/7 min read
Buying a Plot: What to Check Before You Bid
In short
Five checks before you bid, in order: the envelope, the setbacks, site access, ground conditions and the neighbours. Four of the five are answerable in a fortnight. Access and ground carry costs that never appear in an asking price, and the one that catches people out repeatedly is the last — what the neighbours are permitted to build, and how much of your view belongs to somebody else's development rights.
In this article
Topics
- Planning
- Asset enhancement
- Cost
The envelope decides the house
Everything else is negotiable. What the plot permits is not, and it is knowable before you bid.
Access and ground
A plot that cannot take a crane, or that sits on difficult ground, carries a cost that never appears in the asking price. Both are visible on a site walk with someone who has built nearby.
The neighbours
Party wall conditions, overlooking, and how much of your view belongs to somebody else's future development rights. The last one catches people out repeatedly.
Key takeaways
- Envelope, setbacks, access, ground, neighbours. In that order.
- Access and ground conditions carry costs the asking price never shows.
- Check what your neighbours are permitted to build before you value the view.
On this site
First published in the KAPA Journal, written with KAPA Design Collective, the practice that designs and builds our residences.
Published by TMB Development at tmbdevelopment.com/journal/buying-a-plot-what-to-check. Quoting a passage with a link back is welcome; republishing it is not — see the terms.
