Before building your new home, you need to buy land. If life in a housing estate does not appeal to you, you can opt to buy a plot in a diffuse or isolated area. While it is true that you benefit from more freedom to build your future home, the ideal land is not so easy to find and you risk visiting a good number of them before unearthing the rare pearl. Here are the key points you will need to take into account when choosing your land.
Buy free land from builder
More and more builders are buying land to resell it. These plots, which are often very beautiful, well exposed and well served, offer significant assets and attractive prices. On the other hand, be aware that the builder who sells it to you will imperatively be the one who will build your house. You have no other possibility and you are forced to build a house that may not look like your expectations. Note also that if the builder of your house also sells you the land, he will not be able to establish a CCMI for you.
It is therefore preferable to turn to a land free from a builder. You can go to several agencies, consult the local classifieds, or even turn to the town hall of the town you are targeting or contact the notaries in the area.
Aim for the right price
You know the possible amount of your home loan or the contribution you have. With this one, you will have to buy land and build your house there. The latter is very expensive to build and develop. It is important to take this into account when choosing your land. Avoid visiting lots beyond your means, you would be wasting your time.
Focus on those that meet your needs. Adapt to your means and your expectations for your home. Study your possibilities well and think in terms of price to buy the right land without going into debt. Don’t forget that this purchase will entail notary fees, even real estate agency fees!
A good geographical location
To choose your land excluding subdivision, take into account the geographical area. If you like the city or the countryside, look for a plot that is well laid out. Consider your lifestyle. If you need to get around every day to get to work, school, the bakery, do your shopping and other amenities, it is important to choose suitable land. Making these daily trips by car will result in much higher fuel costs and wear and tear on the vehicle. You also risk wasting time on these different journeys. It may be wiser to opt for a plot located near your work, transport or the main shops.
A suitable surface and configuration
Ask yourself about your needs in terms of space. The larger the land, the more expensive it will obviously be. It’s up to you to see if you want a large plot or if you are satisfied with a smaller plot. It depends on your uses, your possible equipment projects (terrace, swimming pool, sports or playground, etc.) and the time you have to maintain it.
Also consider the lay of the land. Some are very badly laid out, twisted, of a shape that is difficult to convert or too close to other dwellings. Your future home will be built around your land, not the other way around. It is therefore preferable to opt for a well-adapted space. In particular, remember to check the distances to be respected in relation to the separating limits; some large lots are cheap because they are narrow strips that greatly reduce the possibilities of building a decent sized house.
A quality ground
To reduce your costs, it is recommended to choose a site whose soil will be favorable to conventional construction, without having to pay additional costs for reinforced foundations. Indeed, the nature of the soil has a direct influence on the house and its budget.
Prefer flat, sandy, rocky or gravelly ground rather than clayey ground, which will require reinforced and expensive foundations due to the risk of ground movement. Also make sure by consulting the PLU that the land is not in a flood zone.
It is recommended to request a soil study. This is rarely provided by the seller and costs between 1,000 and 1,500 euros on average. It can be very useful, because even if the sector seems rather clayey or calcareous, there is nothing to prove that the land is not located on a vein that is quite different in nature from that of the neighbours.
An ideal orientation
Orientation is essential in the choice of terrain. Indeed, the presence and path of the sun during the day are of fundamental importance and can influence the layout of your home. Traditionally and for everyone’s comfort, it is recommended to place the living rooms and the terrace to the south. The bedrooms and bathrooms are reserved for the north.
A southern exposure is the most ideal, since it will allow you to benefit throughout the day from the natural light of the sun and its heat, which will reduce your heating bills. The rooms to the north will be more comfortable, especially in summer, because they will stay cooler for better quality sleep.
It is important to take these criteria into account, because a house facing north can force you to place your living rooms facing the street, which can be unpleasant if you have bay windows open onto a noisy road with vis- notice.
Also consider the winds, as they can bring you rain, smells and surrounding noises.
The servicing of the land and the proximity of the networks
If you buy land outside a subdivision, the formalities and the costs of servicing will be your responsibility, because it is rare for isolated land to be sold serviced. Make sure before committing that the water, electricity, telephone, gas and mains drainage networks are nearby, or even ideally at the edge of the plot. You will then save a lot of money.
Indeed, if the networks are far away, it will be necessary to ensure that your house is connected. Any necessary extension on the public road is at the expense of the municipality or the company in charge of this management. This is a practice applied in most territories, but you should know that some cities refuse to do so and leave the cost of the work to the future buyer. The same applies to filling in ditches to gain access to the land.
However, any servicing trench made on your plot to connect the public network from the entrance to the land to your home will be your responsibility. A fixed price is generally applied, but it is relatively small (10 meters on average). Consequently, if your house is set back at the back of the plot or if it is located behind a first row of dwellings, you will have to pay the additional costs to connect to each network.
With regard to mains drainage, it is a comfortable option and involves less expense. If it is accessible near the field, take advantage of it. Otherwise, you will have to opt for individual sanitation, which can cost you between 5,000 and 15,000 euros, excluding maintenance costs.