Browse Forums Buying Land 1 Jun 16, 2008 12:11 pm Good afternoon everyone!
I've been doing some searches on the forum for a while to try and cover all bases for building our own home - however I'm a little stuck at the moment and was hoping I might get some advise on where to go? We've found a piece of land near where we live, (in the eastern suburbs, Vic) its a subdivision on a corner which means we get two street frontages, and we have a good idea of the house we want to build and its positioning on the land. I've spoken to the real estate agent who said she'd send me out the section 32 for the land, it currently doesn't have planning permission however she said it shouldn't be an issue as the council allowed for the land to be subdivided. We aren't sure what we need to do to check this land isn't going to come back and bite us in the bum. As it doesn't have current plans if we buy it is there a chance we can't build the 3bdrm 2 bath 2 living area double garage house (20sq ish) its 450sq land so that shouldn't be an issue but we don't know where to start if we are seriously going to buy this land? Do we get a builder out to evaluate site costs? Don't want to buy it to find we have to get 30k to make it habitable?? The real estate agent said it might already have had soil tests as they had to apply to sub divide. Can anyone give any tips on how we should approach this - I'm new at this game and don't know where to start?! Thanks heaps Kerrie Re: Buying Land 2Jun 16, 2008 1:19 pm KerrieM, I'd suggest you have a chat to the planning department at the council. I'd presume the land is zoned residential, but check. Ask them what you need to do to get planning approval. Also ask about boundary setbacks. We're on a corner block and may do a knock down and rebuild on our current block. Our council requires that on the main street our setback has to match the existing neighbouring house, on the side street the requirement is different (can't remember what exactly, have to check again). Also find out about what size footprint can be built on the block. Our council has a requirement that the footprint (that includes anything under roofline if I remember correctly) is not greater than a certain percentage of the block, then there is another requirement or how much concrete paths, driveways, etc. can be established. It sounds onerours, but again if I remember correctly, it wasn't really too bad. You need to know these things so you know what you can build on that block.
We own a block that is zoned rural and planning requirements were more strict for that so what we did when we puchased that block was to make the sale conditional upon receiving planning permission from the council. There was a time limit for us to receive planning approval, which we did have to have extended by a couple of weeks. The real estate agent said the vendor would not accept such a condition so we said if they didn't we wouldn't purchase the block. They agreed to the condition. It did delay contracts and settlement but it meant we had some protection. It may not be necessary to go to such lengths forthe block you're looking at, but it's worth seeking some advice from council and perhaps a solicitor to know what you need to do. I am not a solicitor, nor do I have any qualifications in real estate purchases, just sharing my experience. Please do check what I've said with professionals, and particularly how it relates to your situation, I may be wrong! Re: Buying Land 3Jun 16, 2008 1:29 pm HI Shaje
Thanks for your reply! I just spoke to the council an hour ago and supposedly the land has not yet been subdivided - they are still waiting on a few outstanding issues being rectified first including removal of a garage and draining in the top right corner so it could be a long settlement Luckily we are in the position that time isn't a massive issue - we don't want to be waiting a ridiculous time but we are currently living with the other half's parents until this house is built so no rush but we'd like to secure our land asap due to prices rising more and more! I'm just worried that we a) can't build what we want or b) it will cost too much in site costs to do what we want! All hints tips and suggestions are welcome, there are so many things to factor in and I know i've probably not considered 70% of them yet! Re: Buying Land 4Jun 16, 2008 2:11 pm Hi KerrieM, my 2cents worth....
I understand your concern and can relate to it since we were in a similar situation a while ago. We had seen a block of land in the eastern suburb of Vic but were not sure about the things to consider prior to taking a decision of buying the block of land. Hence we took the land measuremnts(whatever the realestate agent had provided) and approached a sales rep working for a reputed builder. Fortunately, he was a very nice chap we bumped into and he took a detailed look at it and explained all the additional costs that we would incur if we were to build a home on it. After speaking to him, we were convinced not to buy and are happy we did not proceed to buy it! Just a few things to consider are: if there are any trees on the block, if there is a slope, the easement requirements coz these could fairly reduce the area that will finally become available to build on...also the width n depth of the land will be very handy..... Wish you good luck Re: Buying Land 5Jun 16, 2008 2:18 pm Another thing to keep in mind and check with the council - with it being a corner block - you will normally need a larger than normal side setback on the street side. Keep that in mind when fitting your house plan on the block Built Porter Davis "Dromana" 2007. Yeah I don't know why I came to a forum. Place is full of wierdos/pedos thought internet may help but I suppose I'll try my luck with someone in person. Cheers. I tried… 0 6447 Need advice on the backyard plan above. Should I excavate and cut all of the dirt to level with the house slab or semi-excavate as per photo above? Both left and right… 0 24875 13 6633 |