Buying lands in the UK

mn1

Hello
Can anyone kindly provide some advice regarding investing in buying lands in the UK instead of houses ? Is there an advantage with regards to avoiding the 3% on second homes or with regards to paying council tax ? 
Can one get a mortgage to buy a land ?
Thanks in advance 

Apodemus

Sadly, I think if you are asking on here, you probably don't know enough about land to make any money out of it!  If you are thinking about developable land, then you would be in competition with the big developers and their land banks.  If you are thinking about agricultural land, then you would be buying with after-tax money in competition with farmers buying under roll-over relief.  Forestry land comes with a whole lot of land management commitments that lie in wait for the naive or unwary.  There may be niches in small plots of land, but they are few and far between and highly sought after.  

mn1

Apodemus said:

Sadly, I think if you are asking on here, you probably don't know enough about land to make any money out of it!  If you are thinking about developable land, then you would be in competition with the big developers and their land banks.  If you are thinking about agricultural land, then you would be buying with after-tax money in competition with farmers buying under roll-over relief.  Forestry land comes with a whole lot of land management commitments that lie in wait for the naive or unwary.  There may be niches in small plots of land, but they are few and far between and highly sought after.  

You are right, I know nothing about purchasing lands, I am trying to find an alternative to investing in property and thought of buying lands but it seems more complicated than I thought 
Thanks for your advice 

theoretica

There are websites that sell strange shaped bits of 'investment' land - avoid!

eskbanker

mn1 said:
I am trying to find an alternative to investing in property

What are your investment objectives, risk tolerance, etc, and in what ways are conventional investments (in funds, shares, etc) unsuitable?

Apodemus

theoretica said:

There are websites that sell strange shaped bits of 'investment' land - avoid!

Indeed, but there are also some genuine land auctions sites, where there can, very occasionally, be bargains to be had.  But it is best to know the land and the area well before committing, as some plots have no access rights, no development prospects and no inherent value.

mn1

eskbanker said:

mn1 said:
I am trying to find an alternative to investing in property

What are your investment objectives, risk tolerance, etc, and in what ways are conventional investments (in funds, shares, etc) unsuitable?

I have around 20k to invest, risk tolerance is high 
I have regular monthly investment in funds, I am put off from investing more in funds or share by the steep increase in their value within the last 12 months. I am concerned that I might be buying at the peak 
I am reluctant to invest in buy to let property because of several issues like the 3% extra stamp duty,  and all the recent regulations introduced by the government in the last few years

HansOndabush

Try gold and/or silver either through the ETFs or BullionVault.

dunstonh

I have around 20k to invest, risk tolerance is high 

£20k is not a lot and doesn't buy you much land.    Around £10k an acre unless its for development. (and could be less depending on use).    95% of the land in the UK will not be for development and will barely rise in value. Often it doesnt keep up with inflation

You do not buy land to make money when you have a small amount.    You would be an easy target for scammers though as there are plenty of land scams out there.

I am put off from investing more in funds or share by the steep increase in their value within the last 12 months.

A steep increase is not uncommon after a steep fall.

 I am concerned that I might be buying at the peak 

Most markets are not a peak levels.

jimjames

mn1 said:

eskbanker said:

mn1 said:
I am trying to find an alternative to investing in property

What are your investment objectives, risk tolerance, etc, and in what ways are conventional investments (in funds, shares, etc) unsuitable?

I have around 20k to invest, risk tolerance is high 
I have regular monthly investment in funds, I am put off from investing more in funds or share by the steep increase in their value within the last 12 months. I am concerned that I might be buying at the peak 
I am reluctant to invest in buy to let property because of several issues like the 3% extra stamp duty,  and all the recent regulations introduced by the government in the last few years

But you can say exactly the same about property & land prices so it's odd that you've given that as a reason for not buy investments but not for buying BTL or land. You might also want to check details as not all investments have risen the same over the last 12 months

maxsteam

There are various schemes whereby you can invest indirectly in land that might be used for buildings or cemeteries or something similar. These are mostly scams. I suggest that you investigate some of the larger, established property based investment trusts (such as British Land).

Yes, it is possible to buy a field but, without sufficient knowledge, you might pay too much. You might also have problems if, for example, gypsies move onto the field.