so close to buying some woodland

[Tony Croft aka hamadryad]

I have my eye on 80000 square metres of 90 year old beech/Oak and Maple forest at the moment. Every man should own a woodland!

 

Good luck with the purchase Lumpit, sounds like my kind of place

[scraggs]

If it isn't being sold by woodlands.co.uk then you are off to a very good start!

 

 

Actually it's the other way around he will need to worry about, woodlands.co.uk are in a financial position to offer considerably more than the land is guide priced or even market valued at if it meets their criteria, if its a decent sized lot that they can carve up into smaller lots and make money on (ruining it in the process is of no concern to them)

Found that out from experience a couple of years ago.

My advise would be try to do a deal before the auction if it's something you really want, as you may be dissapointed and amazed at what it can make at auction.

I wish you the best of luck with it.

[Arctostaphylos uva-ursi]

Can't really offer any additional advice but would be interested to hear how you get on. Good luck. Keep us posted.

[campanula]

We missed out on a small woodland plot at auction when the guide price actually trebled at the auction. I started checking back through past auction results to see how the catalogue and actual prices compared...and found 2 lots which had been at auction for £25,000 but did not make the reserve (£32,000)and had not sold. I contacted the estate agents and eventually bought 5.22 acres in Norfolk for the 32thou. There are several nearby lots which had been sold through Woodlands.co.uk for considerably more money (although they are not woods but 'meadow') so although I don't know how restrictive their covenants and such are, they certainly charge a premium - 5 acres of fairly wet reed and sedge - £42,000!

We were looking all over for a year (even ebay) and numerous auctions and avoided going through a land agent. The conveyancing cost another £900 - we considered doing it ourselves but it was a massive amount of money to mess up so we opted for the solicitor. The only covenant is to not split the land into smaller parcels and we have all shooting and mineral rights (not that I am going to be shooting or mining). We have a converted horsebox (and if the bedroom tax continues to be so onerous, we will make a run to the woods). Also, all my children are struggling in a crappy housing market and I would be lying if I said that living in the wood, at least for them. would not be a future option. There is a river just across the water meadow so I guess they could try a houseboat too. It has been the best thing we have ever done (apart from the kids) and we were amazingly lucky to have got a £40,000 inheritance from Mr.Camp's dad - not enough for our own house....but enough for space and a horsebox and mostly, a garden.

[likeitorlumpit]

Thanks all

Guide price around 4k

Got all sporting rights- no rights of way. Yesterday we say a huge deer which the dogs followed. No way do I want to shoot such a beauty.

Downloaded land registry stuff. The sellers solicitor wants £900 on top of the price for his fees.

Can't believe what solicitors charge

Have measured it out from plans that were done in feet:001_smile:

Walking through the wood with measuring wheel

I'm pretty happy I know the exact spot though it's in a larger wood.

Woodlands.co.uk have been followed for years but prices are high and mostly it's just part of bigger woods anyway.

I'd like to add to the wood as it's mostly pine and birch though there are a few oak- around 20 years old.

I know its not a large plot but- you've got to start somewhere.

My other worry is dumping as I've noticed a little bit of rubbish in the area. Feels like it would be best to chain off the access road and all owners share a padlock for access but theres probably 20 owners accessed by the road/track. getting in touch with them all would be difficult.

I'll keep you all in the loop. Exciting times. I'm easily pleased.

[woodyguy]

How exciting! £4k for an acre is very cheap. Woodland .co.uk is about £10k per acre and I paid £7k per acre for mine. Smaller woods should be cheaper per acre but often aren't. I'd disagree about public access. I like public access as it shares enjoyment across the community, keeps the deer away and stops vandalism. Just my take.

 

Decide what you're willing to bid before hand and don't go above it, but be realistic. The test is whether if someone bid another £500 you'd be disappointed and wish you'd raised them. That high and no more! Let us know how it goes.

[gensetsteve]

If it has public access do you need to get pl ins and risk asses the trees

[sandspider]

Good luck!

 

I went to an auction for a small plot of woodland near me. It was right at the top of my budget, and I'd probably have been surprised and a bit scared if I'd won it! I didn't. No bids near the guide price, so they dropped it and dropped it until people started bidding. Ended up going for about 5k over the guide price of 20k IIRC. (Or possibly 10k over the guide price of 15k).

[Mick Stockbridge]

Good Luck John....

 

Btw, I'm clearing my yard on the fourth of Nov so from then on I can help you out if you still need somewhere to tip in Rainham.

[likeitorlumpit]

Good Luck John....

 

Btw, I'm clearing my yard on the fourth of Nov so from then on I can help you out if you still need somewhere to tip in Rainham.

 

Cheers Mick

We've been lucky finding a horsey farm near Tunbridge Wells that will take quite a bit but I'm always on the lookout so I'll be in touch no doubt.

What do you do with it- I'm interested because we used to store around 100 cube and spend a few days in the winter mulching our landscaping. 3 or 4 months in a pile turned it into good steaming organic mulch.