Buying farm land to extend a garden

eoin.h

Hi there, we recently bought a house in West Clare on about 0.2 acres of land. We'd love to extend the garden (by about 0.5 acres) for a polytunnel and a few veg beds. A local farmer has an adjacent 3 acre field that he only seems to use for silage. It doesn't seem like great farming land (some of it floods) but one 0.5 acre corner, adjacent to the house would be ideal for us. I'm keen to approach him about buying it, but I've no idea if this is a reasonable request, or what a reasonable offer would be.

The Farmers Journal lists farm-land in the area at about 6k p/acre so naively I'm thinking ballpark 3k. I'd love to know if that sounds reasonable to folks, or way off? Any other dos/donts re. approaching a farmer about buying land?

Thanks.

TooOldBoots

Couldn't see him going for 3k, if anything I'm sure he would get very insulted by such an offer.
For him to sell a small piece of land it still entails going to a solicitor, settling any tax bill and if he's in Glas he may have to re-organize or even pay back monies. Also he may then have to sort a new boundary. The long and short of it is no matter how poor the land it would have to be worth his while financially to do it, and even then it may be a family farm and he may not want to sell any part of it.
If it was me I'd be looking for a hell of a lot more than 3k.
Are you sure you need a full 0.5 of an acre? thats quiet a lot of land for just a polytunnel

I got a half acre ploughed for a veg garden.... believe me when I say it's a huge amount of land.
I regretted getting so much turned over.

Jimmy Garlic

You could try asking for a long term lease, with an annual rent, fence it off at your own expense, might work out better. Subdivision of land is a load of hassle and he might not be willing to sell for that reason alone, boundary would have to be redrawn etc. You mightnt even need to go to a solicitor if he is happy to shake on it.

Buford T. Justice XIX

eoin.h wrote: »

Hi there, we recently bought a house in West Clare on about 0.2 acres of land. We'd love to extend the garden (by about 0.5 acres) for a polytunnel and a few veg beds. A local farmer has an adjacent 3 acre field that he only seems to use for silage. It doesn't seem like great farming land (some of it floods) but one 0.5 acre corner, adjacent to the house would be ideal for us. I'm keen to approach him about buying it, but I've no idea if this is a reasonable request, or what a reasonable offer would be.

The Farmers Journal lists farm-land in the area at about 6k p/acre so naively I'm thinking ballpark 3k. I'd love to know if that sounds reasonable to folks, or way off? Any other dos/donts re. approaching a farmer about buying land?

Thanks.

The answer to your question on asking to buy land is VERY CAREFULLY!

To you it's only silage but to him it might be his best field away from the farm and the difference between feeding his cattle for the winter or not.

Tread very carefully and very, very slowly.

epfff

I recon legal and engineer fees would come to more than 3k to split field. The Boom is back in both professions.
I am in area long way from clare with simularish land value and im under nó financial pressure atm so if i was to even consider it with tax implications etc you would probably need to talk 50k to get me to listen. Still would consider myself doing the buyer a fav so negoation might be only starting there.
Id be thinking i might have 25k for meself when deal done and proper fence up that would be there for ever.
But as i said im not under financial pressure and everyone has different mindset.
If you offer 3k please take video i enjoy the reaction.

eoin.h

TooOldBoots wrote: »

Couldn't see him going for 3k, if anything I'm sure he would get very insulted by such an offer.
For him to sell a small piece of land it still entails going to a solicitor, settling any tax bill and if he's in Glas he may have to re-organize or even pay back monies. Also he may then have to sort a new boundary. The long and short of it is no matter how poor the land it would have to be worth his while financially to do it, and even then it may be a family farm and he may not want to sell any part of it.
If it was me I'd be looking for a hell of a lot more than 3k.
Are you sure you need a full 0.5 of an acre? thats quiet a lot of land for just a polytunnel

That's really useful, thanks for the help. 0.5 acre is probably more than we need, but I figured anything smaller wouldn't be worth his time.

eoin.h

Ok, 3k is clearly waaay off the mark. I figured that was probably the case, hence the question. Thanks for the help folks.

valtra2

Just ask the farmer. Don't mention money. Just see is he willing first.

TooOldBoots

It all depends on the man in question. If he's a grumpy old sod then its a no go. If he's willing an a good sort then you could look to do a deal whereby you take a small bit of land. In reality if its just for a poly tunnel and a Garden plus a few fruit trees around 0.1 of an acre is loads. You could offer him the a bit more than 3k for that, plus you'd have to sort out the boundary for him.

Muckit

I can't figure out how u managed to buy a house in this day and age on a site that's less than 0.5 of an acre. Was there an estate agent or solicitor involved? Usually one or other would have flagged this especially solicitor.

Have you a septic tank and percolation?

eoin.h

Muckit wrote: »

I can't figure out how u managed to buy a house in this day and age on a site that's less than 0.5 of an acre. Was there an estate agent or solicitor involved? Usually one or other would have flagged this especially solicitor.

Have you a septic tank and percolation?

I suppose the site is unusual, but it's in a very beautiful location. In my case, yes a solicitor was involved, we've mains septic and percolation.

_Brian

Farmland might be ~€6k when your buying 20-60’acres.

Looking for a plot like your asking and I’d be asking you for €10k, mostly so you’ll say it’s too much and never ask again.

johng906

OP - how did you decide to proceed with this in the end?

eoin.h

OP here. We spent a few years getting to know the farmer who owns the land. He was open to selling. We negotiated a price we're both happy with, and the deal is now done.

TheWonderLlama

was it more than the 3k?

Tileman

Well done op. Thanks for coming back with a update. Glad it worked out for ye.

grizzlyadams

So , did ye end up buying the 3 acres ?

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/110160126#Comment_110160126

And around my part of the country 10k would be cheap for this.

Danzy

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119309367#Comment_119309367

Fair play,good job.

May your egg plants and tomatoes be bountiful.

eoin.h

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119310472#Comment_119310472

We purchased almost exactly one acre.

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119309393#Comment_119309393

We spent more than 3k.

StevenToast

If you spent less than 10k...you have done extremely well

TheWonderLlama

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119399131#Comment_119399131

Fair play, best of luck with it.

Donald Trump

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119313500#Comment_119313500

Contacted an auctioneer who had an 18 acre plot for sale not too far away - albeit more out of noseyness as to the state of the market than actual interest in that bit. It was an odd shaped bit that literally only had a few metres of "road frontage". 320k was the starting price.

If someone is getting to buy the specific acre across the hedge that suits them for 10k, then they are getting a massive gift from the seller.

J.O. Farmer

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119399641#Comment_119399641

320k for 18 acres must be in a good part of the country.

Land in connacht could make half that maybe less and certainly not many places making more.

dePeatrick

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119399131#Comment_119399131

Well done, I do know that Clare is one of the easiest counties to do this in, the older people there told me they were sick of generations of people leaving and welcomed new people and did everything they could to be helpful.

StevenToast

https://www.boards.ie/discussion/comment/119399641#Comment_119399641

If I was the seller...it would be a minimum 10k, plus pay the solicitor fees and the new fencing....

I still wouldnt sell for that mind you...

I was just making the point to the OP that if he got it for less than that he has done well....

Played it well by building good relations👏🏻

Donald Trump

Land has been flying the last year or two.

I wonder if these new reduction "targets" will put a halt to that!