as the map search function already gives you that). If the land is held in a foreign company (BVI or something) then you're stuffed - you can't find out whom the directors or owners are - sometimes happens with farm land as well as more often with sites in towns/cities so you'll have to go back to trying to find out the hard way - meeting the neighbours (they'll know if there's a local agent looking after the land or which farmer has perhaps). if it's uk owned, either write to them or preferably go and see them or door knock. It might mean travelling (taking a day off etc etc) but that's your risk (and more important; sometimes those situations puts people off, which is your angle).
Walk the streets (or mountain bike! as someone said - good idea as you see the backs of places as well as the front); get out the car, knock on neighbours houses if it's not immediately obvious. Some people find this bit tough but if you really want it then that's what you've got to do.
If you're speaking to agents then once wont be enough; you've got to ring at least fortnightly (something that was under offer 10 days ago might have fallen through for example) in my opinion.
You can buy the planning policy and maps for a given region or borough (they are online too but sometimes it's easier to have the physical maps laid out and then use the pc for searching without having to switch back and forward all the time) about £35 to £75 depending. online - sometimes it isn't as easy to ensure you've not missed anything online but with the paper copy you can ensure you haven't missed anything.
If you're going to choose a planning consultant - make sure they they know the borough well (ask them to demonstrate this in terms of recent examples of sites won at planning). RICS website will help finding initial companies but I tend to ring estate agents and ask them whom they'd recommend - if the
same name keeps coming up....they're either brilliant or s
t (but they've been going a long time, in an area with no competition!!). check that the sites they demonstrate are similar in feel to yours in my opinion. Choose three you like over the phone and go and see them and make a decision thereafter. Also - rain attenuation/rain water run off - sometimes it can be a big problem for many of our boroughs - if there is a built structure and/or hard standing on the piece of land you've identified - perhaps you could demonstrate that your new house reduces this issue..... and if it doesn't you can always argue that it's only a slight percentage increase....!
An agent will be motivated to call you if he knows there is a fee from you (call it an acquisition fee say) in it for him. why else will he ring you rather than someone else otherwise? especially if it's going to be your forever home and there's no chance for him to pitch for the re-sale of the unit once completed (which he'd try to get automatically from a developer).
I'd also get a list of local architects and ring them - ask them if anything they are working on might be for sale/available. Same with planning consultants; 99% of the work these people do are for clients so you never know. Got to think laterally sometimes. Tell them there's a fee in it for them if you decide not to use them going forward (for the project).
There's always a cost - in simple terms it's either your time invested or someone else's. Always a cost; it's just easier to quantify others than yours.
But at the end of the day; you've got to drive the search; you can't leave it to others to do it for you, especially after just one phone call for example. You've got to keep your foot on their necks....figuratively speaking of course. so follow up phone calls or pop ins (perhaps with donuts or whatever is allowed in this PC world these days for the team). You've got to try and stay at the forefront of people's minds; you're quickly forgotten so regular phone calls keeps you in mind.
But I still feel doing it yourself is the way to go. if possible of course.
Sorry bit rambling but there we are.
Edited by Oi_Oi_Savaloy on Friday 19th October 15:00
Read most but not all posts but have been successful in doing this on two occasions.
First DIL put note thro letterbox on a bungalow with overgrown garden and which appeared to be unoccupied. Turned out to be subject to probate and stood in .65acre( ( could see this from bungalow entrance). Executors accepted an offer before house went onto market
Second a similar situation from friend out walking a dog and seeing a hanhpainted sign on the back of a garage with contact number.
No indication anywhere else on the property including its entrance/exit to highway. again large enough plot to build two houses on. Again owner accepted offer without the property going onto the market.
Both bought as main residences (different homeowners)and garden plots sold off- no guarantee of getting planning permission and LPA very obstructive with first site as a result of local opposition.
Lots of pitfalls on way but have to be prepared to work hard to achieve end goal - including employing relevant experts particularly when dealing with LPA planning department.
If you can concentrate on areas that you want to live in, walk round regularly get to know all footpaths etc and if you get chance talk to locals. Google maps also useful for trying to help to identifying plots but cant say that this has led to any success.
Good luck with search
PS most already posted whilst I was typing by OSS above
First DIL put note thro letterbox on a bungalow with overgrown garden and which appeared to be unoccupied. Turned out to be subject to probate and stood in .65acre( ( could see this from bungalow entrance). Executors accepted an offer before house went onto market
Second a similar situation from friend out walking a dog and seeing a hanhpainted sign on the back of a garage with contact number.
No indication anywhere else on the property including its entrance/exit to highway. again large enough plot to build two houses on. Again owner accepted offer without the property going onto the market.
Both bought as main residences (different homeowners)and garden plots sold off- no guarantee of getting planning permission and LPA very obstructive with first site as a result of local opposition.
Lots of pitfalls on way but have to be prepared to work hard to achieve end goal - including employing relevant experts particularly when dealing with LPA planning department.
If you can concentrate on areas that you want to live in, walk round regularly get to know all footpaths etc and if you get chance talk to locals. Google maps also useful for trying to help to identifying plots but cant say that this has led to any success.
Good luck with search
PS most already posted whilst I was typing by OSS above
Edited by twokcc on Friday 19th October 15:00
Oi_Oi_Savaloy said:
If you're going to choose a planning consultant - make sure they they know the borough well (ask them to demonstrate this in terms of recent examples of sites won at planning).
Obviously, I'm biased (and we work nationally, as do many much bigger, leading Planning Consultancies), but I don't entirely agree with this.Certainly, local knowledge can expedite things sometimes (though we can usually get to the same point by research, with a little effort). But it's actually quite a small part of a system that is now very policy-driven, the whole object of which is to achieve consistency at a national level.
...and on the flip side, truth be told I'm a lot more careful to play nice with the Planners in my 'regular' Local Authorities, knowing that I'll have to deal with them on an almost daily basis on other applications, than I am when working in an authority that I'll seldom visit again. In the latter case, I'm quite happy playing hardball or giving someone a real mauling, even if I know it will make me an enemy for life, if it achieves the objective for my client.
Equus said:
Oi_Oi_Savaloy said:
If you're going to choose a planning consultant - make sure they they know the borough well (ask them to demonstrate this in terms of recent examples of sites won at planning).
Obviously, I'm biased (and we work nationally, as do many much bigger, leading Planning Consultancies), but I don't entirely agree with this.Certainly, local knowledge can expedite things sometimes (though we can usually get to the same point by research, with a little effort). But it's actually quite a small part of a system that is now very policy-driven, the whole object of which is to achieve consistency at a national level.
...and on the flip side, truth be told I'm a lot more careful to play nice with the Planners in my 'regular' Local Authorities, knowing that I'll have to deal with them on an almost daily basis on other applications, than I am when working in an authority that I'll seldom visit again. In the latter case, I'm quite happy playing hardball or giving someone a real mauling, even if I know it will make me an enemy for life, if it achieves the objective for my client.
blueg33 said:
To all those based in the Midlands and following this thread, if you come across anything in Warwickshire, Coventry, Solihull or Worcestershire of half an acre plus that you don't want/can't afford, please let me know. I have an urgent requirement and will pay intro fees 
When you say over half an acre and given what I think you do, are you looking for something for a single house, 20 houses or 150 plus etc?robinessex said:
While on your searches, if you see where a house has been built on an unexpected sight, it’s worth looking up the planning application and records on the council website. It's amazing how much useful knowledge you gain by reading a dozen or so of these !!
Yes, I must admit, that's the sort of thing I actually do for fun. 
You can also trawl the weekly or monthly lists (of decisions taken each week/month) in a particular Local Authority, looking for similar or unusual decisions.
It does sometimes take a good knowledge of Planning to interpret the evidence, though - and remember that rules and policies change over time, so goalposts can move.
The first document to look at is always the Officer's Report, which should not only give the Officer's recommendation (not always the same as the decision, if it went to Committee), but should also explain their reasoning behind it.
ben5575 said:
blueg33 said:
To all those based in the Midlands and following this thread, if you come across anything in Warwickshire, Coventry, Solihull or Worcestershire of half an acre plus that you don't want/can't afford, please let me know. I have an urgent requirement and will pay intro fees
When you say over half an acre and given what I think you do, are you looking for something for a single house, 20 houses or 150 plus etc?Oi_Oi_Savaloy said:
ben5575 said:
blueg33 said:
To all those based in the Midlands and following this thread, if you come across anything in Warwickshire, Coventry, Solihull or Worcestershire of half an acre plus that you don't want/can't afford, please let me know. I have an urgent requirement and will pay intro fees
When you say over half an acre and given what I think you do, are you looking for something for a single house, 20 houses or 150 plus etc?So its a site for 16-20 apartments and/or bungalows.
garyhun said:
Japan - you could demolish and remove a house for around £10,000.
Not trying to be funny but you really should be doing a lot of background reading on all this. The more you know, the more you can question the right people about the right things
Go on amazon and purchase “The Housebuilder’s Bible” - you won’t regret it.
Thanks Gary, I'll get that book ordered from Amazon tonight.Not trying to be funny but you really should be doing a lot of background reading on all this. The more you know, the more you can question the right people about the right things
Go on amazon and purchase “The Housebuilder’s Bible” - you won’t regret it.
Equus said:
Edge of village location is a mixed blessing... in some respects it can make Planning easier (if you can justify that it's a natural extension to the development boundary), in other respects it doesn't make much difference (as I mentioned above, LPA's won't generally support development in small 'unsustainable' settlements any more than they will in open countryside) and in certain circumstances it can actually make things more difficult (it's a bizarre use of semantics, but I've seen it successfully argued that the wording of Para 55/79 makes clear that it applies to isolated dwellings in open countryside, and that a lack of sufficient isolation is actually grounds for refusal!).
Overall budget is important because, as you might have gathered from discussion above, the land for a Para 55/79 approach can be dirt cheap (at agricultural land values, or less), but the design and construction costs usually aren't. £750K-£900K is reasonable, though. The house I mentioned above is being done with a build budget of £475K (which worries me a lot), but that excludes land and stables/garage block, and the client is very hands-on and doing a lot of the actual construction himself.
Demolitions costs can vary enormously, depending on all sorts of factors, but are likely to be a relatively trivial cost in terms of your overall project budget. Allow maybe £10K as an initial budget figure.
My job: I am Director of a combined planning and architectural design consultancy. As it happens, I'm from pretty close to where you're intending to build, originally (I was born and raised in Rothwell, South of Leeds), and go back fairly regularly to see friends and family, so give me a shout if you're serious about the project.
Small world Equus, I'm probably 10 minutes from you in Pontefract. I'll PM you later today. Thanks again.Overall budget is important because, as you might have gathered from discussion above, the land for a Para 55/79 approach can be dirt cheap (at agricultural land values, or less), but the design and construction costs usually aren't. £750K-£900K is reasonable, though. The house I mentioned above is being done with a build budget of £475K (which worries me a lot), but that excludes land and stables/garage block, and the client is very hands-on and doing a lot of the actual construction himself.
Demolitions costs can vary enormously, depending on all sorts of factors, but are likely to be a relatively trivial cost in terms of your overall project budget. Allow maybe £10K as an initial budget figure.
My job: I am Director of a combined planning and architectural design consultancy. As it happens, I'm from pretty close to where you're intending to build, originally (I was born and raised in Rothwell, South of Leeds), and go back fairly regularly to see friends and family, so give me a shout if you're serious about the project.
Porridge GTI said:
Hard to be passionate when you’ve never done it.
It’s probably not for you then.I had an incredibly strong desire to self-build for at least 15 years before I did mine. I was actively looking for a plot for the last 5 of those 15 having sold my house and in various rentals.
Without that passion I doubt I would have found my plot and given up years previously.
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