10 Ways to Find Your Dream Plot

1. BUILD IN YOUR GARDEN

Before starting the frantic search for a piece of land, take a look at your own garden - could it make a suitable plot? If, for example, it backs onto another road, a new access could be created.

Pay a visit to your local planning department to confirm whether this would be a possibility before getting too excited though.

2. LEARN WHAT TO LOOK FOR

Sometimes it is all too easy to walk past a plot without even realising it is there, so pay attention.Whilst you dream plot may consist of an expanse of flat green land, stunning views and not a busy road in site, in reality you might find you have to think out of the box a little. Certain plots are dismissed almost instantly as too awkward or difficult to develop, for example those on steeply sloping sites, tiny infill plots in between buildings, or those in a sensitive area; but remember, where there is a problem there is always a solution often one that will result in an innovative and unique house design. Just make sure that the resulting costs will stack up at the end of the build.

3. DEMOLISH AND REBUILD

When you begin to consider each house or bungalow as the temporary owner of a building plot, the number of opportunities begin to increase. There are a huge number of selfbuilds, particularly in the south-east of England, that come about from this route.

Whilst buying a run-down property to demolish to make way for your new house may be a relatively expensive option, it also carries with it a number of advantages. Services will already be on site, access should be in place and, if you are lucky, you may inherit a nice mature garden.

Each local authority will have its own guidelines about replacing existing dwellings, and some are quite definite that it must be replaced like for like in in terms of its footprint and height. Others, however, accept a different design.

4. VISIT PROPERTY AUCTIONS

Plots of land and conversion opportunities are often sold at auction, usually by property-owning companies, or sometimes by bankrupt businesses. Although buying at auction can be stressful and somewhat daunting, it can also throw up some real bargains.

There is normally only about a month between the actual announcement of the auction and the sale, during which time you will have to arrange finance and carry out any surveys if you are interested. If you turn out to be the highest bidder at the auction, once the gavel falls, you have effectively exchanged contracts and will be asked to pay a deposit immediately, with the remaining balance payable within a set time, usually one month.

It is also possible to purchase a plot before it actually goes to auction by approaching the vendor beforehand and making an offer. The downside is that you will never know if you could have paid less at the auction but this is a risk often considered worth taking.

Alternatively, if the plot doesn't reach its reserve at the auction, you can approach the vendor afterwards and make an offer.

5. MAKE FRIENDS WITH OTHER SELF-BUILDERS

You might be surprised to learn that there are now many self-build associations, clubs and discussion forums just for people like you and, as we all know, it's good to talk. Interacting with other self-builders is a fantastic way of finding out about plots for sale and finding out more about the local area plus it brings with it all sorts of other opportunities, such as the possibility of plot sharing.

Some builders merchants now run selfbuild clubs where you can go and meet other self-builders, whilst The Association of Self Builders (www.self-builder.org.uk) aims to keep its members posted on suitable plots.

Using the internet to get in touch with other self-builders is another highly useful way of finding out about land for sale. Why not pay a visit to the Homebuilding & Renovating website at www.homebuilding.co.uk and join one of our discussion forums.

6. CONSIDER 'UGLY' BROWNFIELD SITES

Known as brownfield sites, land which has been previously developed in some way for example petrol stations and electricity transformers may not immediately seem particularly desirable, but can in fact offer some good opportunities. On the plus side, planners are usually pretty keen to see these sites tidied up and would prefer a nice self-build there than any current monstrosity.

On the downside, plots such as these may be contaminated or difficult to develop due to existing pipes and equipment.

7. USE H.M. LAND REGISTRY AND GOOGLE EARTH

Looking at Ordnance Survey maps can help you to spot plots by showing up gaps in the street scene. They can also be a way of identifying where infill or backland development has taken place. Site plans are also a useful way of allowing you to see whether it might be possible to piece together bits of land to make a patchwork plot. Once you have seen what you think looks like a good opportunity, jump in the car and take a look maps really are no substitute for seeing the plot yourself.

If you have difficulty in finding out who a piece of land belongs to, you might find that it is registered with HM Land Registry. A registered title, for which you will have to pay a small fee, includes details of the address and location as well as details of the owners and any covenants, charges and easements affecting the land.

Google Earth is a great weapon for would-be developers. Use it to fly over your desired area to look at the size of back and side gardens.

8. MAKE USE OF ESTATE AGENTS

This would, for most people, be the most obvious place to start in the hunt for a plot of land. However, how to deal with them in order to be successful can be tricky when it comes to securing a plot of land, as many agents often have arrangements with local builders or developers, meaning that they will contact them first whenever they have a plot for sale. To ensure you are in with a chance, don't simply ask to be added to their mailing list and think that's all there is to it. Telephone and visit the office regularly for updates and make yourself known to the staff; check their adverts on the internet and in the local paper and generally do anything that stops you from being just another name on their mailing list.

9. ASK YOUR LOCAL AUTHORITY FOR HELP

Local councils are required to keep a register of all plots measuring more than half an acre and, if you are lucky, yours might be one of the councils that also holds information on land specifically intended for self-builders in relatively new towns, which are still growing, local authorities reserve a number of serviced plots for self-builders, details of which should be available through English Partnerships.

Each week, local authority planning departments publish a list of planning applications for building work, which you can ask to see. From this list you can try to identify any land awaiting Outline Planning Permission and contact the landowners before they even advertise it as for sale.

10. USE A LANDFINDING DATABASE

Finally, you could join a landfinding agency, such as Plotfinder.net (www.plotfinder.net) - which holds details of over 6,000 plots or renovation opportunities at any one time. Agencies such as this aim to do the hard work for you, allowing to input your requirements and keeping you regularly updated with new plots for sale that meet your criteria. They are also really useful in that they allow you to get a good idea of the going rate of plots in your area.

and remember... around 20,000 self-builds take place each year!

Useful Links:

• Plotfinder.net
• H.M. Land Registry
• The Association of Self Builders
• Google Earth
• The Essential Plothunter's Checklist