INVESTIGATE SERVICES BEFORE YOU BUY LAND

Purchasing a building plot is no different to any other property purchase and requires considerable due diligence beforehand – perhaps even more than when buying an existing home. There are so many unknowns with a plot and the services are a very significant element. Wise purchasers will get a search for these carried out as soon as possible and then, where necessary, engage directly with the utility providers.

Where your plot is in an urban location and adjacent to a main highway, the chances are that all the five or six key services will be readily available in the road and/or pavement. So you can be fairly sure that connections will be pretty standard. However, sometimes urban sites can be in backland positions and with little or no direct road frontage, and you may have no right of easement to travel through neighbouring land.

Hidden costs can multiply here to cover tortuous trenchwork journeys around obstacles, or through having to cross a main road four separate times in order to make connections from the other side of the street. Some vendors might be happy to assist in procuring solutions unless of course you are in a sealed bid situation or competitive race to exchange.