Buying a plot in Herzliya Pituach – considerations before decisions

This article comes to draw your attention to the various factors that determine the cost of a plot in Herzliya Pituach and to what you should pay attention and check before getting into the actual closure of a deal.

Not as in buying a house in case of which you should consider whether the house itself meets your requirements and pay accordingly, the price of a plot in Herzliya Pituach is almost always determined by its location and particularly by its walking distance to the beach. Therefore the prices of plots are known and the price can be easily calculated.  Because of poor availability of plots in herzliya Pituach their asking prices are high and the owners are not always willing to negotiate. Therefore some deals are closed in prices higher than the market price level.

What you should check while buying a plot:

  1. Ownership of the plot
    There are 2 types of ownerships – private owned and state owned. State owned land is a little cheaper than private land because you should pay the land authorities some extra tax, beyond the taxes that should be paid by the owner. Although it is called a state land it is considered by law as a property under full private ownership.
    (Please consult your lawyer for detailed explanation).
  2. Size and dimensions of the plot
    Most of the houses in Herzliya Pituach are built on 400-500 sq/mtrs plots. Only few plots contain 1000 sq/mtrs or more. Since the most of the plots of 500 sq/mtrs are one half of a 1000 sq/mtrs plot in which 2 houses are built one house is always a front house – street side and the other one is a rear (or back) house. There are some advantages and disadvantages to both. Some clients prefer to be in the front and others to be in the back but usually the price of the front house is a little higher than the back one. The exception for this is when the plot is located on a main street. In this case the front plot will be a little cheaper than the back one.Since in case of 2 houses on one plot of 1000 sq/mtrs there should be a passage way leading from the street to the back house which takes out of the total size  60-70 sq/mtrs (proportionally from both houses) you have to know that when a broker tells you that the size of the plot is half a Dunam (500 sq/mtrs) it is actually 465-470 sq/mtrs.

    It is not always possible to have a house, a garden and a pool on 500 sq/mtrs plot therefore clients who would not like to spend in buying 1000 sq/mtrs plot are looking for 600-800 sq/mtrs plots. This kind of size is very rare in Herzliya Pituach and therefore cost more (per sq/mtr.)

  3. The position of the house on the plot
    In part of the plots in Herzliya Pituach building rights are limited by the municipality master plan. In narrow plots which allow building of 2 houses both should be attached or semi- attached. There are clients that prefer attached houses so they do not hear the neighbors and do not see them. This gives them some additional space in their garden. Some prefer a house with no attached neighbors. You have to bear in mind that a plot in which an attached house is obligatory will also dictate a certain position of the house on the plot with less flexibility.Another factor of choosing the location of the house on the plot is deciding whether you want the garden on the back side of the house or the house in the back side. Choosing the position decision should also consider the directions of the sun from sunrise to sunset.
  4. Neighboring plots
    If the neighboring plot is empty there is a chance that somebody will build on it in the near or the far future. This involves 1.5-2 years of building activities. If there is an old house  there you should relate to it as an empty plot.A good neighboring plot is when it will stay without neighbors (municipality green area, public park, municipality service area etc.) these do not produce noise.

    Noise producing neighbors are bus station, school, kinder garden, hotel, synagogue and shopping center.

    It is recommended to make sure that the neighbor’s garden will be next to yours and the house will be next to yours and not to be in a situation where your house overlooks the neighbor’s garden and his house overlooks your garden.

  5. Location
    The location factors that determine the price of a plot are:

    • Walking distance to the beach
    • Side street or dead end alley versus main street
    • Distance to the local school
    • The topographical situation in relation to the neighboring plots
    • A corner plot gets a premium (less one neighbor)
  6. Building rights
    These determine the value of a plot and you have to check:

    • Possible confiscation of part of the plot for public needs.
    • Limitation in the distance that should be calculated from the plot borders for the building plans.
    • Make sure that the borders between the plot and the neighboring one are clearly drawn in a plan enclosed to the national registrar documents.
  7. Additional remarks for price considerations
    Additional sq/mtrs to a 500 sq/mtrs plot make it unproportionally more expensive
    Additional 50-200  sq/mtrs to a 1000 sq/mtrs plot hardly change the plot price.
    A price of a plot is influenced by the width of it (street front) – the wider the more expensive.

The only conclusion drawn from this information is that you should be accompanied by a professional broker who will guide you through all the examining process so you will avoid making mistakes.