AIBU to turn down developer’s offer of £££ and keep our garden?

[Emelene]

Hi MN. I would appreciate some opinions. We have very recently moved to a village, with an outstanding school, village green out the front and a garden in excess of 100 ft out the back. Our kids are almost 3 and 1 and we see ourselves living here for at least a decade.

The thing is the last owner was intending to sell 60% of the garden to developers, along with the next 3 neighbours along (we are the end plot on the plans). She lost patience and sold the lot to us. Planning permission has finally been granted after previous appeals were turned down.

Under the plans, there would be a house and a half built on our land, so we would be overlooked and lose 60 percent of the garden. We don’t have to sell, but the developers have offered a final offer of £100k. That would pay off about a third of our mortgage. They are pressuring us to make a decision ASAP.

Obviously it’s a huge amount of money and a privileged position to be in … it’s very hard to say no. But. Losing the garden is a high price. We’d planned chickens, Wendy house etc. The house currently feels so peaceful, trees out the back (that would be cut down) and birdsong. So I think it would change the whole feel of our home. But there will be a house built in the neighbour’s garden, so there will be a small element of overlooking…

I’m scared we will regret turning down the money. But our kids are so young and we moved here to give them a wonderful childhood (with a garden!)

So AIBU to turn the developers down and keep the garden? WWYD?

My parents had this exact dilemma when developers got planning permission for houses over the back from them. They flat out refused as like you would like 60%+ of their garden

100k isn't a huge amount of money, not for land. Think of how much that fat cat developer makes. You'll make far more selling your home one day with its lovely garden. You'll struggle to sell it with some ugly newbuild plonked on it staring into your windows. Houses built this way always look horrible and cramped.

100k is utter peanuts, even if you're in the coldest darkest north. Which I am. It's still peanuts. It's your GARDEN. Tell them to shove it and enjoy your home.

I wouldn't. We actually bought the plot of land behind us to prevent anyone from buying it and over looking us. If it had been sold to someone else it would have ruined the ambience of the garden.

Yep developers still plan to build on the other plots (including my neighbours) if we don’t sell. They could be bluffing as I’m not sure on the financial viability but I think building work is going ahead regardless of what we do.

When we bought the house we were told the planning at appeal was unlikely to be granted… we didn’t expect to have this to deal with so soon. We moved in on a Friday less than a month ago and the developer was knocking on the door on Monday!

I think you need to ask for more money

@BoredZelda

100ft is a really big garden though. You can always plant trees to screen off the properties behind you. I’d probably do it.

It’s all relative. The OP talked about having chickens and dreaming of an idyllic childhood for her little ones.

We live on a 2 acre site surrounded by fields with a large chicken run 50 square metres and a 30ft Polytunnel. Our driveway is an additional 200m between two fields, so a 100ft garden assuming it’s not much wider than the house, sounds pretty small to me.

Plus you’d get the extra noise from being near to other people. Our nearest neighbour is about half a mile away and you never hear them. I can hear the church bells on a Sunday and that’s as much noise as I’m comfortable with.

I definitely wouldn’t sell the land in their position.

Neighbour nuisance threads are ten-a-penny on Mumsnet. Surely that's a clear indication that you don't want to have an extra 1.5 neighbours.

Only you can decide what to do but I'll say two things -

(1) Have you considered the selling the garden, then the house, then moving elsewhere?

(2) There is one thing that you DEFINITELY don't want to do. Refuse to sell and then see the person you sold to make the £100k that you could have made DO NOT LET THAT HAPPEN, EVER.

Turn it down

I know people who sold their garden for building. They couldn’t sell their house afterwards

100ft garden isn't that big. Sell off 60% and you will be left with a 40ft tiny garden. Tell them on their bikes

So will you loose back access into your garden?

Our nearest neighbour is about half a mile away and you never hear them

That's my idea of hell 😆

@LowbrowVictoriana

You weren't expecting nor are you dependent on that money, so you can continue to live without it.

If you sold your garden and changed the whole feel of your lovely house, you'd regret it bitterly forever.

This - keep your garden, enjoy your privacy.

You won't regret it.

Turn it down, enjoy your neighbour free garden. As time goes on you'll have a lovely place for your family to enjoy and no one backing on to you.

You'll be glad you said no. Bloody developers popping up everywhere spoiling the view and the peace. It would be a big FO from me.

Don’t. £100k is a very small amount for a developer, so it won’t be their last offer. No amount of money would persuade me to sell the bottom of our garden, unless I was also planning on moving.

Turn it down. My parents were in the same position. The garden was why they loved the house. The developer was pissed off and there was nothing he could do. They had to replan the housing development as the houses both sides of my parents sold their gardens.

I would keep the garden as it is an spend a little time and money future proofing the boundary with shrubs/trees to provide privacy if the development goes ahead.
100k is not a lot for a plot of land, and in real terms, it could be less than this when you factor in depreciation on your own house, capital gains tax/tax on the 100k windfall and the cost of buying and selling if you decide you hate living with a smaller garden.
If you do want to sell and you have easy access to the rear of the garden, you could always apply for your own planning permission and then sell on the plot for a lot more than what the developer is offering.

If you love the garden and don’t need the money then say no, you’ll regret it.

In any case despite what they say, it won’t be the developers final offer. If they own the rest of the land and have planning permission, they’ll get more and more desparate to buy it from you.

I wouldn't sell the land.

www.thefriendlyaccountants.co.uk/tax-implications-of-selling-your-garden/ Helpful but here.

Also, if your mortgage is 300k you are likely to have a maximum overpayment per year (ours is 10%) without charges kicking in. So you’d have to work out what you would do with the money?

Do not sell. Keep your lovely garden. A friend of mine sold 2/3s of theirs and bitterly regrets it. House has considerably devalued, too.

I'm guessing that when you bought your house you could have looked at houses for 225 without a nice garden, but you chose not to do that. So if that's not what you wanted to live in, why create that living situation for yourself now?

Whatever happens, do NOT let the developers pressure you into making a quick decision. It's your decision to make. If they don't want to wait for your decision, then that's their perogative, and they can carry on without your land (FYI they won't do this!)

But if, for example, an extra 200k WOULD get you the sort of "step up" house that you wouldn't otherwise be able to afford, then set that as your price. Well, 250k probs to allow for knocking value off your current house.

@LaetitiaASD

Only you can decide what to do but I'll say two things -

(1) Have you considered the selling the garden, then the house, then moving elsewhere?

(2) There is one thing that you DEFINITELY don't want to do. Refuse to sell and then see the person you sold to make the £100k that you could have made DO NOT LET THAT HAPPEN, EVER.

No-one will make £100k Fees, solicitor, valuer, capital gains, the amount required by the mortgage company to adjust the value and/or loan to value (is your money eventually but only realised when you sell). Depending on the mortgage type and company- redemption fees and remortgaging costs

I would not sell 60% of my garden for 100k. Your house could easily devalue by most of that for starters.
Don’t let them bully you. What your neighbours think is irrelevant although ideally everyone would say no and the developers would go elsewhere

Although if you’re very bothered by the whole scenario I am curious as to why you moved there as the scenario has clearly been on the cards for some time.

Don't do it.
Developers just lie. Full stop.
Imagine looking out onto a smaller garden and regretting it.
Think of the chickens, the playhouse, the hedgehogs.
Think of a building site in your back garden for as long as it takes and more because developers....
Keep your lovely garden.