horticultural land

[dragonrouge]

Hi whilst we have a garden it is nothing less than a courtyard garden and whilst I have used others gardens on a friendly basis this summer I would now prefer to have my own!

My neighbour has today offered me a plot next to his and it measures some 20m wide by 60m long. The soil is wonderful and the exposure equally so.

However we have a get together this week end and when the price will come up. I have no idea whatsoever but believe to this we have to have a geometre fees plus the notaires so unless I am careful it would need gold plated potatoes to make this work.

I have no doubt my neighbour knows exactly what he wants and my needs are not immediate so I can walk away.

But does anyone please have any ideas as to what this plot is worth. Yes supply and demand but there must be a common factor someone here.

Would truly appreciate viewpoints before this week end.

[buelligan]

There is a garden about half the size of the one you describe for sale here (11).  I believe the asking price is E3000.  Hope that helps in some small way.

[nomoss]

I am in a similar situation, with only a minute courtyard garden. I asked a neighbour about selling me a derelict plot of land of around 600m2, which was once a cherry orchard. It has no water, and is just outside the village, with no possibility of any building permission within the next 10 years or more.

Horticultural plots with water are difficult to come by here, and rarely change hands, but I thought I could haul enough water there for a small garden and the remaining cherry trees, and put up a small garden shelter so we could sit outside for a change..

He agreed a price of 2000€, but warned me that the notary fees could be as much, or even more than the land, as there is a high minimum fee.

I called on the notaire, who confirmed this. This was about a year ago, and I can't remember the amount, but it was high enough to put me off buying the land.

Also, in addition to notary fees, it would have been necessary to pay a surveyor to mark out the land, as it has no fences, and owners of adjoining vignes have been gradually encroaching on it with their vehicles etc.

I suggest verifying the fees in your area before entering into any purchase agreement.

[buelligan]

Nomoss, I see that you live in the Languedoc (like me).  I hate to be discouraging, but you were probably very lucky not to have bought that plot (if you really intended to haul water to it).  As you know, when it's hot here it really is hot.  The amount of water you'd have to haul (I water a small public bed in my village - carrying water in buckets from a spring about 300m away and it nearly kills me) to keep a reasonable sized garden alive doesn't bear thinking about.  And, of course, you'd have had the problem of where to get the water from.  If you have a metered garden here, your water charges per litre for "horticultural" water are a fraction of what you'd pay for "house" water.  The cost of watering a garden from the house supply would make most people quake I think.

[dragonrouge]

Thank for all of your advice. I had thought that the add on costs would be as high as the purchase cost and it just does not work.

Perhaps 4000 euros might be money not well spent.

We have well water at home plus mains but the thought of transporting water to the plot just does not make sense.

So grateful to everyone

[Patf]

Perhaps offer to rent it from him? Then it's easier to get out of it when you've had enough.

Or give him some of the produce in exchange for using it.