Buying house with land

FlyingCircus

FlyingCircus

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The opportunity has come up to make an offer on a house with 7 acres of land, 6 stables and a range of barns. The indoor stables are even connected to the tackroom, which can be accessed via the living room of the house!

Fields all have auto waterers and field shelters. Amazing hacking right on the door step. Arenas available to hire locally.

What are the pros and cons of having horses at home? I have 2 and would likely offer my close friend a place for her 2, so not offering livery as such. I'm not really competitive and just like enjoying my horses as (ridden) pets.
 
I personally don’t think there are any negatives. I like my own place/company. I do meet up with friends a lot for rides out.
I suppose the maintenance is a bit of a turn off for some but overall I much prefer my own place
 
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You have to maintain all the fencing, land, stables. Be very organised for ordering hay/straw etc. You have to find cover for holidwys etc. I suggest a free lance groom once a week, so you're a regular client and they will often then fit you in for emergencies etc. You can also end up quite isolated if you dont go to shows etc.

Having said all that I love it. Being able to set the yard up exactly how you want helps a lot.
 
The negatives is the lack of company and extra people to ride out with especially when you have youngsters .. and more organisation required to go on hols..— the positives are huge and difficult to go back from...
 
Having done it before, the only "negative" is having to plan and be organised. You really do need to plan cover for you for holidays or when you are unfit. In my case, we dealt with holidays by giving the horse a holiday in a field on grass livery.
 
Holiday cover big negative for me, but we are isolated.

I can't put a value on the total control over your own horses and grazing or the total lack of yard politics.

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I think I’d find it lonely. The yard is my social life, pretty much, although the dream is to sell up and buy somewhere with land eventually.

The tack room is connected to the living room, OP?! Goodness me! Stunning!
 
My parents bought a place with land last year. We sont have to worry about holiday cover because we have each other.

The downside is not being millionaires and having an ever growing To Do/Would like to have list!

There was a large initial layout buying a tractor, muck trailer, roller and harrows.

I'm lucky that dad is a farmers son turned electrician so theres next to nothing that he can't fix or make; without him ongoing maintenance would be an issue. So far it's been a few fence posts and lights in the stables but next year all of the fencing is being taken down and the fields reduced as well as sowing new grazing (current clover and more clover 😏).

In your position I'd look into what effect having a livery does to your rates and what insurance you'll need. I know it is a friend that you're intending having but you are always better safe than sorry.

That aside go for it. I would have sold up if I had to stay on the yards that were available. It's actually enjoyable having horses now!
 
Maintenance, getting winter hay in, someone to ride with/share chores/holiday cover, all been covered really. What is the hacking like?

Even if you are going to share with a friend it might be worthwhile to put something in writing, so you make sure you both have the same expectations so you don't have any misunderstandings - brining in, turning out, worming, vet visits, going out for a ride by yourself, what happens to the other horses if the one left is stressed, poo picking, what happens if their horse wrecks your stable, etc. etc. In my job I always had to think "what if" which turned me into a terrible pessimist, but just take a short while to think things through.

Otherwise, sounds great!
 
There are very few cons, most of which can be got round and lots of pros. I certainly wouldn't go back to a livery yard. If your friend will be there too, you won't be lonely and shouldn't have to worry about holiday cover. You might need to look into business rates and work out what to call your arrangement with your friend to avoid them, just in case.
 
Not many cons, you have to maintain stuff of course but I love it. The thought of having to do livery freaks me out completely! Ive always been lucky though and had mine at home. The only thing I hate is that Ive never had a school which I would love so much. Otherwise, it would be nice to have someone to hack out especially if I have a youngster but what I have far outweighs that. I guess in an ideal world I would have a school and perhaps have a livery or two at mine, then I would have full control but still would have people to hack with and could do holiday cover etc. I have a great person house sitter who moves in when I go on holiday.
 
Thanks guys :)

These cons sound manageable! I have my own field at the livery I'm based at now that I manage myself so am well used to the upkeep associated with that. Likewise with buying in all my own hay, bedding and feed anyway at the mo so I'm already pretty organised in that respect.

Holiday cover is a good point, as is having agreement with friend around expectations.

The hacking is really amazing, no road work and literally straight opposite the house onto hours of common land and forestry tracks...! And yes, the house really does connect to the stables! I can envisage cold winter mornings tootling through to the stables in my pjs to feed the horses their brekkie before I have mine!

...ignoring the fact the house isn't perfect and needs a lot of work and the plot needs and lot of tidying up (but hey, that's what makes it afforable!). I can see it being really fab with abit of love.
 
FlyingCircus said:
...ignoring the fact the house isn't perfect and needs a lot of work and the plot needs and lot of tidying up (but hey, that's what makes it afforable!). I can see it being really fab with abit of love.
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The other con is that 10 years hence, the house still won't be perfect but, never mind, the land and outbuildings will be just as you want them.

Sister and I still laugh about a house we used to see once a year on the way to GYS, the owners were obviously doing it up, while living in it. We went past once year, the stables looked fabulous, with beautiful hanging baskets all around while the roof was off the house.

We replaced the stable roof here 3 times before we got round to having the house roof done.
 
I you are getting a mortgage they will include the house and I think up to an acre of land for the valuation. If it not a working business and you need more money you will have to do a business plan.
I would go to someone like NFU for an insurance quote as you need third party for the land, as well as buildings insurance.
ROW, are there any over the land.
Water pipes and sewage, does the septic tank work?
Drainage rates for the land, do you have to pay any.Its so much an acre.

It is far more expensive than being at livery. We have been here five years and I would never have liveries, I tried but they were more trouble than the very small amount of money they brought in.
I can do exactly what I want with the fields but the cost of spraying has to be factored in, I was left with a lot of ragwort.
We have a lot of out building which over time we are deciding which ones we want to keep. Don’t assume planers will just let you replace them.
I have a girl Friday who comes twice a week and while I have been ill has kept things ticking over.
You have to plan things six months in advance to keep things running smoothly. I think our main problems are the water supply, it runs through two fields and a field we do not own, so if we get a leak it could be a big bill. There are so many old pipes and we have no idea where they go to.
My water bill is £1200 a year which includes the house.
 
We got a mortgage on our house and land, there was no discussion about only an acre being included in the valuation, however when you are not buying your first house, you usually have a substantial deposit, so it's not an issue. Not all houses with land have a septic tank, we don't. We did need to replace the incoming pipe, as it was a shared pipe with 5 other houses and uphill from them!o_O We have our own water pipe now;). Our water bill is small, we don't have a meter and it is based on the old rateable value. We don't pay any extra for drainage of the fields, which actually drain onto Yorkshire water's land and eventually the water feeds into a reservoir. Our council tax is band C, which is pretty good for a 4 bedroomed house, it really isn't all doom and gloom.

If you need to replace buildings, do it as a repair, or you will need planning permission and your neighbours might object. We have been here 25 years and have never had to spray the fields, we use a strimmer. We also have a few sheep, they keep the land sweet.
 
Pearlsasinger said:
We got a mortgage on our house and land, there was no discussion about only an acre being included in the valuation, however when you are not buying your first house, you usually have a substantial deposit, so it's not an issue. Not all houses with land have a septic tank, we don't. We did need to replace the incoming pipe, as it was a shared pipe with 5 other houses and uphill from them!o_O We have our own water pipe now;). Our water bill is small, we don't have a meter and it is based on the old rateable value. We don't pay any extra for drainage of the fields, which actually drain onto Yorkshire water's land and eventually the water feeds into a reservoir. Our council tax is band C, which is pretty good for a 4 bedroomed house, it really isn't all doom and gloom.

If you need to replace buildings, do it as a repair, or you will need planning permission and your neighbours might object. We have been here 25 years and have never had to spray the fields, we use a strimmer. We also have a few sheep, they keep the land sweet.
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If you have been in your home 25 years and that is when you got your mortgage the rules on borrowing have changed so lenders are a lot stricter about on what they lend on.
It’s not about doom and gloom it’s about being aware of hidden costs. Our solicitor did not tell us anything about the drainage rates, around here every area has a drainage board and it’s completely separate from the water bill, the first thing I knew about it was when it came through the door. We also had to take out extra insurance which was to do with any claims by the largest landowner in the area, the Church.
My neighbour who bought his land slightly before ours, but it was part of the same farm, had a shared supply like you, and it has cost him £40k because his solicitors did not check the deeds, and he had to have a new main put in and the road dug up, hence the cost.
All my neighbours are not on main drainage and we are not that isolated, we Are on the main road from the village, so you would imagine were were connected to mains drainage and water supply.
 
I'm also considering (i.e. trying to convince hubby it's a great idea) selling up and moving to a place with land. The place you describe sounds amazing. Feel free to share the link (promise I wont gazump). ;)

Those hidden costs sound scary. I must remember to hide this link from my husband.
 
OP I read your post to OH and he was horrified by the tack room being connected to the living room (I thought fab idea)...he thought the smell of horse and sweaty tack etc would permeate ...and this would remind him constantly of the money draining animals we all love! Go for it!
 
All lenders are different but we went through Santander and had no issues at all either with mortgage or valuation.

It used to be they'd include up to 12 acres but in practice I think they are happy up to 10 acres.

Our only issue is that we were moving cos other half got a new job, which meant they wouldn't finalise the mortgage until he had his first months pay slip as proof of income! He had to Airbnb it for a couple of months.

The cons are all mentioned above, but really, their is nothing like sitting out with your morning coffee watching your horses happily grazing.

The big plus for me is being able to rearrange the set up to suit your own horses. We recently knocked down an old damp dark stable. We put fencing around the concrete base and put a door in the side of the next stable. Now any pony on box/pen rest etc can have the run of a large stable and outdoor pen.

Also, we've planted hedgerows and trees to try and attract more wildlife which has been very rewarding.
 
southerncomfort said:
The big plus for me is being able to rearrange the set up to suit your own horses. We recently knocked down an old damp dark stable. We put fencing around the concrete base and put a door in the side of the next stable. Now any pony on box/pen rest etc can have the run of a large stable and outdoor pen.

Also, we've planted hedgerows and trees to try and attract more wildlife which has been very rewarding.
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We had 4 horses when we bought this place, then we went up to 5 (twice) and now we are down to 2, which are intended to be our last horses. We have changed the way we use the stables and the land, several times over the time that we have been here. We can do what suits us at the time.
 
Having had horses at home (not now though) only two downsides are isolation (it can be difficult to have holidays or days out) and maintenance. The maintenance will be double what you imagine and sometimes seems to be never ending.
 
Maintenance is an ongoing expense and one needs a good and reliable grassland contractor if it is do be done properly. (Harrowing, Rolling and Hedge Cutting)
Replacing fencing and gates is expensive.
Collecting the manure is another issue. I recently bought myself a Big Ab trailer as it is on ground level and one can simply barrow in the manure and when full have it taken away.
 
I have a mortgage with Santander, it's less than 3 years since I bought it and no acre issues. I also have a water metre, the bill is less than £20 a month (Maybe we wash the horses more than ourselves :D no drainage rates though as we're on a septic tank)
I do sometimes spend more time sorting the fields than riding. You need a good local farmer if you're not going to do it all, hedge cutting, spraying, muck removal (I trashed the field and had it reseeded as well). Fence fixing, gates etc .
get to know your neighbours quick, they become hacking friends, know who to ask for everything and help you if you want a few days away!
 
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