Advice - how to get a developer interested?

Sulphur_Man

The mother-in-law (she's very nice btw) lives in a great barrack of a place in Camberley, Surrey. Detached, big plot of land, good access to M3 and town centre.

She's coming round to the idea of selling up and downsizing, move closer to her grandchildren, minimising the inheritance tax liability, and generally make her life simpler, and more active, instead of holed up in an empty house. The house, while outwardly impressive, is 'in need of modernisation' as an estate agent might describe it. It could prove a difficult sell on the open market.

Back in 2008, a developer approached her and her husband about the prospect of selling up, which they didn't pursue at all. My father-in-law passed away in 2009, with no further contact by any other developer since then.

It would now be useful if a developer or two got back in contact with her. How does one raise interest discretely, without approaching an estate agent (yet) or any other third party?

Any advice much appreciated.

Doozergirl

That's what estate agents are for.

You could try registering it on plotfinder, but houses that need work are the ones that get all the attention through EAs. Auction, if necessary, but no one wants to market quietly to developers who aren't the sort of people to pay top money.

Got the money to do it yourself? I know a wonderful builder that specialises in large, broken houses

RAS

Go have a chat with the local Council planners.

Ask whether they think, in principle, that planning permisison might be granted either for the whole site with demolition of the current house (what has happened to a lot of properties just notrth of me) or to "backland" development.

And may talk to the neighbours. We ganged up with with next door to mum and got outline PP for houses accessed off the side street.

With outline PP the value increases massively and it cost us a few hundred quid.

AdrianC

Sulphur_Man wrote: »

The house, while outwardly impressive, is 'in need of modernisation' as an estate agent might describe it. It could prove a difficult sell on the open market.

You'd probably be surprised. A lot of top-end value houses in nice areas are heavily reworked after sale anyway, no matter how fresh they were before.

wheelz

A lot of local authorities are charging nowadays for pre-application advice. Surrey Heath charges £50. You might want to contact a planning consultant.
https://www.rtpiconsultants.co.uk/listing/region/13

wheelz

You say there is land, you need a developer not an estate agent I would have thought. Whether it's in the Green Belt or not makes a lot of difference. I would have a look at the Local Plan map first. http://www.surreyheath.gov.uk/planning/planningpolicyandconservation/Proposals.htm
http://www.surreyheath.gov.uk/planning/planningpolicyandconservation/default.htm

Sulphur_Man

@AdrianC

Yes, most people in these budgets do change things, regardless of their quality. However, I'm not convinced that her end of the market, in that area, is particularly healthy. People with decent money to spend dont buy just anything, regardless of its interior. There's quite a few nearby properties that have lingered on the market for some time, even being withdrawn in one case (signs of a slowdown maybe?

@RAS - thats a good idea, thanks, I'll try that. There's no immediate rush, and Surrey Heath would probably be quite cheered at the prospect of more people living on any plot of land, having lost so much money to Icelandic banks in 2008....