Buying A Ruin?

There was a time when ruins were especially sought after by anyone planning to build a new home! In the good old days you looked for a pile of stones in the corner of as field and declared that you were going to do a reform and you built pretty well what you looked where you liked on the plot! The ruin was effectively a carte blanche to build what you liked. Those happy (?) days are long gone. As the Spanish authorities set about closing all the stable doors now all the horses have gone the rules on reforming have become extremely tight as they set about trying to "protect" the countryside.

The first thing to bear in mind is that there is no such thing as outline planning permission in Spain so a seller who indicates he has permission to develop must have a formally approved proyecto. Anything else including "promises" by the town hall or favourable comments by the mayor are simply worthless. You either have it or you don't!

The basic rule of thumb these days is that town halls don't want to approve of building in the campo so what they will accept as a reformable ruin is much more restricted. It will be expected to look like a building and have a roof for starters! In addition you will only be able to work within the existing footprint of the building; no fancy extensions and no moving the building to a spot with a better view!

Our advice these days therefore is to look at the type of property we call a "camper". Good enough to provide shelter , undeniably a house but in need to full reform and modernization. There should be few problems with getting permission in cases like this and I have included a few examples in the property update.

For those of you asking why buy a ruin or a camper  the answer is simple. It is an opportunity to create your own special home with your personal stamp well and truly on it! It is a chance to put in the amenities you want and use the finishes you like and ultimately if you do it right it is a sound investment.

If you are looking to create something personal get in touch. We always enjoy talking projects!

http://www.tickle-international-property.com/
Email: bill.tickle@tickle-international-property.com

+44 208 144 5525
Skype; Tickle.tip

 

Not All Land Is Equal

In an earlier newsletter I talked about how to negotiate for land in Spain but this week I want to talk about how the land market works.

All local authorities establish a minimum plot size to permit the building of a family home. This is in theory based on the amount of land needed to support a family. In a productive, well watered, area it could be 5,000 m2 but in areas of poor soil, climate and with a shortage of water the minimum plot allowed for the construction of a home is often 25,000 m2 and I have heard of 50,000 m2 being the minimum.

The significance of these figures is that pieces of land below this minimum amount cannot be separated or segregated from a larger plot. So whilst you might want a couple of hundred m2  for parking or a pool and the owner might be delighted to sell it to you he cannot legally do so.

In addition to not being able to sell less than the minimum build plot, ant segregation must ensure that  all the plots meet the minimum size. So in an area where 25,000 m2 is the minimum, if a seller has 45,000 m2 he cannot sell 25,000 m2 because the remaining plot will only be 20,000 m2.

Plots do exist legally below the minimum size because they pre date the current rules and these have no potential building value. As such they are (depending on productivity) an excellent buy for  agricultural or other purposes. Furthermore if you are able to put a couple of plots together you get a building plot and that has it's own value.

I am aware that in many areas, in response to the excesses of the boom, there is a total ban on any new building in the campo (countryside). How long that will last for I do not know but in the short term you should be extremely careful about buying to build as permission will be hard to impossible to obtain. However a buildable plot still has an additional "hope value" that derives from the fact that in Spain nothing is concrete or indefinite!

My biggest surprise by the way is the number of people who say they want lots of land without spelling out why! If you want to be self sufficient and grow your own 50,000 m2 of secano (dry) land is pretty pointless whereas 10,000 or even 5,000 will give you a better living. And with Spain being so mountainous there are plenty of huge plots where most of the land is steeply sloped and the actual usable amount is tiny.

The moral is that you can buy land, just be aware of the rules and think hard about what you want it for because not all land is equal.

http://www.tickle-international-property.com/
Email: bill.tickle@tickle-international-property.com

Buying Land - How To.

I am often asked by people looking at country houses in Spain if they can buy more land. The answer is always yes but there are ways and means of doing it!

The important thing is always to forget what happens in your own country and remember that "local rules" apply.  The biggest mistake made by most North Europeans have is that they want to do things fast! They want land and they let the world know about it. Our sense of urgency, of "must have" gives the locals the impression that you NEED their land and that consequently they can ask a ridiculous price for it. Unfortunately the crazy initial asking price won't come down either because  the Spanish work to a different time scale to North Europeans! You and I might assume that the price might come down over time but that isn't the way it works. The seller now knows you NEED his land (whether or not it is true) and he has the patience to wait for "his price" so it could stay high forever.

The secret in Spain is "softly, softly, catchee monkey". Buy your country house drop the hint that you could be interested if some land comes available at the right price and wait for it to come to you. It will come! And whatever you do, don't be too eager, don't show your true interest and be prepared to haggle and you will get your land! You will also get a lot of respect from your new neighbours!

http://www.tickle-international-property.com/
Email:   bill.tickle@tickle-international-property.com
Phone:  +44 208 144 5525
Skype: 
tickle.tip