For many people, moving into their own four walls is a milestone in their lives. But before that can even happen, there are a few things to consider. There are countless decisions to be made: Build a house or buy a property? City or country? Large lot or prefer a small one? Questions upon questions must be answered. Then, once the decision is made and a home is to be built, it's on to the next step: solid house or manufactured home? Bungalow or townhome? Once these answers are found, too, the real work begins. Because in order for a house to be built, some official procedures must be completed before the house can be built. We explain which.
The most important official procedures before building a house
Once the decision to build a house has been made, it's time to get down to the nitty-gritty. Now come many organizational measures and there is much to consider. So where do you start? The first step has already been taken: The decision to build a house has been made. Now follows the checking of the financing possibilities . How much house can I afford and how much money do I still have available?. An honest breakdown of monthly costs should be prepared and a discussion with the bank should follow. In this way, the general conditions can be well defined in advance and make the further procedure, including dealing with the authorities, much easier before the house is built.
The next step: finding the plot
This point can sometimes be the most difficult on the long list of organizational measures. But in order to build a house, you need a plot of land. If you don't have one yet, you should consider the following points as selection criteria for the choice of a suitable plot of land:
- Size of the plot,
- Neighborhood,
- Urban or rural,
- Public transportation in the vicinity,
- Traffic situation,
- Length of the commute to work or school.
Tip: Some construction companies offer an individual simplification for the house builders and take over the authority courses.
Official procedures before buying a plot of land
Once the outstanding issues have been clarified and a plot of land is in prospect, the first official procedures await the potential buyers. Also building companies can take over these authority courses in advance, if they offer this service. The most important official procedures now include:
1. State Office for Environmental Protection
Even before buying a plot of land, the developer's first path should lead to the State Office for Environmental Protection. Here you can check whether the desired property is contaminated with harmful soil changes. This includes, for example, environmentally hazardous substances. If there are contaminated sites, there are special requirements for the revitalization of the soil during construction. Attention: This can sometimes be quite expensive.
2. The land registry office for the respective district or municipality
In this department of the respective district court all entries to land registers of the individual properties in the district are noted and thus property and encumbrance relations at the real estate property are registered. In former times these land registers were stored in paper form. Today, these exist only as an electronic collection of data. Interested parties find out here, among other things, whether the desired property is encumbered with mortgages. This is important for loans and financing. Once the purchase contract has been signed with the notary, the latter usually also enters the property in the land register in cooperation with the land registry office.
3. Development plan and soil expertise
The best thing for potential buyers to do before buying a plot of land is to find out about the nature and conditions of the land. This is important so that there are no unpleasant surprises here in the form of costs. If, for example, the site is on a slope, the subsoil must be adapted accordingly. In addition, the respective municipality specifies on the development plan in which way the construction of the land plot is possible. It is imperative to adhere to these guidelines. If the municipality does not have a development plan, it must be checked whether the intended site can be built on at all.
4. Building office
If the architect has completed his plans, these must now be approved by the building authority, i.e. a building application must be submitted. The architect himself or a developer can also make this trip to the building authority. Ultimately, the office decides whether the project can be implemented in the form that the architect and builder envision. The building permit is the only way to start construction. The cadastral office must also be consulted in advance, as this is where the surveying and mapping of the property is carried out – also with regard to compliance with boundaries with neighboring properties.
Conclusion: Official procedures before building a house
Who would like to build a house, needs in any case much patience. Months can pass from the planning phase to construction to completion and moving into the dream home. If one realizes this fact already from the outset, the waiting for the finished house is no longer quite so heavy. In addition, the procedure can be made much easier by involving a construction company. On the one hand, the staff there are experts in the field, know their way around and know what to think about. On the other hand one saves oneself many nerves, if one does not have to settle the innumerable authority courses already alone before the building of a house.