Developer wants to buy some of my Garden

inmypocketnottheirs

Personally I wouldn't sell. Then you will see how much they are prepared to pay.

Richard_Webster

googler wrote: »

If the development is going ahead whether or not he secures the purchase of your land, what does he need your land for?

Quite!

You have to find out how much land he has already secured and what difference your bit will make. Is the difference between a viable development and a marginal one? If he has to put a road in to gain access this will cost a lot and the more houses he can build on it the better.

Can someone else come in from another direction and buy the neighbour's garden ends on the other side leaving yours as the last one? If that happens you are stuck with development round you. On the other hand if your garden is the key to opening a further area it may be worth more than you think.

Ulfar

They are asking because they need it, hold on to it.

Davesnave

Yes, the development will go ahead regardless, but if you all sell, it will be a completely different development.

There's huge potential here for a right old barney, and no mistake, so as others have suggested, hire a professional between you to assess all the likely ramifications.

It could be that you'll be the ones who pay out. It could also be the best money you've ever spent!

silvercar

Friends refused to sell the back of their garden but gave an indication that they might be persuaded in the future. The developers arranged the new houses so that their garden could be incorporated later. They then sold when the first few homes had already been built and made a six figure sum.

If you do sell insist that the developer has to provide and maintain a six foot wood fence between your garden and the new home. You may as well have a decent fence and someone else responsible for it.

zcacmxi

In the South East, the land is worth more than the house built on it. That's the reason why property valued at £600K has a buildings insurance rebuilding cost of <£200K.

The developer will clearly be able to add value to his development with 60 feet of extra land. Either they'll build more houses, or give the existing houses gardens/garages etc, without which they'd be less desirable, and worth less.

I certainly would not sell 60 feet of garden for a few thousand. I would contact a couple of chartered surveyors and get valuations.

When you come to sell your house, if there are 2 on the street for sale, one with a 200 foot garden & the other with a 140 foot garden, if everything else is equal your one would be worth less or not sell. You'd need to be compensated for that now.

brightonman123

check what its worth to THEM first- are the proposed houses up for sale?

cant see how they can claim will go ahead with/out land being bought - why would they need it?

just say nooo!

chickmug

You must take professional advice now!

You must take professional advice now!

You must take professional advice now!

Sorry to repeat myself so much but I have been on the developers side and they KNOW how to negotiate and we charmed our way into people lives, offered low, told them it was a very high figure and they never consulted professionals.

The more astute land owners did consult professionals and we found ourseleves having to pay more of a market rate with clauses often built in giving further payments/benefits to the land owners. We build more than one extension and at times built more than one house in compensation.

So you must take professional advice now

googler

Also, you MUST have been a 'notified neighbour' when the builder put his planning application in - does this scheme of development include or exclude your garden?

If it's excluded, and he does succeed in buying yours and the neighbours' gardens, he won't be able to arbitrarily change his scheme of development without revising his planning app, securing revised permission, as part of which you'll be notified, and can object to the development if need be.....

Strapped

googler wrote: »

Also, you MUST have been a 'notified neighbour' when the builder put his planning application in - does this scheme of development include or exclude your garden?

If it's excluded, and he does succeed in buying yours and the neighbours' gardens, he won't be able to arbitrarily change his scheme of development without revising his planning app, securing revised permission, as part of which you'll be notified, and can object to the development if need be.....

Not all councils notify neighbours. (Ours for example!) It can be up to individuals to look out for planning notices on lamposts and in local papers.