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The Essential Guide » Finding & Buying Land / Property » Where Do We Find Self Build Land and Plots For Sale ?

Where should we go to look for a building Plot for our new Self Build project?

This is another one of those “popular questions” which I am asked all the time:

“We have been thinking about taking on a Self Build project, but we can’t find any decent land and we don’t know where else to look. Do you know of any around here? Or where we can go to find any?”

Finding suitable land does usually does seem to present anyone considering a self build project with one of their biggest man reading newspaper

hurdles.

Finding your dream plot, and then actually managing to purchase it, can be a very lengthy and frustrating project in its own right, BEFORE you actually get round to planning and building it! – Especially if you are sticking to the “Location Location Location” principal (which was discussed in the last section).

So where DO you go to find that “ideal plot”?

Well, - without “blowing our own trumpet” TOO much, one of the main driving forces of us designing and building this site was to answer that question (along with many others).

This site, once it is fully up and running, should (and it seems very likely that it WILL be) the best place to go to look for land.

There are three main parts of the site to head for to help you find building plots:

1) The “Building & DIY Trade Directory:

Wherever else you go to look for land, you will have trouble in finding ONE PLACE – ONE SOURCE OF INFORMATION which can give you a “full picture” of “what’s out there” in the areas where you would consider building.

The Trade Directory on this site works in a new and unique way, which puts the searcher in control of what they want to find.

The system is simple: Just enter a post code for the area where you want to look for land and the system will pull up ALL the estate agents WHO COVER THAT AREA. NOT just the ones who happen to be in that “post code” region, or who have paid the highest amount of money to be “seen” first, but don’t actually have much of a presence there.

Our System is set up to allow the individual Estate Agents to CHOOSE the area they want to be found in. So, they should only appear in search results if they have requested coverage in that particular area.

The system should (if the Agents use it properly) ONLY bring up agents whose can offer plots and properties for your chosen post code. – This should save you going to their web sites to find that they don’t actually have anything for you to look at in the area you are looking.

How the system works in general:

If someone wants to sell a plot or property, the way it tends to work these days is that: In tray piled high with documants

Once the seller agrees the sale with a particular agent, the sales details are produced. Then, once you have agreed to them (and sorted out the HIPS package if it is a building rather than a plot), they are “put in the tray” in the office, to start to “print out” and then “send out” sales brochures. – This process can take 2 or 3 days (sometimes more). – Agents will also these days tend to use some of the “on line” property selling sites. – Which they generally have to pay for. – they will decide if all or some of their new properties will be listed on these sites (maybe in a meeting once or twice a week), and then get the details together and upload them. Again, this process will often mean that by the time the adverts get seen by the general public a few days have passed.

However, - AT THE SAME TIME, as going through the process detailed above, the details are usually put onto the agents own web site.

It therefore stands to reason that if that is how it happens in all agencies, then the MOST UP TO DATE source of information on plots / property available will be on the INDIVIDUAL AGENT’S WEB SITE. Not necessarily in their shops or on the national property sale web sites.

So, how do we make this whole situation better?

With: 2) The Land / Property Search and Sell Section:

We allow all Estate Agents to advertise all their building plots and property for renovation / conversion, on the site – FREE OF CHARGE!

There is therefore now, no reason why every Estate Agent should not upload details of ALL of their new plots and property for sale at the same time as they upload them to their own sites.

This will bring them to the attention of the "general public" (i.e “you”) - Nationally – immediately!

(Note: We DO want to make some money somewhere along the line, - so we offer the option to both “Agents” and to “Private sellers” to upgrade their free ad to a larger ad which has more detailed information and can include photos and images, - all for a very modest fee).

If all the Estate Agents in the UK start to use the site to its full advantage, there could, in theory be many thousands of plots listed in the Land section over the next few months.

On top of all that:

We will also be regularly approaching everyone who applies for Planning Permission on property or land, - to see if they would like to “list” on the site. – Again, FREE OF CHARGE if they want to.

If the site is used to its full potential, then, within a few months, EVERY Building plot and property for Renovation / Conversion could be listed on it.

We also have a “built in” safety feature to make sure the database is not full of ads for plots and property which have already been sold (this is where some “Plot sale sites and companies” are not quite “up to speed”). – We ask that everyone who lists their land with us, confirms EVERY MONTH that it is still available for sale. THEY PHYSICALLY HAVE TO NOTIFY US that it is (by a simple confirmation “click”), - or it is removed. – This protects YOU the “end User” from having to waste your time searching for nonexistent building land or property.

The two features combined in the one section of the site should ensure that this site quickly becomes the best place to go IN THE UK, to look for building plots / Renovation property / Conversion property.

3) The “Self Build & DIY Forums” section

You can use this section of the site to contact ANY (who is also a member) to discuss ANY subject relevant to Building or DIY. – family at computer

That includes talking about finding and buying land.

This section is ideal for people in each area of the country to make “contact” with each other – locally or regionally. There is nothing to stop people from different areas coming together in a pub or hall, or even someone’s house, to simply discuss their own projects with other people who may be thinking along the same lines.

This sort of interaction could be extremely valuable to many thousands of people across the UK who presently feel that they are “on their own” when they start out on their projects.

You may have found a plot which doesn’t suit you, but would suit someone else locally to you. Someone else may have done the same. – If you get together, you can “compare notes” and possibly help each other out.

Or, - you can just “Pick one another’s brains” on the site!

The “framework” is there to “help you to help yourselves”. – It’s up to you to use it and to make the most of its potential.

(We will soon be upgrading that “Community Section” of the site to include “specialist rooms” where individuals or companies can “hire” a room to offer FREE ADVICE to anyone who needs it. – The benefit to the business of doing this will be that they get to make DIRECT CONTACT with people who could, at some stage need to use the services of someone like them! –If you know someone already, you are far more likely to contact them when you actually need the work doing).

4) Self Build Simplified:

We don’t really need to tell you about the guide. – You are already reading it!

However, just remember to use it to help you to find the right land or property to suit your own individual circumstances or situation. – There is a mass of information in it. – There is nothing else like it “out there”, and it could save you, potentially, a great deal of:

MONEY, TIME, STRESS and HEADACHES!

**OK, That’s enough about of us "banging on" about this site! - Where else can you look for Land and Renovation / Conversion property?**

There are actually a number of other ways to find “something suitable”. Here are a few of the most common ones:

5) "Plot Search at Buildstore" at "The Self Build Exhibition Centre" Swindon (also on line).

You may have heard about the "Permanent Self Build Exhibition" at Swindon. - If you are thinking about starting a major Building or DIY project you may want to consider making a trip to have a look around. - People go there from all over the country.

As part of the exhibition they have a large section selling building plots from around the UK. Many of the plots have their details actually displayed on stands at the show. But, if you can't see anything that interests you while you are there, if you register with them, you'll be able to check out all their plots (and anything new that comes in) "on-line".

(Note: At the show they also have "Self Build Mortgage Specialists" on hand to discuss your ideas. - So, if you find a plot, you can usually go straight on to discuss the financial side of the project with one of their staff. - Possibly saving you time making phone calls / organising meetings etc later on. - And that could have the "knock on" effect of getting your project started - and finished faster!)

6) Calling “in Person” and “Enlisting” with Estate Agents:

This, up until now has tended to be the first step for most people looking for land or property to renovate / convert.

If you call in person to the individual branches in a particular area on a regular basis, you can build up a relationship with the staff there, so that when new land appears, they (if they remember), will hopefully give you a call to tell you about it as one of the first few people to get to know about it.

To make this work, you really need to “register” with each agent, giving details of what you are looking for, and in what area.

The good plots and properties will often be sold very quickly, and if you are a regular “feature” in the shop, AND are on their mailing lists you will stand a better chance of being called when a new plot or property comes on the market. BUT, - don’t stop there! – If you REALLY want to be the first person who finds out about the new land as it becomes available, you need to be “proactive”.

You need to be on the phone to all of the agents you are listed with, two or three times a week to see if they have valued any land the previous day (not even having necessarily AGREED to sell it!) - Don’t worry about being seen as a “nag”! – This is a major project for you. - You want to give yourselves the best chance of finding the land that suits you best.

7) Other “Property / Land” web sites.

The main “Property web sites” usually have plots of land for sale as well as all sorts of properties.

With the building plots, sometimes you have to “hunt them out”, as they may not be as prominent on the site as the “existing properties”.

Here again, getting into a habit of continually checking the site is important. - One thing to bear in mind with these sites is that there could be a delay between the time the plot becomes available and the time it appears on the web sites. - As mentioned earlier the agent may “upload” details to their own site and “print” the details before it gets uploaded (maybe with a batch of others once, or a couple of time a week) to a web based “Plot / Property” sales site.

Be aware that once the land or property is sold, if the site is not informed straight away, they will not know about the sale. – So, don’t just ASSUME that because the details are there in front of you, that they will be FULLY up to date. – Check by phone, or on the individual agent’s web site before planning to travel any significant distance to view land or property

8) Local / National publications:

There will usually be a local newspaper published in the area where you would like to find land. They will often have a “land for sale” section, or include a “local property section” once a week, where all the local agents list many of their properties for sale. – The weakness with these sorts of publications is that they, by their very nature, are not up to date. – The ads are usually booked a few days before publication, and the publication itself usually comes out once a week. In theory, an ad could be 2 weeks out of date when you see it. SO, again, always check with the Agent before planning a visit to see any land or property.

It is also worth reading through the general “Classified section” of newspapers, - both local and regional, as occasionally you will find an ad for some land (maybe a large piece being auctioned divided into individual plots or something similar). - Many of these types of ads are not (for “whatever” reason) found in the “Property Section” of the papers.

Also check out the whole of the newspaper for articles which may be relevant. - Maybe someone is applying for Planning on some land which is “newsworthy” as an item on its own. OR, maybe an area of land is being discussed by the Council for development. – If you know about any possible future availability, you may decide to contact the people involved directly to see if you can “shortcut” the usual process and “get in quickly”.

Also watch out for sections in local papers which list “Planning Applications made”. – The people making these applications may be considering selling the land if they obtain Planning Permission. - A bit of regular homework and a couple of phone calls could prove very productive for you! – You just never know!

9) Planning Offices:

All “Planning Applications”, as far as I am aware, should be available to the “General Public” to view.

Normally they are found at the “Planning Office” itself. There may be a section (sometimes in reception, sometimes inside the Planning Department), where the most recent applications are filed in binders on shelves. Or, - it may be that the system is computerized.

You may find that if you want to do some homework to find out “who has applied for what”, you will need to spend a few hours wading through these files or on their computer system. (Note: planning applications can be for many things, not just houses. -You may need to sift through dozens or maybe even hundreds of miscellaneous applications to find anything relevant. - However this system can sometimes prove to be a goldmine).

There will always be contact details on the application forms, - either for the applicant or their Agent. So, if you like the look of anything, you are within your rights to contact the applicant to register your interest in the land, should it become available.

10) Knocking on doors:

If you happen to find an empty piece of land in the area where you would like to live, it is often worth simply knocking on a few doors! – Especially the ones next door to the plot. – In some cases they will actually own the land, or if not quite often they will know who does, or be able to give you some information on its history.

Prepare, however to get a curt response in some cases. Quite often these days these empty “bits” of land create significant interest, and the people whose door you knock on may be starting to get a bit fed up of answering questions! – BUT, it can be well worth the effort and the hassle in the end!

11) Auctions:

A lot of land is sold at Auction. You can often get a good deal by buying at an auction, but you need to make yourself aware of how the system works before you start to make definite plans to attend one and possibly think about making an offer on land you may have seen.

The agent running the Auction will usually have prepared an information pack for the land, with most of the details which your Solicitor would be asking for if you were buying the land privately. - If you ask for and receive this pack, it would be well worth you sending it on to your Solicitor to check before considering making any offer.

Once you have had an offer confirmed at an auction, you are committed. You can’t simply say “Oh, I have had second thoughts” and pull out.

Before you consider bidding at auction, your finances need to be in place, you need to have a deposit ready to pay over, and it all moves very quickly. - Make sure you do all your homework “up front” and make sure that IF you do happen to get the land, that you have already considered all the things that could “trip you up” with the project. – Ground conditions, Planning restrictions, “ransom” strips etc. – Reading as much of this guide as possible would be a good start in equipping yourselves with the knowledge you need.

12) Suggesting a deal:

If you do happen to find an ideal plot of land by “knocking on doors”, or by some other method (word of mouth / friend etc) you will often find that it presently does not have Planning Permission. - You may think that that means you have to walk away from it. - Not necessarily! – One method some people will adopt in these circumstances, if it really is the ideal plot, and if they are prepared to “take a chance” and wait for it, is to make a “conditional offer”.

To do this you would suggest to the owner that YOU take the responsibility of trying to get the Planning Permission on the land, and agree with them that if you manage to do so, you will give them “X” thousand pounds for it.

You tell them that you will do all the work, involved in getting the application ready and pay all the fees, - and that if for any reason you don’t or can’t buy it from them, “if and when” you are granted Planning, that they will then be free to sell it to anyone else.

For this system to work you need to get a “watertight” contract written up and signed. – You would need to speak to your Lawyer, or a specialist Self Build Consultant about getting this sorted out.

This route to acquiring your land is slow and can end up with you failing to obtain the Planning Approval you had hoped for. If this happens you will have simply wasted your time and money.

However, if it works, you could end up with your ideal plot at a very competitive price.

13) Land Agents / Councils / Companies:

There are a lot of “Commercial Bodies” and “Organisations” who own “Land Banks”. Sometimes these are large “tracts” of land, and sometimes “small bits and pieces”. Occasionally the owners will decide, for whatever reason sell them off through agents (this can be to generate capital or for cash flow reasons etc).

Sometimes you will suddenly see an ad in a local paper, sometimes at an auction. Advertising a forthcoming “sale event”, disposing of a parcel of land with planning for “Residential Development”.

It could be that you have come across some vacant land that you think would be ideal for development and, after some research you find that it happens to be owned by a large organisation of one sort or another. - If you get in touch with them, you just never know. - They may be in the process of getting ready to sell it, or just having the contact from you may even prompt them to think about doing so.

These odd bots of land which you may like but aren’t presently up for sale are always worth a bit of investigation, and a few phone calls.

14) Joining forces:

One fairly rare way (these days) of “procuring” land is for a group of people to get together and jointly make an offer on a larger piece of land made up of multiple plots.

This web site will actually make this a more viable option due to the fact that now, people will be able to use the “Building and DIY section of the site to communicate with each other around the UK.

If someone finds out about a larger area of land which has become available made up of more than one plot, then by using the “Community” section of this site, “groups” of people could join forces to potentially purchase the whole site, - which would then be split down into individual plots at agreed purchase prices.

It would be important to get legal advice from either a specialist Lawyer and usually from a Planning Consultant if this sort of venture is a possibility for you.

Buying in this manner often brings with it “Economies of scale”, meaning that everyone gets their plot at a good price, but also brings with it a unique set of problems which are always found when different people with different priorities try to join forces. – These are dealt with in other sections of this guide.

Conclusion:

The keenest buyers normally get the best deals. The people who work hardest at finding what they want are more likely to do to than those who “wait” for something to appear.

The best plots and properties can come on the market and be gone in hours. – If you want to have a chance of getting hold of one of them, you have to be at the “top of the pile” all the time, ready to “grab” what you want as soon as it appears.

However, there are many thousands of plots and properties for sale. – Some that may be classed as not being “prime” for some reason may actually be perfect for you. If you haven’t got time to keep up to date on a daily basis with everything coming onto the market, then just making sure you go down “all routes” of investigation described here “as often as you can” to see “what is available” should bring you across some really nice examples of plots and properties.

One rule to remember though:

When you find what you want: GO FOR IT – STRAIGHT AWAY. – You will kick yourself if you lose it while you “Um and Arr”. – Unless you buy property “at auction”, you are not legally bound by making an offer, so you can always pull out if it turns out not to be what you thought it was.

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