Selling House with a view but new houses may be built

BigJRock

Hi, we are shortly going to put our house on the market. It has fields behind and nice views and normally would be a good selling point. However the council wants to put a big housing development in these fields and it looked like it would be approved and building start in the next year or 2, though not necessarily in the field directly near our back garden. Now it looks like it has been put back 5 years and there are still a few issues to be sorted with the inspector so there's still a chance it won't happen at all. My feeling is it will go ahead eventually but may not affect our house for at 5 to 10 years.

My issues:

1. I want to be honest with buyers but don't want to under sell our house. Some people may be aware of the plans as it was in the local news but that was when it looked a done deal and was more imminent. What short I say to buyers?

2. When it looked more imminent my wife though it would put people off and thought we should put up a tall fence to cut out the view so people just buy the house for the house and not the view. She still thinks we should do this but I disagree now that it won't happen for years.

I'd really appreciate peoples thoughts on this.

user1977

Have there been any planning applications submitted? If not then I don't see a need to disclose what at the moment appears to be merely speculation. 

BigJRock

It has been passed by the council and builders are involved but there are some issues that have to be signed off by and independent inspector. I want to look at worst case that it does go ahead but in 5 to 10 years.

K_S

@bigjrock As a buyer I would want to know, but from experience with my clients, most vendors would not mention this unprompted/upfront. Your EA would probably suggest the same. If you did differently, then I commend your sense of fair-play.

It might well come out through internet/neighbourhood research by the buyer, or during conveyancing searches (depending on what kind of planning related actions have taken place).

user1977

BigJRock said:

It has been passed by the council and builders are involved but there are some issues that have to be signed off by and independent inspector.

"Passed by the council" meaning planning permission has been granted? Or it's merely been zoned for future residential use?

noh

We purchased our house five years ago in similar circumstances. There was talk of new houses being built on the fields in front of the house.
The seller had lost previous buyers when they had pulled out after discovering that houses may be built. The seller then decided to be upfront with the information about the possible new houses to save wasting anymore time with buyers changing their minds.
Four years after moving in outline planning permission has been granted for 100 houses but that doesn't seem to have stopped two houses in the road being sold at asking price on the first day of marketing.
I would suggest being upfront about the potential development to avoid wasting time with buyers pulling out when they discover it for themselves.

ccbrowning

It sounds like all of this would show up in a search anyway. You can check your council’s planning website. 

lookstraightahead

Is your house on a new ish development? If so I think most people would expect not to have a view, as new estates tend to grow.

if it's an older house then a view might be more important, and I would think those who see their surroundings as important will need to know / will usually check.

I personally don't see how people on new estates shouldn't expect more new houses, seems logical to me.

TripleH

Agree about being upfront.

Even with planning permission in and big newspaper articles about the development, you'd always get people who expect 'you' to do their research for them. Unless conditions are setting stone, I'd just give ball park figures.

When we were buying, we'd assume any land suitable for housing would be built on.

eddddy

BigJRock said:

1. I want to be honest with buyers but don't want to under sell our house. Some people may be aware of the plans as it was in the local news but that was when it looked a done deal and was more imminent. What short I say to buyers?

This is the sort of thing I would discuss with prospective estate agents.

Estate agents are salespeople, so they are experienced in presenting negative information to buyers in the least-negative way they can. The agent can give context and discuss the issue with prospective buyers.

That's far better than the buyer getting a bit of shock during the conveyancing process, with a cold, matter-of-fact report from their solicitor.

As far as I'm concerned, communicating difficult information to buyers and dealing with the buyers' reactions is part of what I pay an estate agent for.

Thumbs_Up

Surely any potential buyer should be mindful of buying a property that has ‘’green fields with a nice view’’ today, but should ask themselves what comes tomorrow.

I speak from experience, a newbuild I was going to buy (deposit paid) but fell through. A house that had green fields outlook to enjoy. I went back 5 years later out of curiosity, and yes that green and pleasant outlook turned into a housing estate.

The property I did buy, the next door neighbour was a old boy with a 200ft long garden. I did say to myself when he dies someone will build 2 houses there. He later died and they did build 2 houses there.