Find & Buy a Building Plot

HOW TO FIND AND BUY A BUILDING PLOT - £12.50

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DESCRIPTION
TECHNICAL INFORMATION
COMMENTS
CONTENTS

DESCRIPTION

How to Find and Buy a Building Plot is the first and only comprehensive book specifically about buying land on which to build a house. It gives you all the essential information you need to locate, assess and purchase a plot. With over 65 illustrations, tables and examples, this book tells you:

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12 sources of plots for sale - and how to get the best out of them
Successful methods professional property developers use to find land
Essential items to organise - before you even start plot hunting
10 vital points to look out for when inspecting a plot
How to value plots, make an offer, and negotiate your purchase effectively
The right way to pin down the specification of your dream home and ideal location
How to work out a realistic budget and the price you can afford to pay for a plot
Key factors you must check before buying a plot - especially planning permission
The best ways to find out who owns land
How to succeed in sales by auction and tender
Critical points to investigate about services, access, planning and legal restrictions
How three families found and bought their plots - and the key points they learned

Finding and buying land is the most difficult task faced by people who dream of building a house. More would-be selfbuilders, or would-be small developers for that matter, fail at this point than at any other stage. It is simple and obvious - if you cannot find and buy a plot, you will never build your own home. Getting it right is the key to the whole process. Getting it wrong is at best, a severely frustrating, massive waste of time - at worst, a horrendously expensive disaster.

Many thousands of prospective home builders start with a vision of their ideal home, overlooking the most fundamental part - finding somewhere to turn that dream into reality. With the tremendous growth and interest in selfbuild, the problem of finding the right site becomes ever more acute.

This book is the first and only one to deal with this key subject head on, although written in unequivocally clear and accessible style, it is of as much benefit to professionals as it is to the tens of thousands of families who begin land-searching each year.

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TECHNICAL INFORMATION

Authors	Roy Speer & Michael Dade	ISBN	9780953348916
Publication Date	October 1998	Category	Popular reference
Retail price	£12.50, mail order £13.50	Imprint	Stonepound Books
Pages	160	Cover	Paper back, full colour
Size	210 x 148mm	Illustrations	66
Edition	Second edition	First edition	JM Dent, March 1995

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COMMENTS

'Every selfbuilder needs a plot, and this book is a splendid guide to finding the right one. Essential reading for everyone thinking about the selfbuild option for a new home.'
Murray Armor, Author of 15 Editions of Building Your Own Home

'This is a refreshing jargon-free approach to the subject from experts who really know what they are talking about. Thoroughly recommended.'
Rosalind Renshaw, Editor - Build It

back to the top CONTENTS INTRODUCTION
PART 1 DEFINING YOUR REQUIREMENTS
CHAPTER 1 THE HOUSE Design ideas Professional advice Detailed requirements House types Layout options Organising construction Construction methods	CHAPTER 2 THE PLOT Size of plot Plot characteristics
CHAPTER 3 THE LOCATION The countryside Towns and villages Area of search Influences on choice	CHAPTER 4 THE BUDGET The draft budget Finance options Build cost Plot price Adjusting the figures
CHAPTER 5 THE PRICE Planning permissions Effects on value Price guide Check list	back to the top
PART 2 FINDING THE PLOT
CHAPTER 6 WHERE TO LOOK Estate agents Auctions Property professionals Local network Local newspapers Magazines Selfbuild package companies Builders merchants Shows and exhibitions Builders and developers Councils Major landowners Plot finding services	CHAPTER 7 HIDDEN OPPORTUNITIES Planning records Local Plans Ordnance Survey maps Identifying potential plots on the ground The plot in your garden Sub-standard property Conversions Finding the owner Agricultural dwellings Check list back to the top
PART 3 ASSESSING YOUR PLOT
CHAPTER 8 FIRST CONSIDERATIONS Fitting the house on the plot The lie of the land Ground conditions Trees and vegetation Obstacles Orientation Boundaries Adjoining uses The property market	CHAPTER 9 ACCESS Legal considerations Verges Common land Ransom strips Highway standards
CHAPTER 10 SERVICES Foul drainage Surface water drainage Water Other services	CHAPTER 11 PLANNING PERMISSION Studying the planning permission Planning officer Professional advice
CHAPTER 12 PLANNING RESTRICTIONS Agricultural ties Article 4 directions Tree preservation Orders Conservation Areas Other designated areas	CHAPTER 13 LEGAL CONSIDERATIONS Planning obligations Covenants Easements, wayleaves and private rights of way Footpaths and bridleways Check list back to the top
PART 4 VALUING YOUR PLOT
CHAPTER 14 FACTORS DETERMINING VALUE CHAPTER 16 YOUR VALUATION AND OFFER Check list	CHAPTER 15 VALUATION METHODS
PART 5 BUYING YOUR PLOT
CHAPTER 17 BUYING LAND Key players Private treaty sales Contracts Purchase and taking possession	CHAPTER 18 MAKING AN OFFER AND NEGOTIATION Negotiating Informal tenders Dutch auctions Contracts races Changing your offer Gazumping
CHAPTER 19 AUCTIONS	CHAPTER 20 TENDERS Buying a plot in Scotland Formal tenders Check list
PART 6 CASE STUDIES CHAPTER 21 THREE CASE STUDIES Sharon and Geoff Jones, Suffolk Mike and Sarah Cowling, Essex Peter and Karin Skinner, Sussex	back to the top
INDEX A FINAL WORD FROM THE AUTHORS
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