Thread: Buying land

Originally Posted by Markit

1)Oh Mark please be very careful, there is so much for you to check out such as who is the actual owner, and unless you speak perfect balinese dont attemp it, agents cost more but for very good reasons.

Balls! You don't need to speak Balinese or Indonesian or trust an agent or any of this - fact!

2) "an agent can check all the facts and a good one will be truthful"

Then after telling us about the dangers of trusting the Balinese she comes up with this gem "there are plenty of GOOD agents, go with your gut on that".

3) "Once you find someone to help you, make sure you check him/her out thoroughly by asking for e-mail references. Anyone who has worked around buying/selling property should have several good e-mail references."

Ok this isn't as bad as the first one but I do seriously doubt that you will find any good (good value) properties through an agent - see my blog for advice. The locals will be of great help in your initial search for a good property so don't give up on them quite so quickly - they all know someone that has land to sell and there is no reason why this won't be good for you and them - do your homework though.

4) "Personally i do not completely understand why everybody wants to build a new home,many old houses to be found,with mature gardens and a lot of atmosphere."

Hope that "atmosphere" is still fun when that old house falls down on you in the next earthquake. Best reason in the world not to buy an old Balinese house is that they are really poorly built IMHO. They save on steel but use all those bricks - try knocking down a concrete wall then have a go at a brick wall, especially if you've made he concrete blocks yourself. The older the house the worse the construction and wear and tear is too.

Read my blog.

Hi markit,

Have been reading these forums hoping to get some insights and help on buying land and building in Bali.
Appreciate your comments and will look for your blog.
Where do I find it?

I know I need to be cautious, but I guess there are hundreds of people who have bought land and built houses in Bali successfully.
Must be many who have been ripped off too!

I am hoping to find some honest people who can assist.
Happy to pay a fair price and make sure that locals and villages all benefit.
If you plan to come and live in a community it only makes sense to fair and reasonable.

Any help or tips would be really appreciated.
Thanks again

Originally Posted by Markit

1)Oh Mark please be very careful, there is so much for you to check out such as who is the actual owner, and unless you speak perfect balinese dont attemp it, agents cost more but for very good reasons.

Balls! You don't need to speak Balinese or Indonesian or trust an agent or any of this - fact!

2) "an agent can check all the facts and a good one will be truthful"

Then after telling us about the dangers of trusting the Balinese she comes up with this gem "there are plenty of GOOD agents, go with your gut on that".

3) "Once you find someone to help you, make sure you check him/her out thoroughly by asking for e-mail references. Anyone who has worked around buying/selling property should have several good e-mail references."

Ok this isn't as bad as the first one but I do seriously doubt that you will find any good (good value) properties through an agent - see my blog for advice. The locals will be of great help in your initial search for a good property so don't give up on them quite so quickly - they all know someone that has land to sell and there is no reason why this won't be good for you and them - do your homework though.

4) "Personally i do not completely understand why everybody wants to build a new home,many old houses to be found,with mature gardens and a lot of atmosphere."

Hope that "atmosphere" is still fun when that old house falls down on you in the next earthquake. Best reason in the world not to buy an old Balinese house is that they are really poorly built IMHO. They save on steel but use all those bricks - try knocking down a concrete wall then have a go at a brick wall, especially if you've made he concrete blocks yourself. The older the house the worse the construction and wear and tear is too.

Read my blog.

Hi Markit,

Found you blog and viewed your photos too.
Well done.
Amazing photos.

Would have lots of questions to ask you but not sure if the forum is the right place.
How would I go about getting some tips from you?

Thanks,

mark

Originally Posted by pollyanna

Mark, I think you realize that you must have a Balinese nominee if you want to "own" land in Bali. You wouldn't really own the land and that is where so many of the serious rip-offs occur. An inflated price by an agent is nothing compared to losing land and house to the nominee or the nominee's family.

So, you need a nominee you can trust completely with your hard-earned money. Would you buy a house in your own country that had someone else's name on the contract?
Your notaris can have a big impact on how secure your home is by the way in which the agreements are written. So, you need a notaris that you trust.
You need a village that is friendly to foreigners and also trustworthy.
You need to make sure all agreements are on paper and signed. They're worth zip if they are oral assurances.
You don't want to be too close to a temple.
You need to make sure that you have legal access to roads leading to your property and this is true even in a built-up area that looks like it has public streets. Letting this slip through the cracks can cost many, many juta if the road owner realizes he/she has you over a barrel after you've bought the land.
You may want to make a contract to buy conditional on receiving your IMB.
You need to ensure that you can get power to the property.

And I think someone has already given you the excellent advice that you need to be overseeing the building project really on a daily basis. That may mean living in rented accommodation while you're watching your house construction. That, by the way, is what we're doing at the moment. We spend hours every day at the building site.

And if you can find a nominee you trust with your hard-earned money who is well connected in the community and in the village you'll find it all goes much more smoothly.

Good luck! There are many people on BaliPod who can be ever so helpful if you go forward with building rather than buying a completed house. This has been a great resource for us.

Hi,
Well good luck with your build.
Thanks for the tips.
I understand about "owning" through someone else.
Your advice on rights to road access in one I have heard of before.
Not sure how you check all road access??
Is that the job of the notaris?
Which brings me to how to find a "trustworthy notaris"?
How did you find yours?

Mark

Originally Posted by Markit

I would suggest that the forum is, in fact, the correct place for any questions since there are lots out there with the same ones, but I would also suggest kindly check out the past posts first and then if you don't understand something there then quote that old post when fishing for new info - it sometimes helps in the understanding... for both of us

Hi,O.K.
Will do. Am looking through info and previous posts now.

Just wanted to ask a general question about possible upgrades to roads as there has been much talk of it over the last few years.
Interested in north west and east side.

1. Any news on the sunset road extension or roads up the north west.
Kerobokan to Sudimara, Tibubiyu and Tegalmengkeb ???

2. What about roads from Padangbai to Seraya and up the east?

Any news or info would be helpful.

Thanks,

Mark

Dear Mark,

I have read your post here, here i would like to inform you perhaps it is useful for youself.

1. I am from Tabanan, the area you mentioned that you interested. I have several land belong to my parents for beach front, and belong to me and brother for sea view land. Perhaps you have known Pasut - Tibubiu and Kelecung area.

2. About by pass to Soka directly, until know i do not heard when it is started but people already make sign and ring for the road.

3. As some others here replied that to own land in Bali still need nominee, YES it is true as I did before to own land belong to foreigner for long time but now their land has been sold.

4. About agent/makelar/internet price, i think some is good, it is lucky or not to find a good one.

Have a great day and success.

Originally Posted by mark bali

Hi,

I first went to Bali in 1999 and am now looking to buy some land.
Don't want to pay the inflated agent/internet prices.

Any tips would be useful. Will be back in Sept.

Thanks in advance.

what about ubud area?